Agora Temple Just the Beginning of a Cannabis Church Strategy by Serial Entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III
Veteran entrepreneur Peter J. Burns III has spent a lifetime using counterintuitive thinking as a means to creating business success. Case in point: A recent, major collaboration with Agora Temple, a religious institution that provides cannabis as a sacrament to parishioners.
In and of itself, the cannabis church niche is outside the box. Putting money and energy into the venture during the COVID-19 crisis is next-level counterintuitive strategy.
But wait: There’s even more to come — despite the current existence of an economy brought to its knees by the coronavirus crisis. Expansion is on the horizon, as well as other exciting new facets that will be announced very soon.
“I thrive in chaos,” says Peter J. Burns III, who has spent the last 40-plus years creating more than 150 business partnerships. “And I believe that smart money is made and fortunes are amassed when everyone else is running for the hills or acting like Chicken Little doing the ‘Sky is Falling’ routine.”
The Business Upside of Doing Good
In California, there are dozens of independently owned cannabis churches. Peter J. Burns III’s goal is to create hundreds of these places of worship and reflection, in California and nationwide.
“This fits into my philosophy as an entrepreneur of doing well by doing good,” Burns says. “We are spreading peace, love, and a sense of togetherness by promoting the spiritual use of cannabis as sacrament.”
The beauty of a cannabis church services is that topics anyone can relate to are explored, including love, self-awareness and empathy. Everyone’s opinion and perspectives are respected, and no one is told what to believe. The idea is that everyone participating is given the opportunity to learn more about themselves by learning more about the experiences and contexts of others.
Agora Temple is funded through donations, or tithing. Some of these donations are presented in furtherance of charities. Other gifts are made in exchange for sacramental cannabis.
Agora accepts responsibility for being a spiritual oasis. It has embraced charity work and adheres to the regulations of being constructed as a non-profit, or 501(c)(3). These principles are critical to a long-term future, as well as an ability to ease pain and suffering for all Americans.
Inside Agora Temple
Agora Temple is a 501(C)(3) charitable organization based in the Melrose section of Los Angeles.
“Ite will be the model for other places of worship as we expand,” Peter J. Burns III says. “We not only have an exemplary leadership team at the existing location, but we also have the right people in place for expansion, especially from an operational, legal and regulatory standpoint.”
Peter J. Burns III will have a seat on the Agora Temple board of directors. His decision to move on this now was bolstered by a plethora of legal decisions in the state that recognize that freedom of religion is protected by the First Amendment, which prohibits laws impeding the free exercise of religion among U.S. citizens.
The model is also supported by the fact that there’s a long, rich history of cannabis and religion dating back 7,000 years. And, that the Catholic Church has long used wine as a sacrament, even selling wine that has been “ordained” to its membership.
“The underlying mission of promoting spiritual growth by using cannabis as a sacrament must be ingrained in the Temple’s philosophy as well as its practice,” Burns says. “There are many existing religious institutions in California that have mishandled this. We are prepared to help them, as well as to establish new Temples.”
There are opportunities for like-minded, bold investors to participate in this worthwhile cause — while the rest of the world tries to figure out where the economy will land. For more information, reach out to Peter J. Burns III at: peterjburns3@gmail.com.
Peter J. Burns III
