Illustrated map of Heritage USA. Click the map for a size adjustable view

Monday, July 23, 2007 [updated September 19, 2008]

I have been a long-time supporter of PTL and Jim and Tammy. They did not know at that time that I had same gender attractions, but I appreciate them (and Jay) all the more that they have reached out to others like me in love and have extended grace to us.

While the Heritage Grand Hotel was still under construction, and while I was traveling for business to Columbia, South Carolina, I went to Heritage a few times to be in the audience for the live show. Once the Heritage Grand Hotel opened, we went as a family to PTL for vacation for a few times.

Then in September 1986 I moved with my family to the Charlotte area to be involved at PTL, not on staff but to be able to go to Heritage USA as much as was possible to attend ministry services and also with hopes of being able to "hang out" at the teen recreation center during the busier times. I had been raised with no father and was picked on by my peers when I was younger, and I wanted to be able to spot teens that looked downtrodden and befriend them and offer encouragement for the few days they were visiting Heritage.

Before moving to PTL, Jim and Tammy had ministered to me so much in my darkest times during the early 1980s. I found much comfort watching the PTL Club on TV. You see, my life had been a mess, not so much on the outside, but I had had much inner turmoil going on inside. The show ministered to my soul, both in song (Tammy Faye, as well as the PTL singers and other guests) and also the various guests who shared their true-life stories of overcoming difficulties. Tammy's song You Can Make It helped me a great deal. I was compelled to move there to be involved. That never happened the way I had imagined. We had only lived in the PTL area about six months when scandal broke at PTL in 1987. At that time we lived in Fort Mill, South Carolina, about three miles from PTL/Heritage USA. We did not know Jim and Tammy "in person" at that time.

Starting with the 1980 election over the abortion issue, Satan used other ministers in the 1980s to turn the church mean, which continues to this day. Paul tells us in Galatians 2:21, "if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." Other ministers, who prefer Law over Grace, attacked Jim and Tammy because of their message of Grace and Love. With friends like that, who needs enemies? Also see my page The Decline of the Church in America.

My kids all attended private school at Heritage USA, and my oldest daughter was in the same classroom with Jamie Charles ("Jay") Bakker. When the scandal broke and the news media began harassing the kids, it was time to switch to public school.

We were Lifetime Partners six times over. When the scandal and accusations broke I had to reassess my own reasons for having donated to the ministry. While I did receive some hotel benefits, I realized that I had given to PTL because of the same reason I moved there, which was for ministry for anyone and everyone who would come. It was not for the free hotel nights, but because the ministry had ministered to us in profound ways. I do not regret giving to the ministry. I had given back to God from the resources He had given to me.

For the record Jerry Falwell duped Jim. Falwell said he would run PTL until the scandal blew over, but three months before Falwell filed for bankruptcy, he told the Pastor of First Baptist in Jacksonville, Florida that his intention was always to put it into bankruptcy and shut it down. That's why he made such a media circus with his press conferences and other TV appearances on Nightline, etc. making false accusations against Jim. Other TV preachers reportedly conspired with Falwell because Jim had taken them off the air from the PTL television network.

Pat Robertson was part of the scheme too. When Falwell resigned, Robertson filed with the court to put in his crony David Clark, who proceeded to sell-off PTL in pieces. Clark was the founding Dean of Pat's Regent University in 1978 and, according to Wikipedia, served as Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts from 1988-91, the same years he was at PTL. I caught Clark in several lies and personally confronted him.

The ironic thing is that Falwell and Clark are guilty of the same things of which they accused Jim. When Falwell came in, he continued to sell memberships in the Grand Hotel. He also criticized Jim for offering gifts when people sent in donations, yet he did the same thing while at PTL and in his own TV program. The difference I noted was that Jim gave gifts with spiritual significance, while Falwell also gave American Flags. Being patriotic is good, but I don't understand why that is tied in with Falwell's brand of religion. Clark criticized Jim for the lifestyle, but he didn't mind using the same suite, even putting his own mother up in that suite.

There was so much turmoil and it was so "un"-christian. I had a vision of Jesus standing outside of Heritage USA on US Highway Business 21. He was like maybe 50 feet tall, knocking on the "door" asking if anyone would let Him in. It really sucked to be around such hostile people who called themselves "christian". Although PTL/Heritage was not a church, Jim also had a church for us locals within the ministry. That was the third church "split" I'd been through, and had seen enough other contention in church.

I was present as much of the press interviewed various personalities (Jerry Falwell, Sam Johnson, David Clark). The reports were twisted to what the press wanted to report, often leaving out things or editing the content to make the stories more sensational, resulting (to this day) with many people believing untruths about the Bakkers. The Bakkers were NOT what the press reported. They truly Loved and ministered the very heart of Christ.

