Last weekend The Toronto Star ran investigative articles on Paul Melnichuk and The Prayer Palace, an independent church in Toronto.
The articles mentioned Melnichuk’s real estate in Florida and a church he bought there for 750 thousand dollars.
The Bradenton Herald in Florida followed through with an article. They received no co-operation from the Melnichuck family.
When the reporter returned about four hours later, all the window blinds were drawn, a pull-down hurricane shutter blocked the towering pair of glass front doors and no one answered repeated knocking on a side door leading to a laundry room. The shutter prevented knocking on the front doors or ringing the doorbell.
No one answered when the reporter returned twice Tuesday afternoon despite evidence that someone was inside. A Federal Express package that was wedged in a door during the reporter’s first visit was missing when the reporter returned an hour later. Also, window blinds that were open the first time were closed the second.
Mireille McGail, a seasonal resident from Toronto, said Tuesday she was stunned when she read the Canadian newspaper’s story about her next-door neighbor.
“It was really surprising,” she said. “I don’t hardly see them or talk to them. They pretty much kept to themselves.”
Public records show Melnichuk and his wife, Kathleen, bought the 0.3-acre property on 18th Street Northwest for $549,000 in early 2004 and hired Bamboo Homes of Florida to build the house later that year. The four-bedroom house, which features a riverfront pool and sauna, a dock on the Manatee River and a three-car garage, was completed last year.
Interesting that Paul Melnichuk and his sons are willing to go on The Miracle Channel, plan to expand their church again, but won’t talk to media or financial accountability groups. I doubt it’s an attack of conscience that had them hiding from reporters. The Florida paper noted the current church in their county as well as other real estate holdings and a prior church.
Kathleen Melnichuk bought a 3,800-square-foot house on Little Country Road in River Wilderness, a gated subdivision off Old Tampa Road in Parrish, in November 2002. Internal Revenue Service records show Paul Melnichuk later registered Prayer Palace Inc. as a tax-exempt church at a nearby, nonexistent address.
The River Wilderness house was sold in September 2004, but Paul Melnichuk still owns a Bradenton church, records show.
A Florida company he owns, The Prayer Palace Inc.,* bought the former Bradenton Church of God, 1011 Seventh Ave. E., for $750,000 in March 2005, records show. The facility now is known as Zion Worship Center.
Achilles DeCarolis, one of the church’s two ministers, said Monday its mission is to provide spiritual assistance, food, clothing or anything else to those in need.
“Whoever needs help who comes through those doors, we help them,” he said of the church, which he said has about two dozen members.
Comments under the Florida article are mixed, ranging from condemnation of the media and none-church goers, to racial and economic divides, to defense of the family.
Leave the OUR Pastor and his family alone. How dare you? Do you know what He has accomplished in over 50 years. HE IS NOT A FLY BY NIGHT PITCH BY DAY PREACHER. He is anointed to preach and teach the gospel. What he has and how he has attained it is none of the media’s business. The church is debt free and thriving. They have been trying for years to build a story about this man and his family and has failed and will continue to fail. We know the word, we open our Bible daily. If you make the mistake of calling this trash of a column reporting you are sadly mistaken. IT IS A LAWSUIT IN THE MAKING. We the church has had enough of media untruth and Christian bashing. We know the truth and we know our pastor you don’t. We are not in denial. We see the great works God has done through him and will continue to do. I will warn all TRUE BELIEVERS NOT TO JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON BUT GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE. WE ARE. IT IS DEFINITELY THE LAST DAYS. JUST READ THE GARBAGE IN THE PAPERS.
THE STAR IS OBVIOUSLY A RACIST PUBLICATION, I HEARD THE CANADIAN PRESS ARE A BUNCH OF EXTREME LEFTYS. IM CONVINCED NOW. YOU HAVE TO BE BLACK TO FEEL THE FULL GRAVITY OF THIS SITUATION. IN NEW YORK, THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE HAS A WHITE PREACHER, AND WOW, WHAT A CHURCH.
Toronto Star letters here.
The Toronto Star - Houses of the Holy
The Toronto Star - Pastor preaches virtue of wealth, prosperity
The Toronto Star - pictures of properties
The Jerusalem Post - December 2005 (full text at Barnabus Press)
The Canadian site lists the former Bradenton Church of God (now Zion Worship Center) as a PCOG affiliate. PCOG can mean Pentecostal Church of God, or Philadelphia Church of God. Zion Worship Center was not listed at either site that I could find. The Prayer Palace (Canada) also runs a private school that uses the Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) School of Learning Foundation.
