how many did you all have attend

[scooter]

Randy Howard said it cost about $500,000.00 to have the assembly...If 12,000 people showed up, we'd need each one to give about $42.00 to off set the price.

Here's a question...Is what you (or anyone) get from the assembly worth $500,000.00 every two years?

Response: Cost $500,000.00 before or after the offerings?

Does WW profit offset such a cost?

[pitts47150]

I know that it does cost a pretty penny to have the assembly. I got a really good Blessing from the services. In my opinion, if just one soul is saved and excepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior it is worth it all. That is just my opinion though.

[Pastor Gary]

Response: Cost $500,000.00 before or after the offerings?

I don't think the $500,000 figure is an exact quote -- I thought REH said "It costs MORE THAN $500,000..." and I am pretty sure he is correct, and conservative. I would estimate closer to $700,000.

There are hard costs (rental of the facility, etc.) and soft costs (paramedics on site, etc. Example: for every block of time we have a session in the big arena, we are contracturally obligated to have X-number of their hired ushers, clean-up crew, tech people on stand-by, etc. to the tune of $5,000 per session.

Overseers receive assistance with travel, their hotel rooms are provided, and they get some cash to help with 10 days of meals. It adds up fast.

[Dr. Ron]

Thanks rambo for he honest assessment.

Also, you have to pay a surcharge for lack of liquor sales. Basically you have a bar tab whether you serve it or not. Based on my own experience, that alone should be close to 10-15 thousand.....

I understand that is one reason for not coming back to Nashville.

[TW]

Randy Howard said it cost about $500,000.00 to have the assembly...If 12,000 people showed up, we'd need each one to give about $42.00 to off set the price.

Here's a question...Is what you (or anyone) get from the assembly worth $500,000.00 every two years?

Look at it this way. I can spend $42.00 in a restaurant on a good meal that in 24 hours will be nothing but a memory. Or I can spend that same $42.00 and get nourishment for my soul that in ten, twenty, thirty years to come will still be nourishing me.

The real question is, "Is it worth it?" The answer will depend strictly on what you are willing to receive from it.


TW

[soulsearcher]

I was there Friday night, and sat in section 102, with a clear view of the auditorium. The main floor and surrounding first levels were basically full. I agree with Rambo pretty much, "guesstimating" that crowd to be no more than 8,500 max.

[Merrie]

Can someone fill me in on what happened in the past 10-20 years regarding the old tabernacle property and its sale? Or give me a source of reference to find out this period in church history....I know I'm out of the loop.

I was in Cleveland this past weekend getting my daughter enrolled in Lee and happened to go down Keith St past the church property. I knew it had sold, but was shocked to see the retail development that is there now.

If the church is paying the kind of money that is mentioned here, and the attendance is only in the 10,000 range, what were the reasons for selling the old facility?

[fezzik]

If the church is paying the kind of money that is mentioned here, and the attendance is only in the 10,000 range, what were the reasons for selling the old facility?

The tabernacle was old, really old. When you own the facility, you have to pay for it year round. That means maintenance, taxes, etc. You can't rent it out to people on a regular basis if it's not a great place, great location, etc. I think selling the property was a wise decision. Renting a facility to have the assembly every two years has to be less than the ownership costs of a permanent location.

Having it in a bigger city also helps a lot of the attendees. I would bet that flights to Chattanooga are a lot more expensive than costs for Nashville.

The assembly is necessary for the business of the church, so it's going to be costly to have it. So, you have to either do a bare bones meeting, or you can amp it up and make it a positive event for a large cross section of the church. I spent many summers in Cleveland and that place, the location, the building...had all grown 'tired'. It was time to move on. I agree that $700k is a lot of money, but I don't like the idea of a scaled back version or moving it back to Cleveland.

[DaJudge]

If the church is paying the kind of money that is mentioned here, and the attendance is only in the 10,000 range, what were the reasons for selling the old facility?

The tabernacle was old, really old. When you own the facility, you have to pay for it year round. That means maintenance, taxes, etc. You can't rent it out to people on a regular basis if it's not a great place, great location, etc. I think selling the property was a wise decision. Renting a facility to have the assembly every two years has to be less than the ownership costs of a permanent location.

Having it in a bigger city also helps a lot of the attendees. I would bet that flights to Chattanooga are a lot more expensive than costs for Nashville.

