Now pretend you also own a tiny apartment over a garage behind your old legal office in downtown Redding between the railroad tracks and Court Street. Some say the church has helped the city in many ways: But some residents have grown frustrated with Bethels combination of other-worldly theology and increasing this-worldly clout, as the appearance of Buck Fethel T-shirts show. I just hope they dont stop there. When the Redding Civic Auditorium faced closure, Bethel created the nonprofit Advance Redding to lease the facility. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Bethels slogan, On earth, as it is in heaven, directs its believers to infiltrate every aspect of their communities. But Audette said she knows of only two two instances when she has seen Bethel actually become politically involved. And Redding City Council member Resner decided to run for the Shasta County Board of Supervisors District 1 seat being vacated by Supervisor Joe Chimenti, who opted against running for re-election. Feb 20, 2023 5:15 PM . When Crockett quips that hes attended more city council meetings in these last few years than incumbent Dacquisto, that line always gets a laugh, but its no joke. Bethel is a congregation of worshippers of Jesus Christ in Redding, California, who long to see hearts ignited until heaven meets earth. But many in the community, including Crockett, feel that a harder look at Bethel-affiliated candidates is valid given the size, funding and theology of Bethel Church. The Redding City Council consists of five council members elected "at large" for staggered four-year terms. The trio of Redding City Council candidates who attend Bethel Church are Audette, Shea and Munns. The following is an open letter to Redding Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jake Mangas in response to his blog post last week on the chambers website, Hate Speech and Bethel Church.. Photo by Steve DuBois. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. His fellow senior leader Bill Johnson has also compared the COVID vaccine to the mark of the beast. But both Audette and Shea say the 7 Mountains Mandate is really about reminding Christians to get involved in the community and find ways to use their skills and resources to make the community better for everyone, although, Shea added, he understands thats not always how the theology is seen. Great! Bethel also operates multiple schools, including the three-year Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). The sobering reality is that Redding voters are backed against a Bethel wall with some tough questions: Do I wish, for the sake of a more balanced election playing field, that the Redding City Council race wasnt flooded with candidates who attend The Stirring or Bethel Church? Even so, his campaign is lackluster, with just a smattering of campaign signs, and to date, few to none endorsements. ), Similarly, Bethel members, especially Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry students, have a certain look. It's designed to attract shoppers downtown . Lake has claimed the vote was rigged and B.S. and is challenging the outcome. Im not down with cancel culture. Four to eight inches of snowfall is expected in most of the state. Feucht also worship-campaigned for Doug Lamborn, U.S. House member from Colorado Springs, who coasted to reelection. Danny and Sheri Silk moved to Redding to become a part of the Bethel Senior Team. Looking to find the non-Bethelites running for city council. He was an instructor at Fuller and Denver seminaries and the U.S. Air Force Academy. is listed by the Shasta Economic Development Corporation as the 8th largest employer. But Shasta County is anything but normal. The church elder on the Redding City Council. ods role in government and if politicians should Christianize a nation. Add to the information pile the fact that Valenzuela, one of the youngest candidates at age 30, is one of three Redding City Council candidates recommended by Kathy Stainbrook, a notorious ultra-right Red, White and Blueprint supporter, and Leonard Moty recaller. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. How about You can tellthose with a certain gender preferencerun this business because it has that look.?. They feel like their vision for Redding is being supplanted by someone elses, that theyre being replaced by Bethelbots, that the system is rigged. Candidate Alex Sheaalso confirmed that he attends Bethel Church. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Like Munns, Hill seems a good guy who truly wants to make a difference. Having written thousands of articles over the course of my career, I know when my palms are perspiring on the keyboard as I type, something is drastically wrong and its time to take a step back and ask myself some serious questions. Hates a strong word. Thanks to Bethel, Redding is now known as a leader in the field of conversion therapy, the scientifically unfounded belief that LGBTQ people can purposely change their sexual orientation or gender identity using reparative methods such as praying the gay away. If you believe their statements and I do these three are enthusiastic in their dedication and genuine desire to make Redding a better place. In reply to Jeff Gorder. Julie Winter, Redding City Council member/Bethel Church elder, The 10 following candidates are competing for three available Redding City Council seats. . Bethel can be felt in the trendy new coffee shops and restaurants where young, well-dressed people huddle at tables with open Bibles and nary a mask . We are a non-profit, independent, civic news organization focused on Shasta Countys diverse and investigative stories. Alex Shea hosted a launch party for his candidacy Saturday and Joshua Johnson made . This couldnt be further from my goals and ideas about how the government should work. Kind