Filed under: Afro-Canadian, Religion | Tags: Afro-Canadian, Audi A6S, black, BMW 7 Series, canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Canadian Council of Christian Charities, christian, evangelical, Florida, Gospel, Jane and Finch, Lexus RX 330, Mercedes-Benz CLK 320, Ontario, Paul Melnichuk, pentecostal, Pentecostalism, Porsche Cayenne, Prayer Palace, the Melnichuks, Tim Melnichuk, Tom Melnichuk, Toronto
A Star investigation into Toronto’s Prayer Palace congregation finds that despite the members’ dutiful tithing, the church spends little on charitable projects.
After worshipping at the Prayer Palace this morning, Hyacinthe Houghron will, as she does every second Sunday, stuff her tired green minivan with a small feast: six coolers of homemade soup, a mountain of sandwiches, cakes and sweets.
Loaded down with second-hand clothes pulled from the ceiling-high piles in her hair salon, she’ll give out the goods to homeless people on downtown Toronto’s grittiest streets.
Missions like this aren’t cheap for people like her and other volunteers at the church. “We’re poor folks,” says Houghron, describing the majority of the 3,000-strong congregation who attend the spaceship-shaped church at Hwy. 400 and Finch Ave.
The hairdresser scrapes together $600 of her own money each month to keep up the program because the Prayer Palace – one of Canada’s largest evangelical churches – stopped running it five years ago. Other charitable works, like a promised orphanage in Brazil, either dried up or never materialized.
Meanwhile, the three white pastors – Paul Melnichuk and his 40-year-old twin sons, Tim and Tom – lead lavish lives in contrast to the mainly working-class black families that make up the bulk of the church.
Between them, the pastors have amassed a real estate fortune worth about $12 million. Each owns a multi-million-dollar country estate north of Toronto (Tim’s is worth as much as $5.5 million), they share a Florida vacation villa, and the pastors and their wives drive luxurious cars – among them a Porsche Cayenne SUV, a Lexus RX 330 SUV and a Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible.
Congregants are largely unaware of the pastors’ extravagant lifestyles.
Filed under: Religion | Tags: christian, Coptic, denomination, evangelical, Jesus, Orthodox, pentecostal, Toronto
Growing up in an Evangelical denomination, at some point you tend to question doctrines. I do not question the core beliefs of Christianity, as I still believe in them. However, I have truly seen too much? How can someone who professes to be “saved” stand at a pulpit with no fear of God? They can steal or even be involved in immoral acts (and so much more). Some say that ALL are not perfect, so do not worry. However, I have to wonder? Going through numerous changes, pastors and leadership all claim to have a “Vision”! So who is right and who is wrong anyway? If we go back in history maybe true Christianity is more “Orthodox”? Or maybe it should only be Catholic or Coptic? Something has truly gone terribly wrong hasn’t it? Christian churches continue to “split” and “split” again, because someone claims to have a new interpretation or vision from God. Lets be frank, Catholic and Orthodox history does not have a free ride either. In fact some of the most terrible and horrific atrocities have been done in the name of God. Even in Islam, we see so many that do things, in the name of God today. If you believe in a creator it must grieve God, to see what we the earth has become? But again, no one has a clean slate. History is a clear teacher of this and we continue to see it today.
So what does this have to do with Evangelicals? You see, I cannot paint one denomination as being totally wrong. I really prefer to provoke thought and open your mind a bit. It would be better to say that history failed us. History caused Christianity to be separate and splintered. History caused one denomination to believe that they had “more truth” then another denomination. Don’t try to tell the average person that they are all right. I mean how could the Salvation Army be a true Christian church since they actually care for the helpless? Or better yet, no chance that Mother Theresa will be in heaven, since she was not Pentecostal? Can you sense my sarcasm! Maybe if evangelicals need to be a bit more organized and structured or the Catholic Church (and similar types of denominations) were more like Evangelical Churches, we would all be better off. Who really knows? The truth is that no one denomination is perfect or infallible, as much as they would like you to believe. The fact is denominational doctrines can fail a community, congregation or church. You must make sure to hold on to the principles of Jesus Christ for yourself. In the world today, leaders of various denominations continue to see their pastoralship as a career and not a calling. Electing to choose where they feel “God has called them”. God forbid that they would be called to Jane & Finch or Malvern or some other area of the city. I mean why would we want to reach them, since they cannot even pay our salaries. But again, I am digressing or am I?
By: Torontomatic
