Another Surprise befalls ONAC
Just over a year ago back in the month of Febuary of 2016, during a round-table meeting between now former church attorney Matthew Pappas, Sachem Joy Graves of ONAC Kautantowit's Mecautea (ONAC KM), and president of "ONAC Valley of the Moon" Scott Bates in which they were instructed to work on the structure coordination of the whole of Oklevueha Native American Church by the mother churches Elder Council, first official assignment for Graves since being declared "Emissary" for the whole of Oklevueha, a suggestion was thrown out by what seemed a loyal ONAC member which seems to have now been established not only without ONAC but consisting of known ONAC adversaries.
According to Graves back during this time, Pappas was the first to vanish when it came time to focus on the assigned task which she felt dampened the overall progress of the 3 day weekend that the mother church was paying for to get done. "Matt would pop up for about 10-15 minutes tops out of the first two days, and ultimately ditched out on both Scott Bates and myself the third day all together without even telling us- the hotel are the ones who told us he had completely checked out and left because they wanted us out of their room that was no longer paid for." Graves says that both she and Bates tried reaching Pappas but that it was to no avail, "We got a hold of his "assistant" Lisa Cargile who was extremely apologetic for Matt's lack of professionalism but he wouldn't even answer his phone to us much-less face us." Graves says it was Carglile who ultimately arranged Graves way back to her church up in the Pacific Northwest and that Pappas has yet to apologize for himself.
According to Bates, James had advised that he and Graves should mutually agree on 10 additional ONAC cannabis practicing spiritual leaders to also head the council, making a grand total of 12 seats. The pair agree that mutual long time and highly respected friend Dr. William Courtney who was also an ONAC spiritual leader and obvious medicine man within the church since 2013 would be an essential invaluable asset establishing such a council. The pair report quickly agreeing upon roger & Share Christie also being offered a seat upon the council as well as a few others, but it's from here where Graves says she believed Pappas became turned off to the purpose of the agenda.
"Scott Bates began focusing on ONAC purchasing multiple parcels of land throughout Humboldt county for hundreds of thousands of dollars each, insisting it was the only priority for ONAC regarding making a firm stand as cannabis practitioning churches." Graves says this is when Pappas began rolling his eyes and out-right disrespectfully disregarding anything Bates had to say or tried to show them (meaning properties currently for sale he believed to be ideal for church purchase) and quickly excused himself from the round-table for the day. Graves heard Bates out and says that though there is valuable wisdom to be had in Bates proposal, that ultimately she believed that ONAC needed to remain focused on growing into a position such as what Scott was proposing as far as the land and establishing wellness centers and rehabilitation options and such like that, especially given that ONAC lacked funding for the defense of the filed cases.
One of the big issues within ONAC as of that time was that the church was Lacking funds necessary to even properly prepare and represent legal cases that were currently pending in various courts including one from both Graves church in the Pacific Northwest and Bates own church in neighboring Sonoma County California. Graves continued to listen to and consider Bates proposal for the Circle of Cannabis Churches which she describes as being more "canna-business than spiritual rights and freedoms."
Both Graves and Bates continued round-tabling throughout the weekend as instructed by the mother church while Pappas was off spending his weekend with "cannabis girls" Heidi Grossman and Jacqueline McGowan. According to Pappas he was invited to attend a local cannabis event which initially he said he thought would be good for him to get a "first-hand understanding about canna-business." Later Pappas would admit that he didn't attend the event at all, but instead "hung out with the girls at their apartment" he said with a "dirty-boy grin and motioning eyebrows to match his grin."
Picture 2/27/2016 at and by Jacqueline McGowan in her apartment with Matthew Pappas & Heidi Grossman (now Lepp) while Pappas was being paid by ONAC to be working on ONAC issues with Graves & Bates (not included).
Graves said that Bates grew frustrated with her during the final meeting between the three which was on day 2 of 3 when bates Bates concluded he had the perfect quick and easy way to re-vamp the whole of ONAC which was to "Convert them all into Rastafarian churches," an idea Bates found himself standing alone in. According to Graves, Bates has proposed working on a project that he believed would best benefit the whole of cannabis practicing ONAC churches which he called "The circle of Cannabis Churches" which Bates explained would be "The easiest way to implement and regulate cannabis into ONAC."
According to Graves, who was assigned such implementation coordination options into ONAC encompassing cannabis sacrament says that she, James and the elder Council were all interested in seeing something from the weekends expense to the church pan out, and was concerned that and that Bates was then pointed and told to work with Graves on accomplishing it and too, to place Graves as among the heads of such a circle council.
