From Holding Pattern to Holy Ground: A Church’s Quiet Revival in Tahoma
A religious resurgence is taking shape, slowly but surely, on Tahoe’s West Shore.
Sparked a century ago, a vision to bring an arm of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel to Tahoma has come full circle. While progress portends to be incremental, a collection of properties, long a source of blight and frustration for locals, have a direction — for now.
Seven adjacent Tahoma properties, largely unused, vacant, and/or in states of disrepair, are in the early stages of a religious revival known as 180 Tahoe. While the exact use of the land isn’t yet known (a retreat center teased out in December 2024 is now on the backburner), the church that owns the sites intends for miraculous plans, especially considering the property’s roots.
“We’re in this diligence period, and there is so much to uncover and to prepare and to look over,” said Pastor Harlyn Matson of 180 Church in Rocklin, which is overseeing the Tahoma spot’s growth. “We’ve had to hire some consultants. We’re trying to best understand the property and the past of the property and stuff we need to know that we had no idea about when we said yes to this … We have nothing to announce at this point because we’re just talking.”
180 Church is part of the Foursquare Gospel, a Pentecostal Christian denomination. The Foursquare Gospel, official owner of the seven Tahoma properties, declined to comment.
Moonshine last reported on 18 related parcels of land, mostly clustered on the West Shore, in early 2022, including these seven. All were connected to a single buyer, Kirsten Cirne, also known as Kirsten Vliet, and sat idle for years — more than a decade in some cases (read Holding Pattern in Tahoma). Vliet has a history of religious-based philanthropy and is known for her “passion for serving the Lord and global ministry,” according to the religious ministry Luis Palau Organization website.
Aside from these seven parcels, no change in status has occurred with the other properties, spread out among Douglas, El Dorado, and Placer counties, according to county staff.
A modern-day miracle
Before delving further into current plans for 180 Tahoe, it’s worth knowing the history of a similar effort 100 years ago.
The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson. The famed evangelist owned a Tahoma property in the ’20s and attempted, though ultimately failed, amid much controversy, to bring a church online on the West Shore in a similar fashion to today’s project.
Based on recent reporting by the SF Gate, “At the zenith of her fame, McPherson, then 37, announced a new branch of her temple on the banks of Lake Tahoe. The summer of 1928 would bring her ‘headquarters’ to Tahoe Pines, the Associated Press reported. The alpine setting would host a brand new temple, a religious summer camp, and lodgings for parishioners. Sister Aimee advertised the Tahoe expansion heavily, mentioning it in sermons and circulating a pamphlet depicting her in a sailor suit on the lake. ‘Vacation With Sister?’ it asked, going on to extol the virtues of scenic surroundings.”
In August 1928, a civil lawsuit was filed by a member of McPherson’s own Angelus Temple (another church founded by the evangelist and today also part of Foursquare), alleging the preacher created fraudulent real estate deals at the Tahoe location. McPherson denied the claims. A United Press article stated the following:
“The real estate project involved establishment of a ‘Lighthouse,’ or branch church, at Lake Tahoe, and tracts were sold on the promise that Mrs. McPherson proposed to erect a church at the pleasure spot, it was alleged. Ralph B. Jordan, H. L. Henry, C. M. Kenyon and the Echo Park Evangelistic Association were made defendants with the evangelist. The suit was brought by Malissa W. Puryear, who charged conspiracy to defraud her of $5,000. She asked damages of $1,960 in addition …
… Mrs. McPherson was alleged to have received commissions of 10 per cent on land sales which she was instrumental in obtaining.”
This suit and others regarding the Tahoe “Lighthouse” were settled out of court.
The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson. The famed evangelist owned a Tahoma property in the ’20s and attempted, though ultimately failed, amid much controversy, to bring a church online on the West Shore in a similar fashion to today’s project.
According to 180 Church records, McPherson’s Tahoma property, a “sacred ground,” was sold during the Great Depression, but “By God’s divine providence, this same property with Aimee’s original cabin and her beautiful stained windows came into the hands of Foursquare once again.
“God is giving dreams and visions to restore Aimee’s original vision for the property: salvation, healing, deliverance, renewal, refreshing, and rest provided through a variety of modalities.”
Piecing the story together
In mid-2022, Pastor Matson cold-called Kirsten Cirne.
“Somebody gave me their name,” Matson recalled. He’d been asking around, seeing if people knew anything about a cabin in Tahoe once owned by Aimee McPherson. “[Cirne] said, ‘Well, we own it.’”
The timing was perfect. Cirne’s husband, Lewis, Matson said, had just sold his business and “was trying to get a handle on the property that they owned around Lake Tahoe.” The Cirnes, who knew they had Foursquare founder McPherson’s cabin on their property, didn’t necessarily want to tear down such a historical structure for commercial purposes, Matson continued, but they didn’t have a connection with the church. “And then I called them and said I was Foursquare,” Matson said. “And they said, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
180 Church staff and council, at the invitation of the Cirnes, held a retreat on the Tahoma property in August of 2022. According to 180 Church’s website and newsletters, “During that time we visited and prayed over Aimee Semple McPherson’s historical cabin … We took hands in a circle and prayed that God’s will be done on this property. Immediately we looked up and a sign from the Lord appeared: this cross in the sky [pictured on previous page]! Shortly afterward, the [then] current owners of the cabin pursued donating this property to Foursquare.”
