Church completes purchase of new administrative headquarters building

By Mat Morgan
Secretary, board of directors

PASADENA—Escrow closed Nov. 2 on the church’s new administrative headquarters facility in Glendora, California.

The two-story building, built in 1980, contains 36,000 square feet of office space and 19,000 square feet of warehouse. The building rests on 2.38 acres of land along historic Route 66 near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 20 miles east of the Ambassador campus in Pasadena.

In selecting this building, the board considered numerous factors, including the building’s overall suitability as a tool to support the mission of the church, cost, proximity to the existing headquarters employee base, size and configuration, and access to freeways and airports.

During the search for a new facility, dozens of buildings were considered. Some buildings, although similar in size, were listed for twice the $5.3 million purchase price paid for the Glendora property, and many were not well located.

“In the end, the church got a good building, for a good value in a good location,” according to Bernie Schnippert, director of Finance & Planning, “and that is not easy to do in Southern California.”

Over the next few months, the interior of the building will be reconfigured from its previous use and prepared for the headquarters functions of the church, a process that should be completed by April or May.

Vance Gilless, Facilities director, who will oversee the project, commented, “I am looking forward to seeing the building transformed into a place that will serve the church well for many years to come.”

Joseph Tkach, WCG president, said, “Acquisition of this modest but functional building and the sale of the remaining 17 acre portion of the Ambassador campus, when finalized, are two important steps toward reaching our goal of creating a small administrative headquarters to support the local evangelistic efforts of our members in more than 800 congregations in the United States and abroad.”

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