Mentioning the prayer garden. I received the following links for the taped meeting for the prayer garden that was conducted in Welcome a bit ago. Because of the time and utube limitations it is in 5 segments.

Please go on and see what the controversy is about.
#1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgnDAxyXaBo
#2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stIBDC1C4a4&feature=related
#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkGNNq3jrsQ&feature=related
#4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-QaFjTgKkk&feature=related
#5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irQObomL_qs&feature=related

Wow, this guy was completely unprepared.

With respect to the taxpayer assistance questions in vid #5, doesn’t the fact that churches enjoy tax exempt status mean they already are getting taxpayer assistance?

I think so far they were collecting donations on their website- I think the Attorney General made them take that off. What is GOD now going to guide them to do?

I think one of the major concerns for the County is- pulling the economy away from current hotels and other places: present golf courses, restaurants and more…while the place would pay no taxes to the County and not generate any revenue - and drawing off our plans for tourism (I mean the plans look nice.Better than any other accommodation in the County. It doesn’t look like you have to be ‘religious’ type to enjoy- it seems aimed at those who want a peaceful environment and relax.

So for no other reason considered- OUR COUNTY NEEDS REVENUE- not it drawn away by a massive project with church status.

There is a “pastor” by the name of Peter Kayode who’s been at the center of MANY SEXUAL AND ADULTEROUS ACCUSATIONS IN HIS NATIVE NIGERIA!

Is KAYODE PETER the same person as PETER KAYODE???

Where will NPG get the MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ROAD UPGRADES, NEW WELLS FOR RESIDENTS, THE HOTEL, THE AMPHITHEATER, THE PARKING LOT FOR 1,500 CARS, THE GOLF COURSE, THE SWIMMING POOLS & EVERYTHING ELSE IT SAYS WILL BE PART OF ITS RESORT COMPLEX?!

——Where is NPG getting $100K PER MONTH to make the MONTHLY INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS FOR THE LAND when the National Center for Charitable Statistics reports that NPG HAS ZERO ASSETS AND ZERO REVENUE?!

—- WHO ARE THE FINANCIAL BACKERS OF THE NATIONAL PRAYER GARDEN—FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, CORPORATIONS OR TELEVANGELISTS????

——Is NPG operating as a 501(c)(3) to AVOID PAYING FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, INCLUDING PROPERTY TAXES?????

——WHY IS A HELIPORT PROPOSED?

IT CAN’T BE DUE TO “EMERGENCIES” BECAUSE THERE IS A RESCUE SQUAD 2 MILES FROM THE SITE, A FIRE STATION 4 MILES FROM THE SITE AND A FULLY STAFFED HOSPITAL (Civista) 9 MILES FROM THE SITE—-ALL OF WHICH ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE BY VEHICLES!!

Since NIGERIA IS A MAJOR HUB FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING, could it be that the Heliport might be used for this purpose??????

The Project Manager of the National Prayer Garden is the owner of Construction Resolutions Inc. in LaPlata, MD, which interestingly is LOCATED IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD (Hickory Ridge)  only 9 miles from where this so-called “prayer garden”  would be built.

I wonder if Mr. Murray’s TRUE INTENTION is to insure that HIS FIRM, CONSTRUCTION RESOLUTIONS INC., is awarded the MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT????

Since there have been NO REBUTTALS OR CLARIFICATIONS regarding the TRUE IDENTITY of Kayode Peter/Peter Kayode and whether or not he is REALLY ONE IN THE SAME, or IF he’s a U.S. CITIZEN, or if he’s a Christian or Muslim, then one must conclude that he IS ONE IN THE SAME PERSON, that he is NOT a U.S. citizen and that he IS a MUSLIM.

ASK YOURSELF - WHAT WOULD JESUS THINK OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND ITS LEADERSHIP and WHAT WOULD THE IRS THINK ABOUT THE MONEY TRAIL?????



The PRAYER GARDEN RESORT would be located in an area without public water or sewage meaning that the National Prayer Garden would be responsible for installing a municipal well system and a sewage treatment plant.



The effluent from the sewage treatment plant and the TONS of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for the golf course would run off to the Nanjemoy Creek.

Then of course there’s the THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF GROUNDWATER PER DAY that would be withdrawn to serve as many a 3,000 people per day, and to water the golf course and keep the swimming pools and Lazy River full!!



The “prayer garden” organization would be responsible for PAYING FOR THE UPGRADES OF THE STATE AND COUNTY ROADS that would serve as the entrance and exit to the Prayer Garden RESORT! 



