Colorado

Why Is This Colorado Church Putting Its Chapel On The Blockchain?

Published

1 year ago

August 18, 2024

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Why Is This Colorado Church Putting Its Chapel On The Blockchain?

Thanks to a slick real estate broker, a network of churches in Northern Colorado is embracing blockchain technology to securitize their sanctuary. Pray for its investors.

_By_{Nina Bambysheva}_{, Forbes Staff}

In the Middle Ages, the Church held sway over souls with the sale of indulgences—essentially, money in the form of silver or gold coins exchanged for a faster ticket out of purgatory. Fast forward to the 21st century in Northern Colorado, where a different kind of church token is being offered—one that doesn’t promise salvation but instead aims to purchase Fort Collins’ oldest church.

Move over, GoFundMe. Enter a modern twist on community investment, led by local pastor named Blake Bush, who is spearheading an effort to raise $2.5 million for the purchase of the Old Stone Church, a historic 19th-century stone building his community has been renting for the past two years.

Pastor Blake Bush

Photo by Colorado House of Prayer

Bush, 57, is no ordinary clergyman. A former franchise salesman and a veteran of 34 years in ministry, he and his wife founded the non-denominational Third Day Church and later established One Hope of Northern Colorado, a nonprofit ministry leading the Colorado House of Prayer. “We’re not a church,” Bush explains. “We are the church, a network of churches working together to bless our community.” The Colorado House of Prayer, currently housed in the Old Stone Church, is a place where volunteers run the show, and anyone can lead a prayer at nearly any hour. Multiple denominations currently rent the space. For example, every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. the Korean High Mountain Church holds a service.

In the summer of 2022, Pastor Bush fell down the crypto rabbit hole when a friend introduced him to XRP cryptocurrency. Ripple Labs, the company that developed the token, once promised that its digital ledger would replace banks in facilitating trillions in global money transfers, but despite XRP being valued at $31 billion by crypto traders, Ripple has accomplished little in the last decade. Intrigued, Bush bought some XRP and soon found himself immersed in the possibilities of blockchain. “I just began to research and listen, trying to figure out what they’re doing, [Ripple’s] lawsuit with the SEC… who’s the SEC, what do they do, and what does blockchain accomplish? Where is this thing going?” He says the idea of tokenizing real estate “entered his thoughts” in February.

“I heard the Lord say ‘’tokenize the building,’”says Bush. “I was like, what? I didn’t even know what that meant. I’ve been interested in the technology, but I could not have formed that sentence because that’s just not in my vocabulary. I’ve been praying for this for years, and God said, ‘Son, go get my house.’”

Enter REtokens of Spokane, Washington, founded in 2022 by Tyler Vinson, 45, whose real estate brokerage firm Extant shares headquarters with the digital asset operation. Vinson, a local realtor who got his BA in Marketing from Eastern Washington University, boasts more than 20 years of experience and is the author of “Freedom Through Cash Flow.” Tokenizing properties like Bush’s Old Stone Church may be just the gimmick needed to inject new life into Vinson’s Spokane Valley real estate practice.

In late May 2024, REtokens and a Swiss-based private blockchain operator Polymesh announced that they would jointly tokenize $30 million in real estate, “delivering enhanced liquidity and a wider pool of investors to the real estate market.” Not mentioned in the press release was the pair’s only other asset tokenization—a $2.25 million preferred stock offering in August 2023 for REtokens itself. According to the private placement memorandum available to accredited investors, more than $150,000 of the proceeds would go toward paying off a loan to Vinson’s Extant, and ReToken’s payroll, which includes Vinson as CEO, would eat up nearly 24% of the funds annually. When you throw in marketing costs, blockchain fees and convention/travel expenses, “corporate costs” were projected to eat up to 40% of the tokenization proceeds in year one.

While there are no specifics in the offering statement about how investors will actually earn a return from their blockchain-based investment in REtokens, the shares were initially priced at 75 cents each, with a minimum investment of $5,000. Vinson’s new blockchain company intends to take $10,000 upfront for new tokenizations, plus up to 0.74% per year in an “equity fee” from new tokens minted. So far, REtokens has raised less than half of the $2.25 million in tokenized preferred stock it began offering a year ago.

