AT AGE SIXTEEN I WAS EARNESTLY SEEKING GOD'S DIRECTION
for my life before finishing high school. God directed me to the field of graphic designer with hopes of becoming an art director for a Christian magazine. Three months before I graduated from design school, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship hired me as the new art editor of HIS, their magazine for college students.
My wife, Becki, and I met the week before college began at a Baptist Student Union retreat. We began singing together by the end of our freshman year, regularly sang in churches statewide throughout college and married in our senior year.
After 6 years in design, we both believed God was directing us into a contemporary Christian music ministry (see www.mickeyandbecki.com for the full story). God blessed our ministry and after 15 years, six albums, and two children, it was time to get off the road.
The Lord again affirmed my calling as a Christian graphic designer by quickly bringing me opportunities to design the corporate logos for the International Bible Society and Regent University.
IN 1994 MY DESIGN BUSINESS TOOK A NEW DIRECTION
when The American Bible Society asked me to develop a large exhibit for their headquarters in New York City. I greatly enjoyed this new challenge and was became inspired with a vision for an exhibit on America’s Christian heritage. I shared this idea with a few people, but no one showed much interest until April 2009.
President Obama had just made his now famous speech in Turkey declaring, “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation – at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” A week later he told French television that America was, in fact, one of the largest Muslim nations in the world.
Weeks after these historic remarks, I was in a meeting with Regent University’s creative director. The course of our conversation led me to share my long standing idea of a Christian Heritage exhibit, possibly built on the Regent campus.
He loved the idea and immediately introduced me to Pat Robertson’s liaison to Regent University, Carol Dixon. Carol loved the idea as well and set up a meeting to explain the project to Pat Robertson.
Pat Robertson and I already casually knew each other. When I was still a young boy my father, Rev. Paul D. Moore, was very involved in helping Pat raise money to buy the first CBN TV station in Portsmouth, VA and Pat even preached in my dad’s church. As preacher’s kids, my sisters and I would help Mom fold Sunday bulletins as we watched Dad preach on WYAH every Saturday night. Years later Becki and I sang on The 700 Club and when I returned to the design business I designed the logos for Regent University, The American Center for Law and Justice and was commissioned to submit a logo design for Founder’s Inn which was ultimately not used.
BY THE TIME OUR MEETING WAS ARRANGED,
the exhibit had developed
into a stand alone museum with a mission of bringing America and its leaders back to our Christian origin. We are a nation who seemingly has forgotten the missionary zeal of our settlers and the biblical foundation of our laws and government.
On July 13, 2009 Pat and I met along with my associate Dr. Peter von Keyserling. Peter worked closely with me on the American Bible Society exhibit from 1994-95.
Pat very much liked the idea and said he’d love to have the museum built on the CBN complex, but he didn’t know where the money would come from since Regent was just begun building the new divinity school chapel.
Robertson, himself, was trying to retire, so he suggested I share the idea with David Barton of WallBuilders. He gave me David’s phone number and permission to use his name as an introduction.
Barton said he knew of three other attempts to create a Christian history museum, but none could raise the money. He said my vision, however, was the most comprehensive, appealing and professionally presented of any he’d seen. David told me to share my ideas with Congressman Randy Forbes, chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.
Randy Forbes was the congressman from my parents’ home district. He was friends with my parents, he was their lawyer and my father officiated his wedding ceremony when he married a young woman from our church. At our meeting on 9/10/09 I asked Randy straight away if I was wasting my time and money on this new passion. Forbes said, “Absolutely not!” We must never stop reminding our children and leaders who we are and from where we’ve come. This museum, he said, would do just that—everyday.
A month later I read that Michael Farris, chancellor of Patrick Henry College, would be one of the speakers at the Virginia Republican Party’s Donald W. Huffman 2009 Advance in Williamsburg, VA. “Something” told me I should attend this meeting. I’d never met Dr. Farris, but I designed the VA license plate commemorating the Virginia Home Education Association and Farris was the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association.
