The Headquarters Campus is an iconic example of what can be accomplished by God through
His people.
Its continuing development and maintenance have required a team effort
from a diverse group of individuals.
The Campus spans 104 acres and features three main buildings: the Hall of Administration—the
Mail Processing Center—and the Media Center.
Some of the other landmarks on campus include the Landscaping Center—the "Ranch"—the
South Valley—the Gazebo—the Pavilion—the Upper Terrace—and Mirror Lake.
God's campus and God's Headquarters is really a shining light.
An example of what happens when people follow God's way of life, follow His government,
follow His principles of living and put it into practice.
It's not just a campus with beautiful trees, beautiful flowers, beautiful landscape.
Yes, it has all of that, but there's a reason behind it.
There's a purpose behind it.
And it's to show what He can do working through us.
Many thousands of people see this campus on a regular basis, and they may not know anything
about God's Church; they may not know anything about our doctrines, but they can see the
beauty that we've created here.
The campus itself has played a huge role in the viability of the Church in Wadsworth specifically,
but more generally in terms of the overall impression, the overall environment.
Part of how we represent the government of God is how that's viewed in the community,
and how we look.
The campus is a glowing light in the community here, and around the world.
It shows quality.
We receive so many comments from vendors and from brethren, who come in and visit us, that
they just can't believe that it is as beautiful as it is.
The construction people say it almost regularly, "I can't believe how quickly and then, how
beautiful you've got these things done; and the and the City, as well.
So many projects that we have done on campus, we go into it with a mindset, a picture, some
sort of design.
What turns out is so far beyond what we could have ever imagined.
It's good to your eyes to see the beauty, and it's peaceful to partake in it.
And God has blessed this environment in a manner, and in our efforts, in a way that
is astounding!
I would imagine, if you hadn't been in Wadsworth, and you grew up here, and you came back, you
drove by this location that used to be a farm field, and now you saw this place and the
beauty in this location on this hundred-plus acres, and you'd question in your mind, "Who
are these people, and why are they creating such a beautiful environment?"
The campus is really an extension of the ministry.
It is representing God's way.
It's the jewel that's the physical example of what Christianity is.
The landscaping department, which takes care of the expansive Headquarters grounds, operates
out of the Landscaping Center.
This structure houses a variety of specialized equipment.
A typical day can involve mowing—trimming—weeding—watering—and other projects.
Planting new trees on campus is a dynamic process that involves a team effort from many
of the Landscaping staff, as well as outside vendors.
We start the day with a meeting, and we plan out how we're going to take care of the campus.
We consider every portion of the workday very important.
And everything that we're doing, we take very seriously.
One of the things we always try to do in this department is, try to up our efficiencies.
We can do things in a very efficient manner, but there's always a better way to do it.
Working on God's campus is exciting, but one of the things that warm my heart the most,
that get me most excited, is when we can add beauty to the campus, or we can improve a
deck on one of the homes; we can improve the drainage in the creek, so it flows better;
it is better to enjoy.
We have some of the most beautiful turf in northeast Ohio, here on God's campus.
We really enjoy striping it and making it look perfect.
And about 48 hours after we've a fresh mowing of the grass, it looks perfect, and that really
sets off the rest of the plants.
The trees, the flowers and everything else just looks better, because the grass looks
so good.
The landscaping team really enjoys what we get to do.
We see the fruits of our labors.
After a hard day working in the warm, hot sun, we get to see what we've done that day:
cleaning up a certain area of the campus, mowing a lawn, weeding the garden, pruning
back some flowers, pruning a hedge.
We get to see the effects of our labors immediately, at the end of each day.
Well, here in northeast Ohio on God's campus, we see four distinct seasons.
We have a, a nice warm summer, which transitions into fall, and with all the trees on the campus,
we spend quite a bit of time removing leaves.
And then, in the winter months, we're charged with keeping the roads clear, keeping the
paths safe and clear from snow and ice.
New projects on campus are planned by the Design Team.
This year, a new feature was created, known as the Grand Garden.