Blake Bush’s Old Stone Church is Vinson’s first real estate tokenization. The first phase, launched on Friday, targets accredited investors with a minimum of $50,000 to invest, and is seeking to raise $2.5 million within the first year to buy the 11,457-square-foot stone building. The Old Stone Church is currently owned by one of Blake’s parishioners, Warren Yoder, owner of a Chevrolet dealership and auto body operations in Northern Colorado, who bought it in 2022 for $2.2 million.

Eventually, the Stone tokens will become available on the secondary market, presumably to non-accredited church congregants at $500 per token, with a minimum investment of $1,500. These tokens will trade indefinitely, or as the initiative’s website puts it, “until Jesus returns or the majority of investors and the board decide to sell.” Already, several locals have joined Old Stone’s board including the mayor of nearby Severance, Colorado, a mortgage broker and an insurance salesman.

Potential investors don’t need a special crypto wallet; instead they will have to create an account with REtokens and complete a know-your-customer process, much like buying stocks on Fidelity, says REtokens’ Vinson. In fact, purchasers are buying securities, not cryptos. The tokens won’t be traded on exchanges like Coinbase or Binance but only marketable through REtokens. And since the small offering falls under regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, Old Stone Church will be exempt from most disclosure requirements. Tokenholders won’t get a say in how the church is managed, either.

When Bush was asked the consequences of, say, a Satanist scooping up the majority of tokens, his response was, “I’d be like ‘great, thank you, let’s introduce you to Jesus.’” The Old Stone Church will be governed by its board and an operating agreement, he explains, so even a majority owner won’t be able to decide how to use the building. Tokenholders will only be able to vote for a president of the board and for or against the sale of the building.

Bush’s Colorado House Of Prayer is non denominational: “All churches who belong to Jesus are welcome to participate, regardless of their theological background.”

Photo by Colorado House of Prayer

Unlike traditional church and synagogue fundraisings, offered by not-for-profits and therefore tax-exempt, congregants wishing to “invest” in their church will not be getting any tax deductions. Tokenholders will be subject to normal income and capital gains taxes, which will come in the form of K-1 partnership distributions. “Even Jesus had to pay taxes and have a treasury,” says Bush.

As for returns, the pitch deck projects “a 2-3% yearly increase on each token in accordance with the rise in real estate value in downtown Fort Collins. In addition, each year, there will also be a small dividend based on the modest rent the LLC receives.” Pastor Bush is serious about managing investor expectations. “You’re not in this to make profits. You’re in this to do good in the community,” he says. The pitch deck notes that investors will be using their money to “advance the kingdom.”

The Old Stone Church is the first tokenized church, according to Graeme Moore, head of tokenization at Polymesh, but it may not be the last. Mark Elsdon, a minister and developer from Madison, Wisconsin, and author of Gone for Good?, writes that as many as 100,000 Christian church properties—a quarter to a third of all churches in the U.S.—are expected to be sold or repurposed in the next decade.

Already, hundreds of these properties are being acquired by businesses for use as offices, restaurants, co-working spaces, and hotels. New Yorkers may recall the 1983 transformation of the Gothic Revival-style Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, built in 1844, into the Limelight nightclub, notorious for its drug-fueled parties. A more recent example is the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Lake Opeka in Des Plaines, Illinois, reborn as an upscale Mediterranean restaurant.

Pastor Bush’s vision stretches far beyond Fort Collins. He dreams of forming a foundation to help others tokenize their historic buildings. He may be onto something. Considering each communities’ zealotry, religion and blockchain may be a match made in heaven.

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Colorado

Bennett Zmolek’s first goal in four years sparks UND past Colorado College

Published

9 hours ago

January 11, 2026

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Bennett Zmolek’s first goal in four years sparks UND past Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — There was no elaborate celebration from Bennett Zmolek.

In fact, he didn’t even see it go in.

“I saw Resch coming at me,” Zmolek said of teammate Cole Reschny. “I was like, I guess it went in.”

Zmolek scored his first goal in nearly four years to help UND beat Colorado College 5-2 on Saturday night in Ed Robson Arena.