Where will NPG get the MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR ROAD UPGRADES, NEW WELLS FOR RESIDENTS, THE HOTEL, THE AMPHITHEATER, THE PARKING LOT FOR 1,500 CARS, THE GOLF COURSE, THE SWIMMING POOLS & EVERYTHING ELSE IT SAYS WILL BE PART OF ITS RESORT COMPLEX?!



From where is NPG getting $100K PER MONTH to make the MONTHLY INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS FOR THE LAND when the NCCS reports that NPG HAS ZERO ASSETS AND ZERO REVENUE?! 



Why is a HELIPORT necessary, when there’s a rescue squad 2 miles from the site, a fire station 4 miles from the site and Civista is only 9 miles from the site?





Could it be that NPG was established as a “charitable” 501(c)(3) in order to avoid paying Federal, State and local taxes and/or as a “backdoor” way to “sidestep” zoning regulations in order to build a “resort” under the “cover” of a “charity” rather than a LEGITIMATE BUSINESS????



This “prayer garden” appears to be more of a Disney/Dollywood type RESORT COMPLEX with it’s 9 hole GOLF COURSE, HOTEL, HELIPORT, lazy river, game rooms, amphitheater, not to mention all the cottages and houses that are “planned” for the RESORT.

The NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHARITABLE STATISTICS reports:

Organization Details EIN: 392053785
Name: National Prayer Garden Inc—Google
Location: PO Box 370
Welcome, MD 20693 Report Address Change
County: Charles County
Ruling Date: 2008 (Approximate year when founded)
IRS Type: 501(c)(3) - Public charity: Religious, educational, charitable, scientific, and literary organizations…

Legal basis for public charity or private foundation status (FNDNCD): 15 - Organization with a substantial portion of support from a governmental unit or the general public

NTEE: X20 - Christianity
Most recently completed fiscal year (TAXPER) 10/2009

—Total Revenue $0
—Total Assets: $0
—————————————————————-

ZERO REVENUES AND ZERO ASSETS??

So - WHERE is the “prayer garden” organization getting $100K EACH MONTH to make MONTHLY PAYMENTS for the land?

Is it possible that the EMPLOYEES of Cleaners of America, of which “Elder” Paul Mederos is the owner, and “Sister” Mederos is President, are making donations to the “prayer garden”?

If so, are those EMPLOYEE “donations” voluntary or involuntary???

“Sister” Angela Mederos has made the following comment on Facebook about the “prayer garden” -

Angela Mederos
What an amazing and exciting project for the nation and the world. God’s hand is definitely upon this. How wonderful.
January 28 at 8:48pm

I guess that it IS an “amazing and exciting project” as Cleaners of America along with COA owner “Elder Paul” and COA President “Sister Angela” Mederos stand to make substantial PROFITS from this project!

The Dream Team
  William “Bill” Murray – CON-RES-LLC – Project Manager
  Patricia Faux – The Faux Group – Land Planners
  Larry Able – Lawrence Abel & Associates, LTD – Architects
  Jim Whitehead – ATCS’PLC – Civil Engineers
  Stephen H. Scott, Esquire – Stephen H. Scott Attorney at Law – Attorney at Law
  Linda Ivey Lewis – The Ivey League – Project/Resource Development
  Rod Smith – Multi-Media, Inc. – Visual Arts/Historian
  Denise Ellerbe – By Force Solutions – Graphics and Network Solutions
Paul Leon Mederos, Jr. – PrimeEnterprise.net – Web Development / Social Media management

It’s interesting that the website developer for the “prayer garden”, Prime Enterprise, which is run by “Elder” Paul Mederos, is the same website developer for Cleaners of America!

The prayer garden resort complex is in a category that receives a “SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SUPPORT FROM A GOVERNMENTAL UNIT or the general public”

COULD THAT “GOVERNMENTAL UNIT” BE KAYODE & OLA PETER’S NATIVE NIGERIA???

Could some of the “general public” donors be TELEVANGELISTS or large corporations such as DISNEY??

In addition, one of the members of the “dream team” is offering “tours” of the property - BUT the “prayer garden” DOESN’T OWN THE LAND!!!

Is this another way the “prayer garden” solicits donations?

A LOT of RED FLAGS have been raised regarding this TAX-EXEMPT “religious” organization, yet the organization’s leadership either CANNOT or WILL NOT address these questions.

Inasmuch as this is a 501(c)(3) religious organization, it is exempt from paying Federal, state and local taxes, including property taxes.  In this current climate of financial austerity the loss of millions of dollars in tax revenue would be significant to the county.