I made arrangements to meet with Dr. Farris Saturday morning after his speech, When I arrived at the hotel Friday afternoon 12/4/09 I saw Farris in the lobby. After introducing myself Farris suggested we have our meeting right away.
AFTER HEARING THE VISION, seeing the drawings to recreate Independence Hall as the museum structure and learning of the plans to franchise the museum again in Chicago, L.A. and Dallas, Dr. Farris, said he definitely would be interested in talking to me about donating the land for the museum on his campus. What he wanted to see next was a business plan.
Upon leaving my meeting with Dr. Farris, I ran into Richard Norman of The Richard Norman Company, a prominent fund raiser for conservative causes. Again, my father played a role in this acquaintance’s life. Our fathers were fellow pastors and good friends and Dad helped Richard get a college scholarship when he needed financing for his higher education.
After Saturday breakfast I presented the museum plans to Richard and his wife, Vicky. Richard encouraged me to attend the Counsel for National Policy conference in May 2010 and offered to sponsor me. He told me to produce a professional one minute video, a top quality brochure and establish my own 501(c)(3) organization in time for the meeting.
THESE WERE AMAZING EVENTS THAT ENCOURAGED ME
to keep moving forward. Now, however things were starting to get expensive.
Friday, December 11, 2009, while driving past Grace Covenant Church in downtown Charlottesville, I noticed a gay night club had moved next door to the church. This surprised me, but then I smiled knowing the church members would be praying for the club patrons who would also see the church as they entered and left the club. “Something” then told me I should attend Grace Covenant that Sunday and share the museum idea with Pastor Mark Beliles.
Beliles founded The Providence Foundation in 1982 with Stephen McDowell for the purpose of preserving America’s Christian heritage. I had done a small design job for them years ago and my brother-in-law’s family were church members.
After Sunday’s service Mark and I made plans to discuss the project over lunch on Tuesday 12/15/09. After hearing of the opportunity to present the museum vision before the CNP, Beliles offered to let us use the Providence Foundation’s 501(c)(3) to accept donations while we prepared to set up our own. What an amazing offer!
By February I was becoming overwhelmed with the scale of the project as I prepared for the CNP Conference. I was very late getting into the Christian Heritage field, I had no credentials of expertise in the field, I was encountering controversy even among Christians over calling America a Christian nation and I was spending more money on the project than was coming in.
WITH THIS HEAVY WEIGHT ON ME EARLY ONE MORNING, the Lord reminded me of the gracious generosity of Mark Beliles. God reminded me of The Providence Foundation’s own dreams of establishing a museum themselves. Could it be God’s plan to give us the same dream, in the same city just six blocks apart?
I called Mark and told him how I felt God was leading and suggested he, Stephen and I meet and pray about working together.
After our prayer meeting 2/17/10 The Providence Foundation (www.ProvidenceFoundation.com) conditionally embraced me into their organization with full use of their credentials and 501(c)(3). PF would provide moral, spiritual and intellectual support as I led the PF division for museum exploration. The responsibility to raise my support and all building funds remained on my shoulders, but the museum continued to move forward with amazing developments.
Another very cool blessing about my relationship with TPF was that David Barton is on the board. Over the past year, radio and TV personality, Glenn Beck, had discovered David Barton and was using him prominently on his TV program and in his stadium rallies.
IN LIGHT OF THESE ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS, on 2/28/10 Becki and I agreed I should focus full time on this project. I still had a few small design projects and would need more to sustain us, but the majority of my energy now would go into ACHM.
3/22/10—An exhibit subcontractor of mine, Geoff Kilmer, of Photoworks Creative Group, introduced me to Rob Charles of Virginia Museum Services. Geoff had worked with Charles on the Cradle of Christianity traveling exhibit and knew our association would be profitable. VMS developed The International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. and the Texas State History Museum, Austin, TX.
I met with Rob Charles on 4/5/10 and he was eager to work on the ACHM project. He has all the expertise we need and I was particularly happy to learn of his experience with traveling exhibits. And, did I mention his business is located here in Charlottesville? God was continuing to build our team.