of like Dacquisto. Editors note: Portions of this column have been edited for clarity. Scheide is an award-winning journalist who has covered news, politics, music, arts and culture in Northern California for more than 30 years. Theres also concern that some church members are fanning secessionist movements and supporting militia groups in Shasta County. In 2016, I wrote a post titled, Bethel Redding: A Dangerous Evangelical Cult.Since that time, thousands and thousands of people (Almost 14,000 viewers in 2019, 18,000 in 2018, 24,000 in 2017, and 17,000 in 2016) have come to this site seeking information about Bethel Redding, an Evangelical megachurch in Redding, California pastored by Bill . Dacquistos now-predictable Partin endorsements usually include Dacquistos mention that one of the reasons he endorses Partin is because Dacquisto is sick of being on the losing end of so many 3-2 or 4-1 votes. Christianity Today defines Christian Nationalism, Supervisor Jones Wants More Power To Set The Board, And The Peoples, Agenda. You, the well-paid president and CEO of the Redding Chamber of Commerce, barged ahead and went full Bethel, suggesting that thousands of members of the numerous Facebook groups dedicated to criticizing the charismatic evangelical megachurch in our midst are committing the sin of hate speech. In fact, aside from the times she recused herself to avoid even the perception of a conflict, as far as I know, Winter never uttered the the word Bethel. My focus in my run for City Council is on minimizing homelessness, fighting crime, and strengthening our economy. Listen to Johnson speak and tell me youre not impressed. Redding is a city of 93,462 in Trump-red Shasta County, which has a population of 182,000. By the Redding City Council and its Shasta County Supervisors simply turning their collective backs to an obvious safety issue as its sole reaction to the tragedy that occurred there is simply unacceptable, and surly the blood of the next man, woman, or child brutally and horrifically squashed out of them will spiritually be on your hands. In reply to R.V. Redding will lease its civic auditorium to Bethel Church for up to a decade. Scheide. Local critics oppose Bethels promotion of gay conversion therapy, and its fight against COVID masks, vaccinations, and closures. View Calendar. Since the late 90s, under senior leader Bill Johnson, the church has been devoted to the pursuit of the presence of God, manifested in supposed signs and wonders, including messages from heaven, miraculous healings, gold glitter, feathers, and special stones. The wording in the article could lead some to believe that it is still in that fellowship. Who are these new people and whered they get all the money to start these crazy businesses? Duly noted. Some people even draw parallels between Councilman Dacquisto and his broken website address. . You then assert the same sort of hateful things are being posted, with Bethel taking the place of Blue People, in Bethel Affiliated Business, Investigating Bethel and numerous other Facebook groups you say are devoted to hating Bethel Church and its members., You write, Any of these posts would create a huge issue in the human resources department of your business and perhaps land the author in court for libel, defamation of character, or perhaps even a hate crime.. If you agree please share this blog on your social . Julie Winter, a Bethel elder, already sits on the five-seat Redding City Council. Earnest deputy county clerk Ian Hill falls into a bless his pea-pickin heart category. Between both departments, they set a goal of selling 500 signs (250 for each department), with all profits (about $4 per sign) going to a fund to buy an AED all-weather enclosure, along with AED for installation. Some of them have been doxing you. We are on the edge of the greatest revival of all time. She attended Bethels School of Supernatural Ministry and says she now teaches a God and Government class there to help ensure that Christians know the importance of maintaining the appropriate separation between church and state. While his two hours weekly at the church are important to him, he said, they have less weight in his life than the forty-plus hours he spends working and interacting in the city. Both Bethels size and its commitment to Seven Mountain dominionism have gained it increasing local influence over the last decade as it seeks to create heaven on earth.. We will never charge for the news but would so deeply appreciate your voluntary support. The Awakening Australia eventand its main speaker, Bill Johnsonare increasing the awareness of the controversial church throughout the continent. Bethel Redding has also become associated with certain phenomena that are interpreted by the leadership and the congregation as manifesting the presence and glory of God. As evidence, she points to the Civic; to Winter's place on the city council; to the hordes of Bethel students who volunteer across Redding, saving the city money. He and his wife Lois live in Colorado. Cancelled . The 11,000-member Bethel Church in Redding, California, led by Bill Johnson, now hold the majority on the Redding City Council after a successful electoral run in November by Bethel members saw them emerge victorious and now hold the swing vote. May 11th 2022, 6:13 PM PDT. AFAIK, Schreder and Sullivan are not. All rights reserved. 1. Obviously, Jake, you didnt do that. Shes participated in all the candidate forums. Audette said the way the church engaged that time was legal and appropriate because it would have affected their ability to exercise their 1st Amendment rights.. Absences: Dacquisto has missed a number of meetings, including closed session meetings, joint session meetings, RABA, Library, Housing, Capital Services, and Successor Agency meetings. Linen Service Companies near Redding, California, Petaluma, California and Irvine, California The City of Redding, incorporated on October 4, 1887, is a general law city formed under state legislative statutes and governed by a body of laws in the State Constitution. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. Members volunteer and serve throughout the city. Did you mean the Blue Man Group? Steve Rabey is a veteran author and journalist who has published more than 50 books and 2,000 articles about religion, spirituality, and culture. Johnson, who publicly endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020, teaches that part of that revival will come through ballot boxes. The large number of travelers who visit the megachurch and its five schools Bethel Christian School, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Bethel Conservatory of the Arts, Bethel School of Technology and Bethel Music College helped attract nonstop United Airlines flights to Los Angeles. However, Munns does have one interesting detail that sets him apart from the rest of the candidates: He spearheaded in Reno an award-winning homeless-assistance program that he believes could work in Redding. Do you support free online news in Shasta County? Westbrook: 2.8 inches. Things got especially slick when you introduced HR departments to this conversation and mention of potential lawsuits. Let Us Worship participants, many from Bethel Church and The Stirring church, crowd around Sean Feucht and musicians. This is preposterous. Jesus instituted it as an army that brought transformation to society, starting with salvation and continuing with seven spheres of influence: Church, family, education, government, media, arts, and commerce, they wrote. Have I done the research? Tenessa is a graduate of Leadership Redding, and serves on the Steering Committee, organizing the Government program. Each year, thousands of believers come from every corner of the globe to worship at Bethel, or spend thousands of dollars to enroll in its three-year-long Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Both candidates said despite that teaching they would not discriminate against the gay community in any way in their role on the council. While the Seven Mountain Mandate is controversial even among many Christian denominations for Bethel devotees, its considered gospel. I have no influence on Bethels decisions, financial or otherwise, Shea wrote, I am just one of several thousand people who choose to spend my personal time there as a private citizen on Sunday mornings.. Or will we now see what the true intentions of Bethel Church, School, And Ministry really are. Members of Bethel, the 11,000-member northern California megachurch famous for elaborate healing services, Bethel Music, and musician Sean Feuchts nationwide worship protests against COVID restrictions, now hold the majority on the Redding City Council after Novembers elections, according to nearly complete vote counts. Yikes!! Put all three of those concerns together, Jake, and Redding starts looking a lot like Clearwater, Florida, global headquarters for Scientology. I spend just 2 hours at Bethel each week and 45+ hours in the community, helping unlock funding for real estate deals, putting my financial skills to work, and investing in our local nonprofits. Cancelled . The second time they got involved, Audette continued, was when the city, county, and law enforcement asked for their help to pass Measure A (a 2020 proposed 1% county sales tax). Audette said the city ran a voter registration campaign at that time to encourage members to become more involved. Once was the churchs vocal response to a 2018 California bill which would have made it illegal for Bethel to sell resources with the intent to reduce or eliminate same-sex attraction, according to a tweet from Vallotton. Chamberlain holds a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from CSU, Chico. Again, its not necessarily hateful to notice this. Riddle me this: Pretend you are a retired lawyer, and you have a beautiful Siskiyou County home, and a vacation get-away in Mexico. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. There are three primary reasons members are concerned about Bethel, not all of them shared by all members. In English, that means its critics believe Bethel is taking over the town and re-creating it in its own image, as its theology commands. But after watching many hours of multiple candidate forums, and after spending entire days transcribing audio, trawling websites and doing deep dives into social media pages, Ive reached a conclusion: Of the 10 Redding City Council candidates, Audette, Johnson and Shea appear the most qualified to serve as Redding City Council members. If you are new here, or if you just fell off a turnip truck, Bethel Church is a world-famous Redding mega-church that boasts more than 10,000 members. They can be a nuisance. But Bethel Senior Associate Leader Kris Vallotton has made multiple political statements from the pulpit, including his prophecy that Donald Trump would win the 2020 presidential election. However on March 7th PA President Abbas said that recognising Israel as a Jewish state is 'out of the question,' a decision unanimously endorsed by the Revolutionary Council of Palestinian Authority and by the council of the Arab League. A non-Bethel incumbent up for reelection was the top vote getter. Their social media pages are meaty, informative and substantive. Since then, the North State is still in recovery over the dirty recall of a stellar supervisor, the baseless firing of the countys chief health officer and the resignation of a blackmailed CEO. Both the Redding City Council and the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, egged on by mysteriously funded opposition groups, unanimously opposed the Redding Rancherias casino expansion project.