In addition, as with any project of this scale, construction cannot commence until local public zoning /planning hearings are held and permits issued, including a Water Appropriation and Use Permit from MDE.

It must be emphasized that the property is zoned Agriculture/Conservation and there are NO municipal water or sewage treatment facilities in the entire area.

All residents in the Welcome/Nanjemoy areas are dependent on groundwater sources, i.e. private wells. A “resort” such as this would withdraw thousands of gallons per day from the same aquifers as local resident’s wells.

Inasmuch as the project would have the capacity to accommodate up to 3,000 people per day, and because a 9 hole golf course, swimming pool(s) and a Lazy River are planned, the amount of groundwater withdrawn could have a severe impact on hundreds of private wells in the Welcome/Nanjemoy area.

In addition, tons of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides would be used to maintain the 9 hole golf course.  The runoff from these chemical agents would flow to the Nanjemoy Creek, the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.  One recently proposed private golf course proposal was withdrawn voluntarily when the Charles County Planning Commission found that the public courses that were already in place were underutilized.

The organization would be required to install a sewage treatment plant and the effluent would discharge to the Nanjemoy Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. The effluent would ultimately discharge to the Chesapeake Bay.

A parking area that would accommodate up to 1,500 vehicles would also produce significant amounts of pollutants from oil and transmission fluid leaks, all of which would flow directly into Nanjemoy Creek.

The founders of the organization are Kayode Peter and his wife, Ola, are Nigerian natives, citizenship and residences unknown and both claim to be “pastors” of the organization

The Architect, Lawrence Abell and Associates was reportedly involved with the National Harbor project, located on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The Project Manager of the organization, Mr. Bill Murray, who owns Construction Resolutions in LaPlata, MD, is a local developer.

Upon questioning, the Project Manager has indicated that a Heliport Landing is necessary in case of “emergencies”, however, there is a rescue squad only 2 miles away from the site, a fire station less than 5 miles from the site, and a fully staffed hospital in LaPlata, only nine miles from the site.

There is some concern that the site could be used to transport contraband, or to house refugees under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Refugee Resettlement Program.

I have been unable to obtain an IRS Form 990 from the organization that would identify the donors and the amount of each donation from those donors.

OUR COUNTY NEEDS REVENUE- not it drawn away by a massive project with church status.

So, I painfully sat through all the videos, and this still reeks of a scam.  I could barely understand Mr Peter, and he had no answers.  “God” really needs to do a better job with the details IF he/she is to expect us mere mortals to understand why a 340 acre gravel pit should be turned into Xanadu

It looks to me like Bill Murray may be “pulling a Mike Sullivan”, i.e. slithering his way around some zoning regs -  because this is a “religious” organization and is exempt from some types of zoning regs.

Of course, the county TAXPAYERS could be left holding the bag for road upgrades to Gunston Road and parts of Maryland Route 6, and the “prayer garden resort” would be exempt from property taxes which would be in the MILLIONS, and all the while the “investors” (Bill Murray, the Mederos’ and many others)  are laughing all the way to the bank, AT OUR EXPENSE!!

I’m going to have to cry foul on the speculation re: the proposed helipad. I had two soccer players collide head first once during practice on the front field of Thomas Stone High School. They sent helicopters to fly both of them out. The proximity of the closest rescue squad or hospital wasn’t the determining factor in sending a helicopter. The nature of the potential injury was.

Honestly, I also find the idea that the helipad is going to be used to smuggle drugs or refugees into the place extremely farfetched. Helicopters can’t reach between Welcome and Nigeria, so it isn’t going to provide a direct transportation link between the two, and I don’t think a helicopter offers much in the way of lack of detection that other means of transportation do. Just because it’s over the top and grandiose doesn’t mean there’s top level, international smuggling operations going on. What I think it is is just one more extravagant bauble among many in this orgy of excess.

“Helicopters can’t reach between Welcome and Nigeria,”

Yes, I’m aware of that but the helicopters would pick up contraband from another point here in the U.S….In any case, I know it sounds far-fetched but it’s been raised by many others here in the area, so I decided to throw it out there for consideration.

I do however, believe it’s a “back-door” way to develop the property for a “resort” under the guise of “religion”.  Since the Project Manager is unable to answer the basic question of where the money will come from, it stands to reason that there is something very suspicious going on with this project.

Also, don’t forget there is a Federal Law that gives “religious” organizations lots of benefits not enjoyed by commercial businesses, and I’m not just talking about tax exemptions either.  This law allows them to practically do anything they want with the land and exempts them from some zoning regulations.  This is why I think the “religious” designation is “cover” for the actual intentions NPG’s leadership has planned which is a resort complex complete with a hotel, amphitheater, Lazy River, golf course, recreational vehicle “park”, i.e. dirt bikes and 4 wheelers, gaming areas, etc.

