I don't know why, but people seem to have some strange interest in the church Mel Gibson built in Malibu and they think I have some kind of privileged information regarding it.  I DON'T FOLKS, so stop asking.  But, be that as it may, I had an article passed along to me not too long ago which, supposedly, was on FoxNews.  So, in the hopes of short-circuiting any more inquiries to me, here's the gist of that article.  I hope this answers the majority of the questions anyone might have.

~Bill

Mel Gibson’s Church

Excerpted from an article by Roger Friedman from FoxNews.com. February 13, 2006

Mel Gibson has built a 17-acre religious compound in Agoura Hills, California.  He has called it Holy Family Catholic Church, but, the mainline Catholic Church and local diocese says Gibson’s church is not affiliated with the Catholic Church.

The church is a 9,000 square foot structure done in Spanish style architecture.  There is a collection of buildings on the site and the sect has about 70 members.

The AP Reilly Foundation was created on October 29, 1999 for the sole purpose of building and funding the church.  Gibson named the foundation for his late mother.  As of 2005, it has spent $115,000 on architect’s fees, $171,000 on landscaping, $121,000 for engineering consultant and $50,000 on legal fees.

The tax filing (2005) indicates that the Foundation now claims total net assets of $14 million.  That includes a previous balance of $9 million and the $5 million Gibson moved there during 2005.  All the money from the Foundation has gone toward building the church and maintaining it.

It is said the new church is supported by something called the World Faith Foundation, which in turn is named in papers filed by another charity, James Hirsen’s Foundation for Free Expression, as an affiliated group.  Hirsen is apparently a close friend and vocal supporter of Gibson, and he is said to frequently publish editorials on conservative websites endorsing the movie star’s religious views.

Meanwhile, Holy Family’s religious leader is claimed to be associated with independent "Catholic" churches in California.  He is referred to as the Most Reverend Tourkom Saraydarian, who lists his own religious affiliation as the Aquarian Education Group.  It’s not clear what if any association Saraydarian may have had with a religious philosopher of the same name who died in 1997.

The church is high on a hill at 30188 W. Mulholland Highway, between Sierra Creek and Kanan roads in Agoura Hills, California, next to Malibu.  This is rural country, full of scrub brush, a good place to hide a project you don’t want the public to see.

What you can’t see from the church, though, is that Holy Family’s neighbors are two biker bars that each serve tasty, popular barbeque.

About a quarter mile up Mulholland is Ed and Vern’s Rock Store, a local hangout with an outdoor patio.  Lined up along the road in front Ed and Vern’s, when I pulled up, were dozens of shiny silver motorcycles that belonged either to actual bikers or Prada-clad weekend Hell's Angels.

It wasn’t long before a familiar but unexpected face appeared on the patio – former TV star Robert Blake, recently found not guilty of murdering his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakely.  He was dressed neatly in an oatmeal-colored sweater and khakis, and looked fit.  Blake, who lives nearby, spoke to the owner of the bar for a few minutes before leaving.  Blake’s exit coincided with the arrival of former "Cheers" star Woody Harrelson, who sported a large straw hat and carried a mini Chihuahua.  The dog was smart enough not to leave its chair while Woody got drinks out of the cooler.  Eventually Woody was met by a comely young woman who scooped up the dog and Woody and they all left together.

Andy, the proprietor of Ed and Vern’s, told me that it wasn’t unusual for celebrities to come and go at what looks like a Hell’s Angels picnic idyll.  He said Jay Leno is a regular customer, and the governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, stops in all the time.  This corner of Agoura Hills is one busy place.

And what of Gibson?  "He’s building a Taj Mahal up there," Andy said of his neighbor.  Alas, such a palace, according to the tax filing, generated only $21,000 in property taxes last year.

Gibson, meanwhile, who’s been photographed recently festooned in a long gray and white beard (Feb. 2006).