A. A. Allen - Legacy and Property

Legacy and Property

In 1970, after Allen died, Reverend Don Stewart gained possession of Allen's organization, including his Miracle Valley property, and renamed Allen's Miracle Life Fellowship International to Don Stewart Evangelistic Association (and later the Don Stewart Association). Stewart "went from pounding tent stakes at Allen's revivals to driving a truck to preaching". In addition, Stewart "was hit with allegations of embezzlement by Allen's brother-in-law, of pocketing offerings from the revivals" in the wake of Allen's death. Nonetheless, the activities of the association were then moved to Phoenix and the Bible college continued to operate in Miracle Valley until 1975. Stewart then leased the campus to the Hispanic Assemblies by a 20-year lease agreement for one dollar a year. They opened a Spanish-speaking Bible college known as the Southern Arizona Bible College.

In 1979 Miracle Valley came to a close after bankruptcy hearings. For the next three years, nearly 300 members of a group led by Frances Thomas isolated themselves professing what locals said was an "anti-white doctrine." Immigrants from Chicago and Mississippi rioted, which resulted in the death of Therial Davis, a six year old. In 1982, the group had several confrontations with utility workers, neighbors and eventually law enforcement resulting in an November shoot out, during which two members of the church and a deputy were killed. That September Miracle Valley's main administration building and vast warehouse were set fire by arson, which resulted in the total destruction of the facilities. The main building was valued at $2 million dollars. Stewart sent multiple donation requests to some people on his 100,000 person mailing list "even though his ministry is not associated with the college and the fire damage was insured." According to the press, one of his letters "gave the impression ... the fire had crippled Stewart's ministry" and another purported to include the building's ashes with a request for $200 donations. His church had issues over Stewart's financing and "questioned Stewart's fundraising techniques" before. In addition, Stewart was accused by his church of arson, something Stewart denies.

The insurance company paid 1.5 million dollars for the reconstruction of the large building, or one million dollars for a "cash-out." Stewart was not interested in rebuilding and intended to take the cash-out; however, the Spanish Assemblies of God (Central Latin American District Council of the Assemblies of God) wanted the facilities to be rebuilt. Subsequently, Stewart accepted the insurance money of one million dollars for Miracle Valley, and the Assemblies of God would receive the Miracle Valley campus consisting of 15 buildings and nearly 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land for six dollars, which equated into the one dollar per year for the previous six years.

However, Don Stewart forced the Assemblies of God to maintain a Bible College for a minimum of twenty years, or the property would revert back to his ministry. In 1995, exactly twenty years later, the Assemblies of God closed Southern Arizona Bible College and put the campus up for sale.

In 1998, a group of ten people with Melvin Harter came from Ohio to view the campus. The next year, Miracle Valley Bible College was purchased by Harter Ministries in August 1999 and the school continued under the administration of Melvin Harter as the Miracle Valley Bible College & Seminary where students were taught in classical Pentecostal theology. However, in January 2009 a Phoenix based mortgage firm foreclosed on the property, which currently contains several dilapidated buildings. Before the previous owner left the property, the entire north section of Sanctuary roof was removed for an unknown reason.

Canadian family Gilles, Diane & Michael Langevin, have opened escrow on October 31 and on December 20, 2011, their purchase was approved by the State of Arizona. They are a non-denominational ministry called Miracle Valley Arizona Ministries.