Reply #27: Ivanwald and The Cedars...little known to the public.

[madfloridian]

Jesus Plus Nothing

"Ivanwald, which sits at the end of Twenty-fourth Street North in Arlington, Virginia, is known only to its residents and to the members and friends of the organization that sponsors it, a group of believers who refer to themselves as “the Family.” The Family is, in its own words, an “invisible” association, though its membership has always consisted mostly of public men. Senators Don Nickles (R., Okla.), Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), Pete Domenici (R., N.Mex.), John Ensign (R., Nev.), James Inhofe (R., Okla.), Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), and Conrad Burns (R., Mont.) are referred to as “members,” as are Representatives Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), Frank Wolf (R., Va.), Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.), Zach Wamp (R., Tenn.), and Bart Stupak (D., Mich.).

Regular prayer groups have met in the Pentagon and at the Department of Defense, and the Family has traditionally fostered strong ties with businessmen in the oil and aerospace industries. The Family maintains a closely guarded database of its associates, but it issues no cards, collects no official dues. Members are asked not to speak about the group or its activities."

The Cedars

There is a house just outside Washington D. C. called the Cedars; it is located across the Potomac River from Georgetown on 24th Street North in Arlington, and it is emblematic of everything that is WRONG with American Christianity. The mansion is named for the cedar trees that surround it. It is owned by a secretive organization called the International Christian Leadership Council (ICL), known today as the Fellowship Foundation. Lisa Getter of the Los Angeles Times reports that -

"... the mansion has been a private hideaway for world leaders, members of Congress, (etc.) ... Located on a quiet residential street, the $4.4-million estate called CEDARS sits at the highest point of the Potomac River, with spectacular views of Washington beyond the pool and tennis courts. It is owned by the Fellowship, a nonpartisan Christian group that sponsors the NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST."

Ivanwald is another Foundation mansion near the Cedars.

Lisa Getter went through the Fellowship archives at the Billy Graham Center. More on her article later. I think they are only accessible when 25 years old.