The assembly is necessary for the business of the church, so it's going to be costly to have it. So, you have to either do a bare bones meeting, or you can amp it up and make it a positive event for a large cross section of the church. I spent many summers in Cleveland and that place, the location, the building...had all grown 'tired'. It was time to move on. I agree that $700k is a lot of money, but I don't like the idea of a scaled back version or moving it back to Cleveland.

There were also constant issues with the Fire Marshalls and meeting fire codes. When it was built, they used aluminum wiring instead of copper, and that was going to have to all be replaced as well. It was going to cost a fortune. The place was a fire trap.

Overall though, it made no sense to pour that much money into a facility that was used twice a year, for Assembly and the TN state convention.

[Merrie]

Old, really old????? Thanks.....
Then, that would make me old, really old, too!!!!!

I thought it was built in the early 70's. I remember going to the 'old' tabernacle when I was in high school. Now that building really was a fire trap.

I didn't know about the wiring issues. I knew it wasn't large enough to accomodate the 20,000+ crowd attending back then. Seems like a lot of maintenance, taxes and utilities could be paid for $700,000 every two years.

Thanks for the info. I knew there was more to the decision to sell than I had heard about.

[Pianoman]

I don't think it was so much the age of the building as it was
the code violations & the size problem.

What's sad/ironic - is that we move to a more convenient
location with a larger facility, easier access, lots more
accomodations (and much nicer) and attendance is now
half of what it was.

[EagerBeaver]

Old, really old????? Thanks.....
Then, that would make me old, really old, too!!!!!

I thought it was built in the early 70's. I remember going to the 'old' tabernacle when I was in high school. Now that building really was a fire trap.

I didn't know about the wiring issues. I knew it wasn't large enough to accomodate the 20,000+ crowd attending back then. Seems like a lot of maintenance, taxes and utilities could be paid for $700,000 every two years.

Thanks for the info. I knew there was more to the decision to sell than I had heard about.

I was told by some folks I know who attended the Assembly every year in the old tabernacle that every now and then they would wonder what would happen if a fire broke out. I can only imagine what untold devastation there would be.

[DaJudge]

What's sad/ironic - is that we move to a more convenient
location with a larger facility, easier access, lots more
accomodations (and much nicer) and attendance is now
half of what it was.

What we should remember about the attendance is how much more accessible the Assembly services are now. Used to, if you wanted to know what happened at the Assembly, you had to go to Cleveland. Then in the 80's we got high tech and you could watch it off of a Satellite dish. Now everyone with a computer and an internet connection can see it anywhere in the world

People just don't have to come anymore. I know lots of people who could have come, but chose not to and watch it at home online instead.

[RamboPreacher]

...
People just don't have to come anymore. I know lots of people who could have come, but chose not to and watch it at home online instead.

zactly - especially now in light of the proxy system implimentation as well.

[Pianoman]

What we should remember about the attendance is how much more accessible the Assembly services are now. Used to, if you wanted to know what happened at the Assembly, you had to go to Cleveland. Then in the 80's we got high tech and you could watch it off of a Satellite dish. Now everyone with a computer and an internet connection can see it anywhere in the world

People just don't have to come anymore. I know lots of people who could have come, but chose not to and watch it at home online instead.

DaJudge - I'm sure that attributes to some of the decline - but I
don't entirely buy it. Missouri used to own their campground &
had the state convention every year at that facility. 2 cheap/run down
motels in town & a bunch of half finished cabins were the only accomodations.
Only 2 restaurants in town. If you were ever there -
it was in the middle of no place & conditions were less than ideal.

Attendance ran in the 700's. They sold the campground, combined
Missouri with Kansas, and moved the convention to civilization
(a nice hotel with a convention center). Even after combining 2
states together - I believe our highest attendance has been
between 300 to 400. (And it has never been broadcast online -
possibly taped a few times with camcorders).

I've pondered a lot of reasons for the decline. Possibly the extra
expense of the higher priced motels. Possibly the extra driving
(it was moved away from the bulk of the church population).
Possibly just the fact that bulk of the membership is senior
citizen age and don't get out as much - especially to a more
metropolitan area. I still often wander if attendance would
have been higher had they left things alone?

Regardless - it seems to me to be a trend for the most part.