It wouldn't be long after that it would come out that Pappas was victimizing Oklevueha from within and would be officially terminated from the position of being ONAC's attorney of record, and as time would pass by and Bates "Sonoma County case" would fizzle, apparently so would any loyalty or honor he had to ONAC or to James Mooney who had not only accepted him into ONAC as a member, but actually entrusted him with the blessing of an independent branch of Oklevueha Native American Church named "ONAC Valley of the Moon". aka, "The Kenwood Case."
As you will see in the article attached in the link immediately below, ONAC and Mooney were doing all they could to support and protect bates and his church against the county and state of california attacks upon them, but unfortunately it was not only to no avail, but ended up being a black eye upon the whole of ONAC, which we thought would be the worst of what could come of it, "but apparently we were wrong" say church leaders. Here is the link for your convenience:
Before Bates would exit stage left, he would first take out a substantial cash loan from another ONAC spiritual leader promising sacrament in return within a few short weeks, not telling them that the sacrament coming to harvest wasn't his to be promising away to another... and then he jettisoned off without a word or an utter to any, and hasn't been heard of again... until Now. "Several ONAC spiritual leaders have tried reaching out to Scott several times" according to ONAC members, "In fact he had made plans to meet with a few on different occasions but those he were to meet report him as a no-show and say that contact attempts since then remain un-answered. "I guess now we know why" say spiritual leaders.
According to a public post from Matt Pappas on July 16th, "If we can get more people into the cannabis churches, it will make a huge difference in so many lives. Our Circle of Cannabis Churches associate establishments provide cannabis as healing sacrament for people around the country. It is time we successfully move the Circle forward so that millions of Americans can see that cannabis is a plant provided by our maker for healing and to get people on a higher path." According to the new church itself, "The Circle of Cannabis Churches is an all faith Coalition of Sacramental Cannabis Ministries. Unified by the ministry of the Holy Order of Servants"
The reason for a bit of a stingy upset by the resurface of Bates and his cannabis churches is in the source found promoting the formation... none other than former ONAC attorney Matthew Pappas, the very same attorney who intentionally not only did Not remove himself from Bates and other ONAC cases file with various courts with his name as being the legal representation as required to do by law, but back during the time according to Bates himself Pappas appeared to have actually tried intentionally sabotaging the Sonoma County case which ultimately in the end proved thus far un-salvageable. It has yet to be determined whether ONA Sugarleaf is officially part of the "Circle of Cannabis Churches" or not, but surely in time will tell one way or another, unless it's decided to be kept a secret between the wolves hovering around ONAC seeking they're next meal.
"Since May 5th 2017 when President elect Donald Trump announced that the US Federal government would no longer intentionally infringe upon the rights of any church, cannabis and even hashish claimed "Churches" have literally been popping up across the nation almost overnight which is causing a growing concern within and for ONAC which sooner or later is going to provoke the government into action against it, our job is to make sure that ONAC members are not infringed upon as that happens, and ridding any and all wolves will be a productive first step in securing that."
While ONAC leaders continued forward with damage control from both the loss of the case as well as the immense damage Pappas had caused to ONAC internally, it appears Bates and Pappas have come together and have since formulated the "Circle of Cannabis Churches." Pappas continues to operate ONAC churches of his own he illigitametely created prior to being fired from ONAC for making and selling fake churches back in 2016 throughout the state of California. ONAC Elder Council continue battling to get Pappas's un-blessed churches either shut down or at Least to where they're no longer reflecting them as being affiliated with Oklevueha, but thus far the only written response received by Pappas continues to spew nothing more than slanderous foul language and threats at ONAC "If you mess with my people."
Sources from outside ONAC have confirmed it was by the hand and instruction of Pappas that Heidi Grossman Lepp got her focus upon ONAC while former close associates of Pappas assure he has been involved in the creation of legal filings put forth to various courts by Lepp and ONA Sugarleaf including the biggest talked about which includes the suing of the California cannabis community and specifically upon two former friends of Lepp's whom she's deemed "A threat to my livelihood" according to court prepared documents Lepp publicly displays as being filed on she and her churches behalf.
So as the crack of division grows upon the ice that foundations Oklevueha Native American Church, know and remain confident in that an internal investigation continues on and there is sure to come a formal announcement and a final desicions by the mother church at any given time, so stay tuned for that and what is yet to come of this as well as other pertinent ONAC encompassing news and information. Thank you again for your continued interest and support, may you all be blessed for the good medicine you do.
