Ambassador College was originally established as a liberal arts institution in 1947 at Pasadena, California by the Radio Church of God, a religious organization incorporated in the State of California by Herbert W. Armstrong to promote the beliefs of the Church of God. In 1960 a second campus was opened at Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, England and a third campus was opened in 1964 at Big Sandy, Texas.
Brief history
The history of Ambassador College is tied to the development of the Radio Church of God, which later changed its name of incorporation to the Worldwide Church of God. The actual name of the church was the Church of God, but since many churches had the same name, it was originally incorporated as the Radio Church of God. This name was selected because the growth of the church was tied to its broadcasting activity, which it claimed was not to encourage membership, but to warn the world of impending disaster and the return of Jesus.
Each campus of Ambassador College had a broadcasting studio where its radio and later television programs known as The World Tomorrow, were recorded.
The motto of the college was Restoring True Values.
The first Ambassador College campus to close was at Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, England in 1972. Ambassador College at Big Sandy, Texas underwent a name change to Ambassador University before it closed. Finally the original Ambassador College in Pasadena, California also closed, in 1990, although its campus continued as the home office of the Worldwide Church of God, which retains part of the original campus for this purpose.
Ambassador Auditorium
Aside from being the sponsor of The World Tomorrow radio broadcast for a time, the college in Pasadena became locally well known for its magnificent campus gardens, a portion of which flanked the famous New Years' Tournament of Roses Parade. Another claim for the college in Pasadena was its Ambassador Auditorium worship and concert venue , which for a time was host to many famous artists from classical music to jazz. The Auditorium closed in 1995 but will be reopened under a new plan in which a portion of the Ambassador campus will be sold to interdenominational Maranatha High School.
AICF - Ambassador International Cultural Foundation
Ambassador College also sponsored archeological excavations in Israel and together with a related Ambassador International Cultural Foundation they sponsored both the Ambassador Auditorium concert series and many appearances by Herbert W. Armstrong in the company of world statesmen and women.
External links
- Spherical Panoramas: Ambassador College Campus, Pasadena, California http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~jalano/pano/p_amb_091300/
- Ambassador Auditorium http://www.ambassadorcampus.info/auditorium.html
- Sale of Ambassador Auditorium http://www.ambassadorauditorium.info/lowercampussale2.htm
- Harvest Rock Church http://www.harvestrockchurch.org/ Purchasers of Ambassador Auditorium and part of the campus
- Harvest Rock Church Photo Gallery http://12.98.68.179/NewCampus/NCPhotoGallery/index.html Shows part of the old Ambassador College Campus
Last updated: 05-02-2005 20:04:22