Not unlike modern political campaigns, Falwell and Clark repeatedly propagated many lies both about Jim Bakker as well as details regarding events and attendance at Heritage. Those lies were repeated and sensationalized in the press and television news. Unfortunately, many prior Jim and Tammy supporters believed the lies in the press, and had turned against him. I had a t-shirt made that read "Jesus Loves Jim and Tammy" and I wore that shirt frequently on PTL grounds.

Although our efforts finally proved unsuccessful, I was a member of the Bring Bakkers Back campaign trying to get Jim and Tammy back to PTL. I got to know Jim and Tammy even better after they came back from California. It was during that time that I was able to take many photographs of Jim and Tammy. Before Jim Bakker was indicted, he started New Covenant Church and several times a group of us went to lunch with Jim and Tammy after church.

I was in attendance at Jim's trial on several occasions and was present when the verdict was announced as well as the sentencing when they took Jim away in chains. Needless to say, all of that was very painful for me and other supporters, but not nearly as horrifying and traumatic as it was to Jim and Tammy, and especially Tammy Sue and Jamie Charles ("Jay").

I wrote several letters to Jim while he was in prison and he responded several times as well. I actually came out to Jim in one of my letters before I came out to my family. And we took Tammy out to lunch one time when we went to Orlando.

In case you were going to ask, because many people do: I continue to this day to believe in Jim's innocence. I believe that Jim Bakker made some mistakes and to the letter of the law sold more partnerships than the hotel could hold at full occupancy, that is IF the people ALL wanted to use their memberships in any given year. I don't really see why other hotels and airlines can overbook and not be brought up on charges, but Jim was. Some of those other hotels also receive money up front, and of course all the airlines do, yet they bump you anyway if they're overbooked. I do not believe Jim really understood the dynamics of what was happening. He relied on his staff and board. He had received and followed some bad advice. I do not believe Jim had any thought or intention to defraud anyone.

During the entire period covering the scandal and beyond my wife, who is now my ex-wife, and my oldest son worked in The Heritage Grand Hotel. My ex-wife was first a hostess in one of the restaurants, and then she worked at the front desk and later in accounting. My oldest son worked as a bus boy, then waiter and later worked in the camera photo store on Main Street USA, and took pictures of guests when there was a dinner theatre event. One photo he got was of Jerry and Macel Falwell after they stole PTL from Jim and Tammy.

From personal observation, I can also attest regarding availability of rooms in the hotel. Also, my wife worked in reservations and at the front desk, so we had first hand knowledge regarding hotel room availability. Regarding availability, the hotel was not oversold. About 9-10 months of the year the hotel had plenty of availability, and only about 3 or 4 weeks per year at full capacity. Since the memberships, that allowed a certain number of free days in the hotel, were not restricted to a specific time, lifetime partners could have used their memberships at any time during the year; however, like any other type of reservation, they may not have been able to get a reservation for certain dates (holiday weekends, etc.) unless they called early, and many people did book early. The main times when the hotel was fully booked very early was over Christmas and certain holidays, mainly July 4. People who called late were disappointed when they could not get their preferred time.

As far as the claims of gold fixtures and air-conditioned doghouse, etc., it was Falwell who made those outrageous claims, and the press reveled in their hay-day to find even more fault with yet another public figure. I have been in the Bakker's suite at the Heritage Grand Hotel and I've been inside that doghouse. The suite was very nice, but not overdone for a family of four. The faucets were shiny brass; they were more ornate than most people have, but it was not gold. Tammy Faye's closet was nothing more than a converted unused hallway that had been closed off in order to give the Bakkers a bit more privacy from the thousands of PTL visitors. I know, I was in the suite, I was in the closet, and I was in the doghouse. The doghouse was nothing more than 2x4s and plywood with a shingled roof and it did have a window-type air conditioner — the kind that also provides heat. Jim had a couple of larger dogs that were kept outside. The heater was necessary in the dead of winter. Do you provide warmth and shelter for your pets when it's bitter cold outside?

I was never in the Bakker home in Tega Cay, but after it was empty, I did walk around the outside and peek into the windows. It was a large home, suitable for the family and required entertainment of guests and visiting ministers, but it was not elaborate in any way.

Heritage USA was completely shut down in 1989 after hurricane Hugo severely damaged much of the buildings and property at Heritage USA. Due to neglect from Falwell and Clark, and their failure to do even normal maintenance, the hurricane damage was more severe than would otherwise have been the case.

Click for my Tammy Faye Memorial page with more photos and my video embedded.

My Flickr photos of Tammy Faye (I used some of the Tammy photos for my Memorial web page and video):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjmoore/tags/tammyfayebakker/

See all of my photo sets on Flickr, including many events with Jim and Tammy.
There are several sets of pictures when I was present for Jim and Tammy events during 1988 and early 1989.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjmoore/sets/

In the ABC News footage of Tammy Faye's death (July 2007), I was in the audience behind Tammy Faye. In the news footage I have a beard and glasses and I'm wearing a blue plaid shirt.

News footage is here. Starts, of course, with an advertisement. I can be seen in the video starting at about 1 minute 9 seconds (1:09) for about 11 seconds duration.