On a bike ride on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2025, I stopped by this building to take the photo.
An Albany-based religious nonprofit spent more than $12 million last month to purchase the big commercial plaza at the southwest corner of Santiam Highway and Clay Street.
The property totals nearly 7 acres and includes the Bi-Mart store, the Sizzler restaurant, and the Albany office of the DMV, among several other business buildings.
Back in 2022, I reported on the property when LRG, the California real estate investment firm that owned it, applied to have the land subdivided into five separate tax lots.
Last week, after one of my frequent visits to Bi-Mart, I wondered if anything had happened with the property since.
That’s when I stumbled across the latest sale. Linn County records show that LRG sold the parking lot and the buildings for $12,200,000 on Jan. 15, 2025. The buyer is Elijah List Ministries Inc., whose address is a box at the Albany Post Office.
I had never heard of it, but Elijah List is no small outfit. It operates an online platform called ElijahStreams, which has a nationwide following and where you can read:
“Steve Shultz and his wife Derene founded THE ELIJAH LIST in 1997, which was for years the flagship of the ministry. After the ‘plandemic’ hit the US, they began to add daily streaming broadcasts, calling it ELIJAHSTREAMS. This new platform, ELIJAHSTREAMS, has catapulted us to where we are now, with 1.2 million different people regularly watching this daily show.”
As a nonprofit, Elijah List is exempt from income taxes but must file annual returns open to the public. The organization had revenue of nearly $18.3 million in 2023, most of it in “contributions and grants.” Expenses amounted to about $16 million.
A year ago, in March 2024, Elijah List paid $5,750,000 to buy the building at 2112 Santiam Hwy. S.E., part of which many years ago was a furniture store and since has housed an auto parts store and a church.
Part of that building has been turned into the Elijah Streams Pavilion. The parking lot in back has been rebuilt or refreshed. And for the last few weeks, the area between the building and Staples has been undergoing an extensive reconstruction.
It will be interesting to see what if anything Elijah List Ministries intends to do with the adjoining commercial plaza the organization has just acquired. I have asked, and I’ll report the answer when it comes in. (hh)
This morning I heard from Dennis Wilhelm, director of operations for Elijah List Ministries. In an email he wrote: “Thank you for writing. Our purchase of the Bi-Mart shopping center is simply an investment by our ministry. Over the coming months and years, we plan to upgrade and beautify the property as we have done with the ElijahStreams Pavilion you show in the photo that is immediately west of the shopping center. We feel the thousands of people who will attend our local conferences will enjoy using the services of this local plaza. Thanks again and have a blessed day!”
This is part of the Elijah parking lot still undergoing reconstruction.
This is part of the commercial plaza Elijah List purchased last month.
Lovely, a cult in Albany that doesn’t pay taxes. These religious businesses should be banned from owning commercial property like this, just like the Chinese should be banned from owning property in the US.
Lovely, a moron in Albany that has no idea about what he comments about in a public forum. That ministry has drilled over 300 wells in Uganda, giving thousands upon thousands of people clean drinking water that previously never had access to it. That ministry has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting local ministries that help clothe and feed the underprivilged in our area. You sir ought to do a little research before you slander others.
You should do a little research yourself, this is a political/religious organization, like many others that tell their followers that Jesus is “woke”, and support MAGA. Did you happen to catch that they actually used the term “Plandemic”?
I am very familiar with this organization. You, however, don’t appear to have any clue about what they do to bless those who are not in a position to provide for themselves. Have a wonderful day watching CNN and The View.
This part.
Their tax exemption is a subsidy provided by the US federal government – meaning the taxpayers. And they spend it in Uganda? What about America First? There are civil engineers in Uganda. These people can get real jobs and send them their own money if the spirit moves them.
I was just thinking the same thing. they invested $12 million in a city with a huge homeless problem yet they’re spending money in Uganda to help those people?
if churches don’t pay taxes then their properties should be considered public in my opinion.
Yup!
Tax income to Albany from the property will not decrease as the property will not be used for religious purposes.
They are only exempt on the portion they operate. However, they lease most of this out to profitable businesses. That portion is taxed.
I looked at their belief statement on their website: https://www.elijahlist.com/faith.html
Looks pretty standard. Doesn’t appear to be a cult.
How many commercial and residential square footage is the city of Albany missing out on under the non profit religious ideology status? Street repair, police and fire services etc
The commercial property remains assessable, according to county records.
It’s true that unrelated business income is currently taxable at the federal level. And that the county doesn’t automatically stop assessing when a church or other nonprofit buys. I haven’t done the process in Linn, but I know it is rigorous in Benton.
But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the current federal administration might change things to benefit such organizations. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just edited Form 990 without bothering to change the statutes or regs.
Every exempt dollar increases the burden on other taxpayers. That’s why it needs to be for activity directly related to the exempt purpose.
Thank you for your great reports on interesting subjects
Good to know that religious and tax exempt organizations are buying commercial rental property. Must be for a profit making plan for the hereafter.
The county tax records show that the commercial shopping area remains assessable for purposes of the property tax.
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Meaning?
