Heritage International Ministries (H.I.M.) is an

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

hotel & convention center in

Fort Mill, South Carolina Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 census, 24,521 people live inside the town's corporate limits. ...

History

MorningStar Ministries was founded by

Rick Joyner Rick Joyner is a public speaker and author. He founded with his wife the MorningStar Ministries in 1985. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1949 and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Morningstar Ministries Rick Joyner and his wife, Julie, ...

and wife Julie in 1985. In 2004, MorningStar Fellowship Church purchased

Heritage USA Heritage USA was an American Christian-themed water park, theme park and residential complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina, built by televangelist Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye Bakker, founders of ''The PTL Club''. The park, which occupie ...

. The facilities include a 501-room Heritage Grand Hotel and Conference Center, the adjacent unfinished 21-story Heritage Towers, the area of the now demolished "Sand Castle" (originally to have been a Wendy's restaurant) and of adjoining property. MorningStar holds church services in the hotel atrium and has restored practically all of the 501 hotel rooms. The hotel is now used as a retreat and conference center. The adjacent Main Street USA shops have been reopened and are used as retail shops and classrooms; the hotel rooms above were converted into apartments/dormitories. In 2007, plans for the uncompleted high-rise tower included an assisted-living facility/retirement complex; if and when completed, it will be known as Heritage Towers. The Sand Castle was demolished in 2013, due to it "being too expensive to do anything with". In June 2021, MorningStar Ministries held a groundbreaking and dedication ceremony to celebrate the starting of renovations to the 21-story tower. They claim the development will be a, ''"close-knit residential community for active adult Christians."'' Local journalists attempted to get the permits and building plans from York County but no permits or plans had been applied for nor submitted. This comes after a 2018 federal lawsuit filed by Morningstar Ministries accusing York County of religious discrimination for blocking attempts to renovate the tower. In a separate lawsuit, York County contends the property is a nuisance and didn’t meet financing requirements. In that case, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of the county.

References

External links

Heritage International Ministries
(official).
The Nehemiah Project
(official building restoration website). {{coord, 35.0602, -80.9125, region:US-NC_type:landmark, display=title Hotels in South Carolina Fort Mill, South Carolina Buildings and structures in York County, South Carolina Pentecostalism in the United States Hotels established in 1978 1978 establishments in South Carolina