The State - News from July 19, 1985

The Universal Life Church, best known for offering mail-order ministries, was granted a property tax exemption by a state appeal court. The 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno overruled a decision by Stanislaus County denying the exemption for the church’s headquarters in Modesto. The county claimed that the church was not entitled to an exemption because its church was used as an office. “I’m more excited about this than any other case I’ve had,” said church founder and leader Kirby Hensley, who has pursued tax-exempt status for the church in courts for years.