Update: 11/03/07: More at Canadian Christianity. Paul Melnichuk, his wife and sons as well as Prayer Palace employees are refusing interviews. Paul Melnichuck is expected to make a statement to his congregation today.
Published 1 year, 10 months ago
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It is a moral disgrace.
The church is a big plantation. It has always reminded me of the Jim Jones Cult. The Melnichuk family ripped my family to shreds, robbed us of thousands and treated me so horribly. In front of my fathers’ coffin Tim and Tom interrogated me because I got away. Tom humiliated me in the funeral home and made a huge scene of grilling me for what seemed like eternity in front of everyone to make me an example. All this right in front of my fathers’ coffin.
They treat their congregation like slaves. A white family on the stage and a congregation of working poor blacks and South Asians. Many of them are widows and single mothers. The IRS and Revenue Cda should audit/investigate their underhanded dealings. This clandestine acitvity should be illegal. They are fake and worse, snobs. There is a place in hell for people that lie, cheat, steal and belittle the poor in the name of Christ. They are so cocky about it too. Tom should have laid the church budget out or at least addressed the article instead, he turned the service into a prosperity seminar and bragged about being called Donald Trump. They know they will get away with it so they feel no form of accountability to their congregation. What is worse, their poor parishoners feel they deserve the wealth and defend them. I wish their eyes would open to the truth. I pray they are exposed for the crooks that they are like Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’
-Rev Martin Luther King Jr
I’m sorry Mary. I’m glad you got out, and I’m sorry to read you were so disgustingly verbally abused at such a vulnerable time in your life.
It is a kind of cult, good on you for seeing it for what it is.
I’ve read a few other stories similar to yours since this story broke.
I think The Star and the Florida paper focusing on poor accounting practises and financial mismangement may provide an opening for investigators, if not in Canada, then in the US.
Go under the mercy.
There are pleanty of rich evangelists. Some have prospered due to their own efforts such as selling books, investing properly, buying selling real estate…etc. They all have the right to profit just like any one of us. Some examples would be Joel Osteen, Pat Roberson…(they both receive no salaries) What Melnichuck and his sons have done is beyond beyond. They will have to answer to God one day. God will still bless those who have given as their hearts were in the right place.BUT we must be planting our seeds in GOOD soil.
Now that the word is out…..the congregation can make a call. They still may be deluded in thinking that “God is blessing their pastors”
whilst the congregation struggles day to day ekeing out a living.
This again is their choice. The Globe and Mail did an expose years ago about the old location at Jane and 401. Dig that article up.
Yes these are end times….and these guys are wolves.
Thanks for the information Rayz, The Globe and Mail online archives only go back to 2000, which means someone with access to archives is going to have to do some grunt work.
I believe that it’s a short coming of the leader and the church members were not allowed to talk to Pastor at all. The staff NEVER allow a non popular tithe paying church to have appointment confirmed to meet the church leader.
There has never been a day in the past 6 years that the church ever have general meeting with the tithe paying members. Not one day.
Cell Pastors of group leaders cannont represent the entire church.
It’s a ONE-MAN-SHOW.
A teaching staff that did not have resident permit was used at the school. She was paid $500 a month and her rent was more around $450.
When she was demanding more pay at the same time was getting married… got fired for no reason.
This looks like a pay back time for the leaders and the fool fool blacks in the church and Board level.
Think again, we need to keep praying for one another. People out there should see that this is not the way things are in other churches. At the same time no one is perfect.
WASTE: It’s been proven that the Star was right saying that church leaders at Prayer palace only spend people money as they like.
Hiring professional PR and Accounting firm is a proof.
It’s a pity this is happening
Jay
Jay, are you speaking from inside knowledge?
Are you saying standard GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practises) weren’t followed?
The account executive at Strategic Communications Solutions has his work cut out for him. I see he is on the job, but the PR’s are really vaccous.
Who is paying for the PR firm and the accounting firm?
Is The Prayer Palace lawyer threat to sue The Star valid?
Who is paying his fees?
It’s going to take time for the accounting firm to follow the paper trail; meantime people are hurt, and the information they need to come to terms with - how things have been and how they need to be - won’t reach them.
While it would be easy to make this a racial issue, being preyed on isn’t a nationality issue. “This looks like a pay back time for the leaders and the fool fool blacks in the church and Board level.” There are multi national churches across Canada that don’t fall into this trap.
