In this blog post, we will begin to delve into the financial aspect of the Golden Dawn Tabernacle/Tabernaculo Emanuel, including the examination of their sources of donations, the management of funds, and the strict implementation of tithing by Pastor Isaac Noriega. Additionally, we will investigate any suspect financial practices within the church. Despite our attempts to seek a statement from Pastor Noriega and Church Secretary/Treasurer Samuel Mike Samaniego, they would not answer our phone calls or attempts to reach out.
Reymundo H. Aguirre Our previous church school blog post, examined the anti-education stance of Golden Dawn Tabernacle/Tabernaculo Emanuel Church School and the reasons behind it. In this post, we will explore the curriculum and teaching methods used by the school's leadership, as well as the school's compliance with federal and state educational regulations. Our research for this blog is based on interviews with former students of the church school, input from certified education professionals in the state of Arizona as well as a phone interview with Golden Dawn Tabernacle Assistant Pastor Matthew J. Noriega. Pastor Isaac Noriega and Head of Church School Reymundo H. Aguirre refused to take our calls.
The Noriega family has acquired a considerable amount of real estate and homes, in Tucson, Arizona over the years. This post will examine the history and development of the Noriega family's real estate holdings on Mockingbird Lane. It will also explore whether church funds, resources or connections played a role in the acquisition and development of these properties.
All of the properties above labeled with red pins are fully or partially owned by Isaac's Noriega family Summary Facts:
We have noticed a significant amount of attention being directed towards this website lately, both from the general public and from current and former members of Golden Dawn Tabernacle. In fact, Pastor Isaac Noriega even mentioned this website during one of his recent sermons as he attempted to defend his actions. With that in mind, we would like to clarify the purpose of this website.
Vision Statement
Separation Within The Church - Mistrust and Infighting
Pastor Isaac Noriega According to current and former church members, Pastor Isaac Noriega, the leader of the church, is well known for the harsh tactics he uses for maintaining tight control over the church and its members. It is important to note that Isaac teaches that as the pastor and head of this sovereign church, he holds authority over them, so it is important that they be subject to his teachings. One of the methods of control he routinely uses is encouraging families to separate, even those who are current church members, by suggesting there is no reason for them to visit each other, especially grandparents. This is believed to be done in cases where he fears the grandparents may influence their children and grandchildren against him, especially if he has had a falling out with them.
Pastor Isaac Noriega As mentioned in our Church Rules blog post, there is a culture within the church that generally discourages the use of medicine and science. If a person falls ill, it is often believed that their poor spiritual condition is to blame. Seeking medical treatment is discouraged and only considered as a last resort.
During the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, Pastor Isaac Noriega and the leadership of the church largely ignored recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stay home, social distance, and wear masks. For a short time, deacons greeted congregants at the entrance with hand sanitizer and a handshake, in an effort to follow CDC recommendations. However, this practice only lasted for two weeks. Isaac claimed that the virus was started by snakes (Isaac has a tendency to use snakes as a symbolic metaphor for things he considers evil) rather than bats (the common theory of origin at the time) and preached that the pandemic was a "judgment on the world, not the Bride," implying that church members who were true believers would be unaffected. As a result, Isaac discouraged taking precautions and mocked masks and social distancing. It is worth noting that the church has a significant number of elderly congregants, some of whom were at high risk for COVID infection.
Recently, the Golden Dawn Tabernacle / Tabernaculo Emanuel school building underwent several failed fire inspections after a complaint was lodged with the Tucson Fire Department about possible fire safety concerns in the school building. After multiple inspection failures, certain inspection findings have been addressed by the church, but there is still an outstanding determination for occupancy that might require the church to install a fire alarm system and fire sprinkler system.
The Golden Dawn Tabernacle, also known as Tabernaculo Emanuel, has property tax exempt status for some of its properties, according to the Pima County Assessors office. However, it is worth noting that the church does not have a 501(c)(3) filing with the IRS, which is typically required for tax-exempt status for religious organizations.
The church requires its members to pay a 10% tithe on their incomes, and it is unclear how this income is used by the church. The church reportedly owns a large number of properties, some of which are not used for church purposes or as pastor residences. It is worth investigating how these properties are acquired and managed by the church.
The list of rules that church members are required to follow continues to grow over time as Pastor Isaac Noriega gets older. This is believed to be an attempt to exert more control over the congregation. Many of these rules are extreme compared to mainstream "Message" churches. Isaac publicly claims that William Branham wrote him a letter with some of these rules (even though they were never mentioned in William Branham's message sermons), but when asked for evidence of this letter, Isaac alleges that it was stolen with his briefcase from his car, so no one has ever seen it. Isaac had an Apostolic upbringing (his father was an apostolic minister), so many of his rules are heavily influenced by Apostolic church doctrine.
The church building highlighted in yellow is the current school building. This used to be the former church sanctuary and fellowship hall. 2005-2006 Yearbook Dedication Page Anti-Education Framework
The Golden Dawn Tabernacle church has reportedly instilled an anti-education culture by twisting and cherry picking William Branham's teachings to be against education and Pastor Isaac Noriega's extreme ideology to discourage congregation members from sending their children to public schools. As a result, the majority of children in the church are officially registered as homeschooled students.