Ownership of the pie-shaped grouping of Tahoma properties was transferred to Foursquare on Dec. 23, 2022. Five of the parcels had been owned by Pioneer Mountain, the other two by Lake Tahoe Ventures. Both LLCs are connected to Kirsten Cirne.
“As is common with many religious organizations,” noted staff with the Placer County Assessor’s Office, “they applied for and were granted the welfare exemption at the time the property was transferred. It was evident that the properties were being prepared and utilized for their intended exempt purposes.”
“Welfare Exemption from local property taxes is available for property of organizations formed and operated exclusively for qualifying purposes (charitable, hospital, religious, or scientific),” states the California State Board of Equalization.
I feel like we’re like a centipede with tennis shoes on at a full run. We’re not going very fast at all. But we do want due diligence, we do want to do this right, and we hope that the community will be patient with us.”
~ Pastor Harlyn Matson, 180 Church in Rocklin
180 Church noted in its religious exemption paperwork with Placer County that construction on the properties began June 1, 2023. For the site on which the Norfolk Woods Inn & Restaurant sits, as an example, 180 Church Youth Pastor Matthew Raible described the work as “remodeling necessary to use standing structures for storage and maintenance.” Similar explanations, including “landscaping the lot,” were given for the other parcels and confirmed by Placer County inspectors during 2024 (staff didn’t have a specific date).
March 2024 was posited as an important milestone. In a video sent out to 180 Church’s email list on Feb. 9, 2024, Pastor Julia Davenport, who’s part of church leadership at The Gathering Place in Folsom, said, “We are beginning to gather on March 11 with our neighbors and our friends. We’re going to begin to pray over our area as we seek the Lord to plant a church right there in Tahoma.”
These gatherings are held every Monday night on the property, though Matson doesn’t go so far as to call it church. “There’s massive size constraints for sure,” he said. “It’s a small group. We have a dinner together and we talk about how the week went and they do a Bible study.”
A handful of larger gatherings have occurred as well. On June 15, 2024, for example, 180 Church hosted a workday to “clean up [the] Tahoe property.” About 2 months later the 180 Family Camp at Tahoe was held, from Aug. 8 to 10. “Direct lake access, water baptisms in the lake, multigenerational fun” were all promised, plus a request to “bring your own tent(s).” A Google Streetview screenshot from August 2024 on p. 12 shows tents located on the site during the family camp.
Per county records, Davenport is one of four people currently residing on the properties. She oversees construction efforts alongside her husband, senior pastor Daniel Davenport. The facilities and security team is made up of Justice and Lydia Davenport.
On Dec. 18, 2024, an email went out to 180 Church members announcing the Tahoma spot would become The Gathering Place, a Lake Tahoe Retreat Center. “With your generosity, we can breathe new life into this property and restore it to its original intent and purpose — a sacred place where people encounter God,” the newsletter stated. “God has blessed us with a matching gift year-end opportunity that will directly fund the renovations needed to transform ‘The Gathering Place’ into a restored refuge for pastors, leaders, and all who seek the Lord.”
“We’ve had to back off of that a little bit,” Matson said. “We’re trying to see what is the best use for us for that property … It was in wretched condition [when we first received it]. It still is, but you can only do so much … Between TRPA and Placer County and the fact that we’re not professional developers, we’re leaning into it, but we’re moving along a little bit at a time.”
To date, many of the buildings remained boarded up and vacant and there are no active permits for any of the properties. The assessor’s office is planning for its next annual field inspection to confirm the buildings’ welfare to be complete by mid-May.
“I feel like we’re like a centipede with tennis shoes on at a full run,” Matson said. “We’re not going very fast at all. But we do want due diligence, we do want to do this right, and we hope that the community will be patient with us.”
The Remaining 11
Kirsten Vliet continues to be connected to the following LLCs and properties around Tahoe:
Douglas County: below property owned by Mountain Metro Church
• 1900 Echo Dr., Stateline, Nevada
“There was a permit pulled for a demo on Sept. 18, 2023,” Douglas County staff wrote in an email. “However, this permit has expired due to no inspections done within the 180 days of the permit being issued.”
El Dorado County: all below properties owned by Lake Tahoe Ventures
• 7010 State Highway 89, Tahoma
• 7018 State Highway 89, Tahoma
• 7032 State Highway 89, Tahoma
• 7035 Wilson Ave., Tahoma
• 015-331-019-000, Tahoma
“There is not a record of any exemptions existing on these properties and we don’t have a record of any applications in a pending status,” shared El Dorado County Director of Communications Carla Hass.
Placer County:
• 6895 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoma (Pioneer Mountain)
• 545 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City (Pioneer Mountain)
• 565 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City (Lake Tahoe Ventures)
• 855 W. Lake Blvd., comprising two parcels: 083-171-003-000 and 083-170-001-000, Tahoe City (Mountain Metro Church); note: applied for a religious exemption and was denied due to the mixed use of the property