Shocking “revelations” certainly. I am sick to my core about this!!!
I hope the Prayer Palace has not successfully “muzzled” The Toronto Star. I noticed there have not been anymore articles even though there are other allegations, almost as bad as the financial ones but far more damaging for all pastors.
I hope so too.
It’s unlikely.
(but not impossible if the lawsuit threat was carried out)
The series was well laid out, the reporters did their job, they move on and others hopefully do thier job.
That includes the congregation learning what their responsibilities are and the board governing appropriately.
Investigative pieces ask questions and reporters move on to the next story.
There is always a next story.
Gossip also plays a part as congregants come to terms with information opening up, if there is meat to further allegations, complainants with legitimate concerns need the opportunity and courage to file with skilled professionals.
Financial audits take time, and waiting is so stressful.
Many denominations have trained experienced ministers and counsellors that would be brought in to help the congregation with crisis management.
Independent churches are less unlikely to seek competent outside help for their congregation.
Crisis teams were recently used at Asbury Seminary in the US and to a lesser degree at New Life Church in Colorado.
The PR firm hired by the church is churning out press releases, addressing the allegations raised by the two newspapers, there really isn’t much substance. The firm is paid to put a positive spin on what they are told. The company accountant executive doesn’t appear to have much information to ‘manage’ this early on.:^)
No media outlet has touched the press releases, why would they?
Media is not out to ‘get’ The Prayer Palace, traditional and in house media (religious) don’t need the headache of defensive threats The Star and The Bradenton Herald were met with.
There may be a ‘wrap’ story down the road.
The Prayer Palace board has all the room it needs to work with the people they’ve hired.
This one today addresses a line in the 2005 Rev Can filing that was mentioned in The Star.
This press release really isn’t saying much. (and can’t)
The accounting firm can verify the information through the board, church management and through individual recipients if necessary and through Red Cross receipts.
Churches in Canada are designated none-profit and paranoia aside, government (Revenue Canada) is reluctant to poke their nose in, unless there is clear evidence of intentional wrongdoing, the majority of churches self-govern well.
Hi,
This is bothering me that a Pastor of the word of God is monopolizing on the Word of God and getting away with it. What is the difference between Pastor Melnichuk and his family and the Executive of a company who is standing trial for taking money out of his company illegally and a poor man who is stealing to make a liivng? They would go to jail for their actions. Everyone is just turning a blind eye and supporting and not questioning. What is the difference between them and the Pastor? I make an honest living and the government can audit me anytime they want but yet Pastor can continue and not get audited. I think the Government should change that law and audit the non-profit organizations too since they are not accountable to anyone and can do whatever they want and make millions of dollars and keep it instead of helping poor people. There are tons of people sleeping on the street but I guess if the government is not doing anything for them, Pastor and other churches don’t have to do it either. As for the congregation, they have to be blind and stupid. I remember once another Pastor made a comment that Pastor Melnichuk was like God coming in. Are all these people brainwashed? Imagine some people are struggling to pay a mortgage of $200,000 and his sons own houses tax free worth $5.5 million. Wow! We must be really losing it, only in Canada, this should be the United States! This reminds me of Tarzan and Jane, when the plane crashed and Tarzan became King of the Apes, like the Apes and people bowing to the white man, this is what is happening. Woooooo! I remember one time trying to talk to Pastor Melnichuk and feeling suppressed like I could not talk to him. Seems like this is a business not a church, and I am referring to other churches as well, not just Prayer Palace. I hope the government looks into this and not let them continue or I can just imagine what is going to happen! Maybe I should open a church too and stop working! I might become richer faster, forget about going to heaven and worshipping Jesus, the Son of God, who is God! Because when I die at least I was rich on earth and happy worshipping money and Jesus would not have to say give up your riches and follow me since I already enjoyed my life anyway! I think the world really does not believe that Jesus is real and using his name to make money.
Ron L. Hubbard, the founder of Scientology reportedly said:
“If you want to make money, start a religion.”
A book recently came out examing the financial management of the Southern Baptist Convention.
It’s called: Spending God’s Money by Mary Kinney Branson. She saw it all from the inside.
It’s about abuse, fraud, mismanagement, expectations, Christian institutions being so big they become unaccountable.
“It all boils down to a simple formula: The extent of misuse is directly proportionate to the distance between the giver and the spender.”