There are many disturbing details about this organization and it’s 501(c)(3) status as t it continues to solicit donations from the general public via it’s website.

Rumor has it that NPG has bought the land, so now it’s just a matter of getting a zoning change, obtaining the permits (including a Water Appropriation and Use Permit from MDE), AND THEN starting to build.

I’ve also seen a LOT of strange vehicles and people driving around the area,  maybe looking for homes to buy?????

time to remove tax exempt status for ALL religions.

They should also have to abide by the same zoning regs as everyone else.  The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act should be REPEALED!!

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) creates major changes in how the rule of law is balanced against religious liberty. Because of the RLUIPA, local governments may be prevented from enforcing local zoning ordinances against religious institutions in the same way as against secular organizations. Understanding what these effects are and why they are a problem are necessary for understanding why the RLUIPA is a bad law.

What does the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act law do?

1) GENERAL RULE - No government shall impose or implement a land use regulation in a manner that imposes a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person, including a religious assembly or institution, unless the government demonstrates that imposition of the burden on that person, assembly, or institution—

(A) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and

(B) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

On the face of it, this sounds very reasonable - why should the government interfere with people’s free exercise of religion any more than absolutely necessary?

However, this principle only sounds reasonable as applied to religious rights because it could reasonably be applied to all of our rights and beliefs. Sure, it would be nice if the government were prevented from interfering with religion unless it had an “overriding, compelling reason” - but it would also be nice if it similarly prevented from interfering with our lives as a whole and our constitutional rights in particular unless it had an “overriding, compelling reason.”

The RLUIPA is part of a class of laws which create a blatantly discriminatory class of “special rights” for religious groups and believers, allowing for a dual system of laws and regulations. Ordinances that apply to everyone and every group would not necessarily apply to religious groups. This places government in the unconstitutional position of favoring religion over irreligion.
Because there have been fewer cases involving the RLUIPA than state-level versions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA, struck down by the Supreme Court), it’s easier to find examples of problems involving RFRAs. All these cases, though, would go the same way under the RLUIPA because it establishes the same sorts of standards when it comes to evaluating government acts that impact religious institutions.

There are a wide variety of land use and zoning regulations which could become essentially invalid under the RLUIPA — including noise ordinances, safety laws, zoning rules, and historical preservation. Noise ordinances are in fact a great example of generally applicable laws which are designed to apply to everyone and help everyone. Under the RLUIPA, however, anyone who wishes to violate them for religious reasons can force the government to prove that they should have to abide by them anyway.

So, how would you like to live near a church which could force you to listen to whatever sorts of music, preaching, or general noise that they wanted to broadcast at whatever volume they wanted to broadcast it?

Can you imagine how difficult it would be for you to sell your home and get out?

What can be said of the moral standards of a church which cannot manage to be a good neighbor?
.

“GOD TOLD ME”

This is what Kayode Peter said was his reason for choosing Welcome for the “prayer garden” and this sentiment was echoed by Bill Murray.

This is the same rationale that has been used by radical, extremist Muslims in the name of Allah, to “justify” their horrific actions, including 9/11.

Now please don’t get me wrong, God and religion are very important to most people and I personally have a close relationship with God, but I certainly don’t need a “prayer garden” to pray and I don’t think most people do either.

This attempt by Kayode Peter and Bill Murray to “justify” establishing a resort complex (disguised as a “prayer garden”) is disingenuous at best and a HOAX at worst.

Oh for goodness sake. Can’t we question this guy’s intentions and integrity without invoking Muslims, Allah, terrorists, 9/11, drug and human trafficking?

Let’s just end this here. In his native language, “Kayode Peter” translates to “Adolf Hitler”. He’s also a cross-dresser. He hasn’t denied it, so it must be true!!!

There.

“GOD TOLD ME”

This is what Kayode Peter said was his reason for choosing Welcome for the “prayer garden” and this sentiment was echoed by Bill Murray.

Yeah, but on the video both of them had big grins on their faces and came across as trying to pull a fast one rather than someone who truely did have a vision.

Hey, Cheryl, according to the NPG website a fund-raising dinner is being planned in PG County for 9-11…you going? 

“God told me” is also the same rationale that led Mother Teresa to spend her entire life serving the poor in India. Just as much good has been done in the world by those acting under God’s direction as bad. Bad just gets more press. It all depends on the point you’re trying to make as to which you choose as your analogy.