Secretive religious group offers Congressmen cheap rent in D.C. (People & Events).

Finding a nice place to live in the desirable neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., can be tricky, but six members of Congress have stumbled upon a bargain: They reside in a $1.1-million townhouse on Capitol Hill and pay only $600 per month apiece--all thanks to a secretive religious group.

The six members live just blocks from the U.S. Capitol in a three-story house that is owned by an evangelical group called "The Fellowship." The group seeks to help political leaders find ways to integrate their faith into their public lives. Six federal lawmakers currently reside in the house: Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), Rep. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Sen. John Ensign (R-Ney.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.).

The Fellowship was profiled recently in Harper's magazine and by the Associated Press. In the AP interview, Richard Carver, who serves on The Fellowship's board of directors, implied that the group, which runs the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, wants to affect public policy by influencing politicians.

"Our goal is singular, and that is to hope that we can assist them in better understandings of the teachings of Christ and applying it to their jobs," Carver said.

The members of Congress dine together and meet regularly for Bible study. Carver denied, however, that The Fellowship seeks any type of special access with the lawmakers.

"We have no issue in legislation before the Congress, and nor would we," he said. "And the idea that we would have any quid pro quo is really impossible because there's no quid that we're asking for."

"What concerns people is when you mix religion, political power and secrecy," said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn told the AP. "Members of official Washington should always be open and direct about the groups they choose to join, just to dispel any concerns that there's an inappropriate or unconscious agenda in ...