Crystal Cathedral Ministries now hopes its Hour of Power comes in the form of millions of dollars in donations.
The Garden Grove, Calif., church of 10,000 (according to the ministry website), which hosts the television program “Hour of Power,” has changed course in its bankruptcy proceedings in an effort to hang on to its massive cathedral.
Now, instead of fielding offers from a handful of suitors, the church has decided to wait for a miracle to save the ministry from having to sell, even launching a fundraising campaign to raise money to keep the church afloat.
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The ministry filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and since that time a handful of organizations, churches and even businesses (Hobby Lobby has its own cash offer on the table for the church) have expressed interest in purchasing the 35-acre property from the 31-year-old church. But with the Crystal Cathedral Ministries now saying it will wait for a miracle and infusion of cash, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange has stepped up its original cash offer of $50 million to $53.6 million. Yup, all cash.
The Catholic Church has even offered to let Crystal Cathedral Ministries lease back space in their palace. Diocese of Orange Bishop Tod Brown already has the goal of building his own cathedral to house over one million attendees and buying the Crystal Cathedral could save money and time.
With the next bankruptcy court hearing set for Sept. 14, Crystal Cathedral Ministries will either need a marvelous miracle or rely on the miracle of $50 million in cash.
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Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.