5/20-21/10— The Counsel for National Policy in Washington D.C. was a humbling experience. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting many inspirational Christian and Conservative leaders like historian Bill Federer who spent hours talking with me and urging me to continue this important work and Dr. Elvita King, Martin Luther King, Jr.s niece. My presentation, however, was disappointing. I had never made such a presentation before, was unnerved about the expense of the occasion and became quite flustered by the very last minute arrival and rushed assembly of presentation equipment. People were very encouraging at the end, but we received no donations.
I asked for an honest exit review from Richard Norman who said my presentation seemed flustered at the beginning and it was too long. He said the project was not ready for a national fund raising campaign. It needed to be more established to attract significant donors. At this time, he said, all I had is a big idea.
DISCOURAGEMENT CAN DRAW YOU CLOSER TO GOD. Had I been putting to much faith in man to provide? It was time to re-evaluate, seek God’s leading more and review my calling.
6/22/10— After making initial inquires into buying property in Washington, D.C. for the museum, The Providence Foundation and I decided we should build the traveling museum first. We must now redesign the exhibit to fit into 3-4 tractor trailer trucks.
BY TAKING THE MUSEUM ON THE ROAD WE CAN GET THE MESSAGE OUT QUICKER to potentially more people, send lecturers into public school assembly programs and raise funds for the permanent museum along the way. An advance team will prepare the way with local government and school officials, churches and the media. The set up will create quite a buzz to attract large crowds and conversations. The idea of taking the museum to perceived hostile cities like Dearborn, San Francisco and Cambridge intrigues me. People who could not, or would not travel to Washington D.C. would be able to see the museum and learn the truth about our country’s foundation. This is very exciting. The “idea” is becoming more solid.
8/18/10— The ACHM vision continues to be refined in the crucible of the Holy Ghost. Mark Beliles and I met with the president of the Baptist World Alliance who is also the executive director of Virginia Baptist Mission Board, Dr. John Upton. John grew up in my father’s church. When John he was a teenager, Dad told him God was calling him into the ministry and challenged him to pray about answering that call. The Lord affirmed that calling and today he leads the worldwide association of Baptist.
John said he would speak introduce us to the most successful fund raiser he knows and think of other ways we may secure funding.
That same day we met with the director of The Virginia Baptist Historic Society, Fred Anderson. Fred asked why we didn’t simply create a virtual museum on the Internet. It’ll be much easier and cheaper, he said.
A few days later I spoke with Joe Battaglia, president of Renaissance Communications (radio promotions) Wycoff, NJ. Joe is an old friend and I set him up on a blind date who became his wife. Joe loved the museum idea and said when we were ready, his organization had plans that could successfully drive thousands of people to our web site.
These conversations convinced us to add the virtual museum into the master plan for the mission. The web site will educate believers and raise funding. The web site can be up an running in a year or two and we can add and change features at considerably less cost than the traveling museum. A web site is available 24/7/365 long after the initial buzz of the traveling show is gone.
IDEAS FOR THE ACHM VIRTUAL MUSEUM
—The home page displays the museum facade with floor plans of color coded galleries.
—Viewers mouse over the room they’re interested in viewing and a list of items in the room appear.
—Visitors click on the exhibit they want to explore which opens a page on the subject with links to the original source documentation.
—An ongoing national advertising campaign will drive viewers to the site. Our ideas included:
• posting clever YouTube videos that inform (one fact or thought at a time) kids about significant historical information removed from history books
• creating a FaceBook account and blog on the subject of America’s Christian foundation
• sponsoring a Christian rock band tour and play info videos before and during the concerts
• advertising at Christian rock festivals and play the videos on stage and at a concession booth
• sponsoring a lecture/assembly program series to public schools
• selling a line of hip t-shirts and jewelry with the ACHM message
God has given us ideas and excitement for re-introducing America’s Christian history to the generations who have never heard of our divine, providential foundation. Our prayer is for our countrymen to fall in love with Jesus, allow Him to change them within which will benefit our country as a whole.
PRAY FOR GOD'S DIRECTION on our planning, HIS PROTECTION over us AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT in this project.
Your servant,
Michael D. Moore, director
