60 Days Notice

1/28/09
~Rancho Capistrano
Yesterday, we, the employees of Rancho Capistrano were given an informal 60 days Notice by our Operating Director. The Crystal Cathedral is planning to shut down the ranch in 60 days and our formal WARN Act notices are to arrive by Friday. I’ve decided to journal the next 60 days to document exactly how God will miraculously intervene. Maybe not exactly intervene as He has had this orchestrated long ago. To me, He’s coming to save the day. Over the next 60 days I, along with many others, will pray fervently and unceasingly. I step out in faith to say two things will happen. 1. God will reveal His glory and 2. My faith will be stronger than it's ever been and I will be stronger as a result. I look forward to this journey.

The Ranch is a viable business. There are 97 weddings booked for 2010 along with numerous conferences. The P&L for 2009 showed a profit of nearly $350,000. So from a business perspective this is a horrible decision! From a ministry perspective, my guess is that the Crystal Cathedral’s first priority is to save the Hour of Power and therefore, all the focus is there. To shut down all of the other ministries within the organization will allow them to do that. In the meantime, there will be a giant-sized wake following this decision when it’s made public. What will the brides do when they get notice of this when their weddings are in a few months? Who will maintain the property so that it can be put on the market for sale? That is of course, assuming Farmers & Merchants won’t foreclose before then. Maybe that’s the inevitable…this property will be foreclosed and those in power at CC know it’s coming. My head has been spinning to understand the reasoning behind this decision.

Whatever the outcome God is in control. God is in control. God is in control!!! I had to write that 3 times to make it really sink in deep. There are hundreds of logistical questions surrounding the closure of this beautiful 20 acre place. It’s an undertaking of massive proportion that all has to take place in 60 days.

It just kills me to think that this holy land that has been used for God’s glory will soon be deserted and desolate? All of the Spanish Colonial buildings with its amazing tiles and brick to be left with no one to enjoy their beauty. It kills me even more to not have had the opportunity to turn this amazing piece of land into the picture I have for it in my head. Why did God put me here for this short time of a year and a half? Since acquiring this position without any prior experience was a miracle in itself, I believed that God’s plan for my life involved this Ranch. I gave my heart to the Lord as a 13 year old girl attending the youth ministries at the CC. I seriously felt a stirring in my heart when I used to drive by the property on the freeway. Everything came full circle and seemed to finally come together in my life. Yes, it’s been a huge struggle financially as my salary is only a fraction of what it used to be. But along with my jewelry, I truly believed it was God’s plan. So now what?