The 44,266-square-foot auditorium is found on the southern exposure of the unaccredited Armstrong College campus. It will serve as a Sabbatarian church building for the Philadelphia Church of God’s Edmond, OK congregation every Saturday, while doing double duty by housing the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation’s performing arts series, which resumes this month.
Armstrong College put together a full-time contracting staff that is serving as the auditorium’s general contractor to pare down the $18 million in building costs. Ongoing major expenses will have to be paid by the Philadelphia Church of God members to keep Flurry's heavily subsidized, positive-sounding public relations concert series alive. Armstrong Auditorium's AICF performing arts series attempts to cover up for Flurry what the public would view as an Oklahoma-based, high-demand, triple-tithing, rigid religious cult- if it knew the facts.
The bronze letters will be included in a revised version of the original dedication inscription in the new Armstrong Auditorium, dedicating the building "to the Honor and Glory of the Great God Gerald Flurry."
As Worldwiders will recall, in 2004, Joe Tkach Jr. presided over the distressed fire sale of Ambassador Auditorium to the Harvest Rock Church for a song.
Armstrong had ordered 106 bronze letters specially cast for the Auditorium (which cost the WCG at least $10,000) which spelled out the dedication: Ambassador Auditorium Made Possible by Gifts From the Worldwide Church of God. Dedicated to the Honor and Glory of the Great God.
Harvest Rock Church removed all those letters, except for the words “Ambassador Auditorium."
Harvest Rock Church removed all those letters, except for the words “Ambassador Auditorium."
After Ambassador's initial dedication with the Vienna Orchestra, it ran for 20 seasons hosting the worlds' best musicians and performers from 1974 to 1995. It is estimated that 2.5 million attendees heard and saw over 2,500 concerts at Ambassador Auditorium by Pavarotti, Arthur Rubinstein, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Junior, Frank Sinatra and many other world-class performers.
Mr. Flurry was able to pry the Ambassador Auditorium letters from Harvest Rock Church for what is reportedly a token handful of cash.
He has ordered the words that must be newly cast in bronze are “Armstrong Auditorium” and “Philadelphia", to edit out and insert in the words from the Ambassador original.
The bronze letters are in two different sizes, with the smaller characters measuring 2 inches in height, and the larger ones, which say “The Great God,” measuring 3 inches tall. All are around half of an inch thick.
The letters will be shown off inside the Armstrong Auditorium lobby's center wall where concertgoers can't miss.
The bronze letters join the 1968 Swans in Flight sculpture by Sir David Wynne taken from Ambassador's Big Sandy campus, a 9-foot Steinway concert grand piano, and two Iranian crystal candelabra from Ambassador Auditorium. The items were purchased by the Church's affiliated public relations sham Armstrong International Cultural Foundation (AICF), which is primarily funded from tithes and offerings taken from the Philadelphia Church of God membership. The financial statements of AICF remain undisclosed by Flurry or the Philadelphia Church to the public or the church's membership.
Harvest Rock Gets Ambassador Auditorium An Update
Ambassador Auditorium is today known as one of Los Angeles' finest concert halls.
Design Change
The Ambassador Auditorium was opened in 1974, and was in need of some technological renovation to maintain its hosting of modern performances. The main sound reinforcement system as well as stage lighting system needed upgrading. It was very important to ensure that the new systems - primarily sound - would not deter from the fine acoustics for which this hall is internationally known. The systems renovation continues to allow the facility to be a suitable home for the largest of concerts and televised broadcasts.
Ambassador's Horse and Buggy Sound Systems- Modernized
In a hall with superb acoustics, the sound system renovation proved complex. The sound system renovation included an upgrade to a 40 channel mixing console, digital recording equipment, upgrade of main reinforcement horns, new patch bays, new tie lines between mixing console and remote television studios, and for the first time, a fully separate monitor mixing system for more demanding concert presentations.
Ambassador's New Lighting System
The lighting system renovation included an upgrade from that original computer-based proprietary matrix lighting system to a modern DMX micro-processor digital control console as well as DMX distribution for modern moving light and effects devices.