So yet again another fake ministry fleecing the gullible to support their extravagant lifestyles.
Reminds me of a character from Donnie Darko… Wonder what goes on in there…
Just hope the Grocery Depot doesn’t get rent-jacked out of business.
This is sad, but not surprising. Is it any surprise that false prophets know how to “profit” off of the sheep? I worked for this “ministry”/business entity in the 00’s … it’s a perfect example of what happens when you equate financial prosperity and peer approval with “God’s favor.”
A person can learn a lot from using the Linn County Assessors website and Google. 5 properties appear to have a “partial church exemption”
It’s interesting how they make a PO box appear as a Suite- That side of the street is the Post Office for those who don’t know.
ELIJAH LIST MINISTRIES INC
525 2ND AVE SW STE 629
ALBANY OR 97321
Not all ‘interesting’ since many businesses that use a PMB (aka ‘private mail box’) do the same thing and it is not illegal or immoral. I had one when I lived in Arizona because I had a home-based business and it looked more professional…and because I didn’t want folks coming to my home. I used to work for a partnership that had a physical office here in Albany that also had a PMB for all their enterprises. It was convenient and it served to protect me as I was the only person in that office.
And the law requires that anyone using a PMB or PO Box has to provided a verifiable physical address and photo ID.
A SUITE infers an actual physical business site and a POB is a POB. It’s disingenuous at a bare minimum and many of us consider it to be an outright lie. Thank you for explaining your sense of morality.
It only took one word for me to recognize this organization is nothing but a greedy fake. And that word, you ask? Any entity that uses the word “plandemic” tells me all I need to know about their ulterior motives…and they aren’t good ones. So now we’ll have a cult in Albany that shirks taxes and brings nothing but like minded zealots to the area. Of course the land originally being owned by an out-of-state entity didn’t help matters either. They don’t care what is wrought upon our town, as long as they make their profit.
It sounds like a cult to me. It doesn’t matter about some good done in Africa. The organization promotes false conspiracy theories at home. These false, ludicrous conspiracy theories have done untold damage in this country.
Non – profit ? Boy i think something is rotten here , religious non – profit spent how many millions to buy commercial rental properties? Please explain to me how they are non – profit????????
OPB is a “public non profit” that pays its top dog more than $450k/yr. Non profits/homeless “advocacy” are big business.
People perish for a lack of knowledge. I cannot expect everybody to understand this ministry. Things will be brought to light if they come from a place of darkness. As people come to Albany for conferences they will spend money at hotels and restaurants. You do not have to believe in their message. They come out of a place of love and provide teaching worldwide. This was prophesied many many years ago that Albany would be a Christian Stronghold that would send people into the world. This is just a fulfillment of that promise. No ill will is meant to Anyone. Just doing what they believe they are called to do. Noah built a boat and people laughed and scoffed at him until the rains came. Love You All.
No one wants the cult members coming here.
Crisis situations always bring out the “wolves in sheep’s” clothing. Non-profits have gorged themselves with Covid and economic down turns since 2008. They have millions of dollars for buying commercial properties yet people are homeless. Check out our local homeboys helping hands begging for handouts while buying properties and a few businesses. Non-profits have become just another money making business and should be taxed as such and held to accountable for their use of funds they declare to be expenses. It is the only way to keep them honest and the money is used to help people.
People really should educate themselves more before displaying their ignorance.
The Church will be paying property tax on all the property except for the land that the church and church parking lot sits on. The other part of the building and parking lot for the auto supply business will be subject to property tax. They will also be paying income tax on all the rental income they receive from all those businesses.
I could go on, but the bottom line is…churches aren’t as “tax exempt” as folks think they are are…there are limitations.
The organization that purchased the shopping center and the building next to it is not a church. There is a huge difference between a church and a ministry as far as taxes are concerned. You are 100% correct on the tax thing. Some of the ignorant comments posted about this article make this wonderful, generous ministry look shady, which is not true.
Loopholes for the clever to make their millions as false prophets. Their day will come. Anything like this make me skeptical that much good by big churches is really ever done. Just don’t take BiMart away from Albany.
They are NOT a church…
Monies received by this religious organization, and others like it, are donations given voluntarily to them by others. There can be no valid complaints against them on that account. These churches are not robbing or cheating others, but offering what some consider valuable services.
If you believe churches should not have tax exemptions, write to your congressman.
That’s a lot of money for a non-profit. It seems loopholes are being exploited.
These statements are from an article about research on homeless funding:
There is a common theme among the leaders in positions to help the homeless; they all state their work has been successful because they have raised millions of dollars, and hire more staff. They gloat about the increased programs that focus on homelessness. The real problem is that the funds to help those in need are not flowing downstream to those in the streets. They have entitlements that help them funnel more money to their employees. Millions have been thrown at the homeless crisis with zero progress. The more money that has been given to states and cities, the worse the crisis has become. The money will go to the same homeless organizations that let homelessness get out of hand. Homeless organizations have plenty of money they just don’t spend it well. Despite the dismal homeless numbers, they gloat about their success based on how much money they “receive” for helping the homeless.