Construction occurred through multiple seasons.
To finish the Grand Garden, a wide variety of new plant materials were added.
This involved over 80 trees, over 1,000 shrubs, and over 5,000 flowers!
All of these flowers were planted by a small handful of staff and volunteers over a two-day
period.
The Grand Garden was completed this spring.
It was our largest project we've ever done on campus.
We really enjoyed designing it and bringing together beauty, color, symmetry; every part
of God's Creation, trees, flowers, shrubs, and making a spot where brethren can enjoy;
enjoy every time they come and visit.
It is a joy to see them come out right after services, or even before services, and enjoy
a walk through the garden.
Well, the garden is such a beautiful place to be.
And the process of installing all the flowers and the hardscape and putting everything together
was an enjoyable experience.
God provided perfect weather for us the entire time during the install.
We were able to install concrete in March, and by May, were planting flowers and getting
ready for the Ministerial Conference.
So, everything worked exactly as we had planned, so, we're all enjoying it.
The Grand Garden is amazing in many ways.
It really is the polish, the final, the capstone of this campus.
Little benches here, a pop of color there.
If you look around the campus, we are in that final stage of preparing it for its debut
on the world scene.
Another meaningful advancement on Campus during the past year was the acquisition of horses.
They are housed in a barn on the West side of the Campus, which was completed during
the year, next to an expansive fenced pasture, where the horses graze.
A berm was also installed.
Skilled staff with animal-handling experience take care of these horses.
Local brethren and visitors have enjoyed building a connection with them.
Animals have been a real treat, personally.
They have a personality.
They interact with you.
They come over, but they don't talk to you, you talk to them.
You think they're talking to you.
It's an enjoyable moment.
It's just another element of God's Creation that we haven't had here before.
Local brethren also contribute to campus maintenance during Sunday morning volunteer opportunities.
The volunteering opportunities that we have here on God's campus really unify the brethren.
They're an opportunity to come out early on a Sunday morning, maybe with a coffee cup
still in hand, and enjoy a team-building experience.
Before I was hired on in the landscaping department, I would often volunteer on Sunday mornings,
and it was some of the most enjoyable hours of the week; have a good one-on-one conversation
with someone while you're weeding or mulching.
At various times throughout the year, Church members from around the world take time to
visit Headquarters.
It is such a joy when brethren come and visit the campus, and enjoy what God has done, what
God has brought together here on these 104 acres.
There are many of us who give tours here on campus, and really, one of the things we try
to do is bring to life all of the activities and the beauty that everyone encounters when
they come to see this place.
I do have the opportunity, at times, to give tours.
What I really enjoy showcasing is the Grand Garden.
I like to bring them into the Hall of Administration, and then have them go and look out the tower
over the garden.
That is stunning!
People love going into the Media Production Services and seeing the behind the scenes.
Seeing where World to Come is filmed, seeing the control booth, going into the editing
studio and seeing all of the different monitors and power of the computers.
They love that.
The hardest part of the tour is trying to finish the tour, because you want to talk
about more, and there's lots of questions.
Everybody wants to know about the details of what's going on.
And then, as we finish, people are so impressed with the beauty of it, but also the function,
and the amount of work that is able to be done with what we have.
Presenting that city set on a hill, that bright light and beacon to everyone around us, showing
God's quality is really why we give tours the way we do.
The campus’s beautiful areas take on additional charm when viewed at night.
Strategically placed up-lighting calls attention to trees and other landmarks.
The greatest joy of working here, working on God's campus, is when we can restore things
to the way they should be.
To see the beauty that's around us today, and to know where we started, which was basically
a waste-place, and to turn it into the beauty that you see today is just an amazing experience.
There's a spirit of harmony in the outdoors and on the indoors where people are working.
Look at our environment.
It's an environment of quality, which is the way God's Spirit would lead us to be.
Where else, in the world, would you find that mindset, except in the Church of God, led
by the Spirit of God.
This is what paradise looks like before paradise arrives.
To learn more about the work of The Restored Church of God, contact us.