Aimee Semple McPherson’s Castle Sold to Someone Just Like Her

Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson’s Hollywood hideaway has been sold to someone just like her: Pastor Nancy Dufresne of World Harvest Church. 

Anaheim Foursquare Pastor Carl McCauley told the Press Enterprise they chose to sell to Dufresne because of how similar her convictions were to McPherson’s.

“We wanted to make sure that the history (of the site) was maintained, which was one of the reasons we purchased it,” McCauley says. “Then, we saw someone in the Lake Elsinore area who was like-minded in regard to the contributions of … Sister Aimee and could take even better care (of the property).”

The castle was McPherson’s refuge in the 1930s, with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a “breathtaking panoramic view.”

According to the Foursquare website, church founder McPherson was a woman ahead of her time. She defined the gospel into four central points, aka a foursquare with these components: Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the Healer, Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the Soon-Coming King. 

“(McPherson) established an evangelistic ministry and built a large evangelistic center at a time when women were expected to marry, have children and leave religion and other ‘important’ pursuits to men,” the site reads. “But God had a plan for her life that did not take into account human ways of doing things.”

During the 1920s and ’30s, “Sister Aimee” traveled across the country and the world, seeing miracles performed by the power of God, including the healing of thousands. 

McPherson gave her ministry roots in Los Angeles, opening the Angelus Temple in 1923. Through the mission, she fed millions during the Great Depression. 

In comparison, in addition to her role as a pastor, buyer Dufresne leads crusades around the world and is president of both World Harvest Bible Training Center and Fresh Oil Fellowship.