Tri-Lakes Trials...overcome!
Donation protected
WELCOME TO BRANSON! Thats what the man said as we drove up to Tri-Lakes Church in Branson Missouri. He was the church board representative assigned to meet my wife and I at the church building when we arrived in town from South Africa.
We were missionaries for 16 years in South Africa and had been contacted to come and Pastor Tri-Lakes Church in Branson Missouri. The church was in trouble...serious trouble. The leadership of the church had made a long series of decisions that had left a once booming church.... in very serious financial trouble.
My wife and I had been asked to come in to try and lead the congregation out of trouble and back into a good position both spiritually and financially. The board of the church gave us a list of the problems that we faced....Passed due bills...unpaid property tax...and deferred maintenance. My wife and I took the position and began to work.... After a short season at the church, it became obvious that the church had put itself in an unfixable situation. The church board did not even know how bad it was......Let me give you a quick picture....
Tri-Lakes Church had purchased a 140,000 square foot theater for their church facility. They choose to continue to run the theater business after they bought the facility so that the business could help fund the mortgage. However, this meant that they would have the responsibilities of a business, including property tax and other business taxes. As we arrived in Branson, they were two years behind in property taxes. They had also developed unhealthy business practices. Some of those practices were unknown to me coming in to the position.
As Pastor, I became positionally in charge of both the church and the business. I did not immediately involve myself in the business as there were people in place running the Theater business and I needed to get my feet on the ground and to be able to assess the situation.
After a year of establishing ourselves and digging into the background and into the financial situations, it became painfully obvious that the only solution was to shut the whole thing down.
My family and I had left our successful missions work in South Africa to come and rescue the Tri-Lakes Church, but we could not. After 2 years, we completely shut down the church and the business.
So, why am I asking for help? Why do I need $100,000? When we shut down the Church and business, the past due tax obligations that were due fell 100% on my shoulders. There was a lein placed on my house and I was charged with multiple tax offense charges. All charges have been dropped, however, the local prosecuter has come after me for all of the taxes owed.
I had placed my name on the church and business paper work as I assumed the pastoral role at the church. I was held 100% accountable even though I had not created the problem.
I have received help from the new congregation that we are pastoring in Branson. God has graciously allowed us to take the leadership of a congregation that is called Grace Community Assembly and it is doing well. However, the taxes still outstanding are more than my local congregation can handle alone... most know little if anything of the Tri-Lakes days. I'm just looking for some people who will help my family move past this burden.
I know I'll stand before the Father in Heaven some day to give an account of my work at Tri-Lakes Church. I will stand before my God without fear of how I served him in that time.
If you could help me move past this debt....I'd be very thankful. God Bless You!
We were missionaries for 16 years in South Africa and had been contacted to come and Pastor Tri-Lakes Church in Branson Missouri. The church was in trouble...serious trouble. The leadership of the church had made a long series of decisions that had left a once booming church.... in very serious financial trouble.
My wife and I had been asked to come in to try and lead the congregation out of trouble and back into a good position both spiritually and financially. The board of the church gave us a list of the problems that we faced....Passed due bills...unpaid property tax...and deferred maintenance. My wife and I took the position and began to work.... After a short season at the church, it became obvious that the church had put itself in an unfixable situation. The church board did not even know how bad it was......Let me give you a quick picture....
Tri-Lakes Church had purchased a 140,000 square foot theater for their church facility. They choose to continue to run the theater business after they bought the facility so that the business could help fund the mortgage. However, this meant that they would have the responsibilities of a business, including property tax and other business taxes. As we arrived in Branson, they were two years behind in property taxes. They had also developed unhealthy business practices. Some of those practices were unknown to me coming in to the position.
As Pastor, I became positionally in charge of both the church and the business. I did not immediately involve myself in the business as there were people in place running the Theater business and I needed to get my feet on the ground and to be able to assess the situation.
After a year of establishing ourselves and digging into the background and into the financial situations, it became painfully obvious that the only solution was to shut the whole thing down.
My family and I had left our successful missions work in South Africa to come and rescue the Tri-Lakes Church, but we could not. After 2 years, we completely shut down the church and the business.
So, why am I asking for help? Why do I need $100,000? When we shut down the Church and business, the past due tax obligations that were due fell 100% on my shoulders. There was a lein placed on my house and I was charged with multiple tax offense charges. All charges have been dropped, however, the local prosecuter has come after me for all of the taxes owed.
I had placed my name on the church and business paper work as I assumed the pastoral role at the church. I was held 100% accountable even though I had not created the problem.
I have received help from the new congregation that we are pastoring in Branson. God has graciously allowed us to take the leadership of a congregation that is called Grace Community Assembly and it is doing well. However, the taxes still outstanding are more than my local congregation can handle alone... most know little if anything of the Tri-Lakes days. I'm just looking for some people who will help my family move past this burden.
I know I'll stand before the Father in Heaven some day to give an account of my work at Tri-Lakes Church. I will stand before my God without fear of how I served him in that time.
If you could help me move past this debt....I'd be very thankful. God Bless You!
Organizer
David Betzer
Organizer
Branson, MO