Matthew Barnett
Encyclopedia
Matthew Barnett is co-founder of the Dream Center
and senior pastor of the Angelus Temple
, the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
in the Echo Park
district of Los Angeles, California.
megachurch
in Phoenix, Arizona
.
In September 1994 his church purchased the Queen of Angels Hospital, a Los Angeles landmark in the ramshackle Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The building was converted for use as a soup kitchen, a group home for runaways, prostitutes and gang members, and a shelter for the homeless. It also provided job training and religious services.
By 1997 Matthew, then 23, was managing the day-to-day operations of what was to be called The Dream Center.
The Dream Center now reaches over 35,000 people each week in 273 ministries and outreaches.
The center is open 7/24. An important role is rehabilitating drug addicts, who account for about half its residents, including underage teens.
, merged with The Dream Center and Matthew Barnett became senior pastor of both churches.
At the time of the merger, the massive Angelus Temple was reduced to a congregation of 25 elderly people, while the Dream Center was holding services in a packed gym.
Barnett agreed to transfer from the First Assembly of God to the Foursquare Gospel and become pastor of the Temple.
The temple's sanctuary, which had fallen out of use, was renovated at a cost of $7 million and is now used for Dream Center services.
Barnett received the Religious Heritage Award in 1999.
U.S. President George W. Bush
endorsed his ministry and expressed high regard for his achievements.
Dream Center
The Dream Center is a Pentecostal Christian Church mission located at 2301 Bellevue Avenue in Los Angeles, California, two blocks west of Alvarado Street on the north side of the 101 Freeway...
and senior pastor of the Angelus Temple
Angelus Temple
Angelus Temple was the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California....
, the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, commonly referred to as the Foursquare Church, is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination. As of 2000 it had a worldwide membership of over 8,000,000, with almost 60,000 churches in 144 countries. In 2006, membership in the United States...
in the Echo Park
Echo Park, Los Angeles, California
Echo Park is a hilly neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and southeast of Hollywood.-History:At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native vegetation, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Avenue...
district of Los Angeles, California.
Dream Center
Matthew's father, Tommy Barnett, is pastor of the Phoenix First Assembly of GodPhoenix First Assembly of God
Phoenix First Assembly of God, or simply Phoenix First, is an Assemblies of God megachurch in Phoenix, Arizona. As of 2009, the church had an average Sunday attendance of 9,600....
megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
In September 1994 his church purchased the Queen of Angels Hospital, a Los Angeles landmark in the ramshackle Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The building was converted for use as a soup kitchen, a group home for runaways, prostitutes and gang members, and a shelter for the homeless. It also provided job training and religious services.
By 1997 Matthew, then 23, was managing the day-to-day operations of what was to be called The Dream Center.
The Dream Center now reaches over 35,000 people each week in 273 ministries and outreaches.
The center is open 7/24. An important role is rehabilitating drug addicts, who account for about half its residents, including underage teens.
Angelus Temple
In November 2001 the Angelus Temple, founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson
Aimee Semple McPherson , also known as Sister Aimee, was a Canadian-American Los Angeles, California evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s. She founded the Foursquare Church...
, merged with The Dream Center and Matthew Barnett became senior pastor of both churches.
At the time of the merger, the massive Angelus Temple was reduced to a congregation of 25 elderly people, while the Dream Center was holding services in a packed gym.
Barnett agreed to transfer from the First Assembly of God to the Foursquare Gospel and become pastor of the Temple.
The temple's sanctuary, which had fallen out of use, was renovated at a cost of $7 million and is now used for Dream Center services.
Barnett received the Religious Heritage Award in 1999.
U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
endorsed his ministry and expressed high regard for his achievements.