His last goal was Jan. 20, 2022, when he was a freshman at Minnesota State against St. Thomas. That was 1,450 days and three hip surgeries ago.

With the game tied 1-1 in the second period, Zmolek spotted open ice on the right side of the rink and pinched from his defensive spot. Reschny made a cross-ice pass and Zmolek one-timed it five-hole on Tiger goalie Kaidan Mbereko.

“I’d say huge props to Resch,” Zmolek said. “He set it all up. I just had to tap it in.”

Teammate Dylan James grabbed the puck for Zmolek to keep.

“So proud of him,” James said. “Obviously, he’s been through a lot these past couple years. He’s played minimal games the last two years and he was voted captain. That shows what kind of guy he is. He’s the rock of our team. It’s very special seeing him get his first in a UND jersey.”

Zmolek’s teammates celebrated the goal more than he did.

“We were all screaming on the bench,” forward Anthony Menghini said. “He’s such a great leader, such a great captain, does all the right things. For him to put it in the net was huge.”

UND defenseman Bennett Zmolek (center) celebrates his goal against Colorado College with forward Cole Reschny (17) on Jan. 10, 2026, in Ed Robson Arena.

Daryl Batt / Colorado College athletics

UND also received goals from James, Tyler Young, Abram Wiebe and Reschny. James and Reschny tallied assists and had two-point nights, while Menghini notched two assists.

UND (17-5) took four points from the weekend after losing Friday’s series opener 3-2 in overtime.

The Fighting Hawks finally got to Tiger goalie Kaidan Mbereko, who had won six in a row against UND. Mbereko gave up four goals on 24 shots before leaving with an apparent injury in the third period.

“I don’t believe our record is great against CC, but this team is different,” James said. “It feels great to bounce back from yesterday and get a win.”

The Fighting Hawks sit atop the National Collegiate Hockey Conference standings, five points ahead of Denver. The Pioneers come to Ralph Engelstad Arena next weekend.

“Their coach. . . I have a lot of respect for Kris Mayotte,” UND coach Dane Jackson said. “He kind of mentioned that he really thought our North Dakota mentality was evident this weekend. That was pretty nice for him to say.”

Jan Špunar, starting on consecutive nights for the first time since Dec. 5-6 at St. Cloud State, stopped 19 of 21. He allowed a pair of goals to defenseman Mats Lindgren, a midseason pickup from the ECHL.

But the night belonged to Zmolek.

After the game, Zmolek was asked what he remembered about his last goal.

“St. Thomas, right?” he said. “Their old barn. Low blocker.”

That goal came at the end of the 2021-22 season. Zmolek missed nearly the entire 2022-23 season due to hip surgery.

He transferred to UND in the summer of 2023, and helped anchor UND’s defensive corps to a Penrose Cup in 2023-24. He missed all but one game last year with another hip surgery.

“I’m so happy for him,” Jackson said. “It was a great read, a great pass and he got a lot of wood on it. It was really a high-skill play. The guys are so happy for him. He’s such a leader for us in so many ways. Obviously, most of the time it’s with his defensive play and penalty killing and everything else. But to see him bring out the offense in a big moment, I was just so happy for him. He’s a warrior.”

Notes: UND wore its black jerseys. It is 4-1 in the black jerseys this season. Colorado College wore gold. . . UND played without Josh Zakreski (lower body) and Cody Croal (illness). The Fighting Hawks moved Jayden Jubenvill into the lineup for Sam Laurila. . . Colorado College played without forward Owen Beckner (upper), forward Brandon Lisowsky (lower), defenseman Max Burkholder (lower) and defenseman Colton Roberts (upper).

By
Brad Elliott Schlossman

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

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Colorado

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

Published

21 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado mom, 6-year-old son found dead in Canyonlands National Park in apparent murder-suicide

A Colorado woman and her 6-year-old son were found dead in Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah, this week in what appears to be a murder-suicide, law enforcement officials said.

Park rangers responded to a suspicious vehicle parked in a no-camping area near Shafer Trail in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the San Juan County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Park rangers found an unresponsive 6-year-old boy in the vehicle and started life-saving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

The woman was found dead outside of the vehicle.

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Colorado

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-7) @ Colorado Avalanche (32-4-7)

2 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After a homestand-opening win on Thursday, the Avalanche hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets for Next Gen Night on Saturday. This is the second and final regular-season matchup between the teams in 2025-26, as the Avalanche defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1 in Columbus on October 16th.

A Big Night at Ball

Josh Manson recorded the first two-goal and four-point game of his career, along with a Gordie Howe hat trick, as the Avalanche defeated the Ottawa Senators 8-2 at Ball Arena on Thursday. Manson was one of five Avs to post at least three points on Thursday, alongside Nathan MacKinnon (1g/3a), Ross Colton (3a), Brock Nelson (2g/1a) and Cale Makar (1g/2a). Additionally, Brent Burns added a goal for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in net for the Avs. With the victory, the Avalanche extended its home win streak to 16 games.

At 10:11 of the first period, Manson opened the scoring with his third goal of the season via a shot from the point through traffic. MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead at 17:14 of the first period with his 36th goal of the season via a shot from the slot set up by Necas. The Avs took a 3-0 lead at 2:35 of the second period when Makar scored his 13th tally of the season via a left-circle shot after receiving a drop pass from MacKinnon. At 5:08 of the middle frame, Shane Pinto put the Senators on the board. The Senators momentarily made it 3-2 with 13:41 remaining in the second period, but the goal was disallowed after the Avs successfully challenged for offside. After the disallowed tally, the clock was reset to 13:48.

Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead on the power play at 11:46 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a sharp-angle one-timer from the bottom of the left circle set up by MacKinnon. At 12:03 of the middle frame, Burns made it 5-1 with his sixth goal of the season via a right-point shot through traffic. Nelson gave the Avs a 6-1 lead on a five-on-three power play at 14:23 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by MacKinnon’s cross-ice feed. The Avalanche took a 7-1 lead at 16:48 of the middle frame when Manson scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Jack Drury’s feed. At 18:04 of the middle frame, Nelson scored his second tally of the game and 21st of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Ilya Solovyov’s feed from the left point. Brady Tkachuk made it 8-2 with a shorthanded goal from the doorstep at 7:03 of the third period.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (36) and points (78) while ranking tied for third in assists (42).

All Hail Cale

Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (51) and assists (38) while ranking third in goals by blueliners (13). Among all NHL skaters, he’s seventh in assists.

Marty Party

Necas is seventh in the NHL in points (55) and tied for ninth in assists (35).

Series History

In 70 previous regular-season games against the Blue Jackets, the Avalanche has a record of 45-19-1-5.

Defeat on the Road

The Blue Jackets lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. In the first period, Columbus took a 2-0 lead after goals from Boone Jenner at 8:24 and Kent Johnson at 10:41 before Reilly Smith put Vegas on the board at 12:20. The Golden Knights took a 4-2 lead after second-period goals from Smith at 5:19, Jack Eichel at 13:07 and Mark Stone on the power play at 18:44. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets to make it 4-3 at 14:28 of the third period before Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights a 5-3 lead at 16:14 of the final frame.

Contributors Against Columbus

MacKinnon has posted 26 points (7g/19a) in 22 games against the Blue Jackets.

In nine contests against Columbus, Makar has registered 17 points (6g/11a).

Necas has recorded 21 points (4g/17a) in 26 games against the Blue Jackets.

Producing Offense for Ohio’s Team

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in points (46) and assists (30) while ranking tied for first in goals (16).

Marchenko is tied for the team lead in goals (16) while ranking second in points (35) and tied for second in assists (19).

Dmitri Voronkov is third on the Blue Jackets in points (28) and goals (15).

A Numbers Game

30

Colorado’s 30 five-on-five goals since December 19th (10 games) are the most in the NHL during that span.

63

The Avalanche’s 63 second-period goals lead the NHL.

3.94

Colorado’s 3.94 goals per game since December 1st lead the NHL during that span.

Quote That Left a Mark

“It was fun. I don’t think he’s ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight. He’s maybe seen me score. But I don’t think he’s ever seen—actually, nobody’s ever seen that before out of me in the NHL. So, it was a first for everybody, including myself.”

— Josh Manson on recording a Gordie Howe hat trick with his father, former NHLer Dave Manson, in attendance

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