THE HOUSE OF PRAYER EXPOSE (HOPCC): PART1
Our organization, Families Against Cult Teachings, Inc. (FACT), received numerous complaints and signed affidavits about ‘House of Prayer Christian Church’ (HOPCC), a.k.a The Place of Help, located at 2540 Airport Rd, Hinesville, GA, 31313, headed by pastor Rony Denis. This report details our analysis of the complaints in an effort to educate and warn others about what appears to be, in our opinion, a destructive cultic church that is destroying lives and families, based on the highly documented allegations. Though the church claims to be non-denominational, ex-members of the church state that it is actually a Pentecostal and apocalyptic (end-of-times) church in belief and practice.
Note: Our intention at FACT is never to libel or damage anyone’s reputation. The purpose of our work is to educate the public and also for HOPCC leadership to understand the severity of the allegations against them. Moreover, please know that all statements made in this expose are according to our opinion at FACT, based upon signed affidavits, complaints and evidence we received from alleged victims of HOPCC, family members of those involved, etc. and through our analysis of this information according to the B.I.T.E. model (developed by cult expert Steven Hassan).
EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE CLAIMS
Ex-members and families affected by the House of Prayer Christian Church contacted our organization with complaints describing various kinds of alleged exploitation and abuse in detail. The allegations state that Pastor Denis is using members of his congregation to conduct real estate fraud and coercing members who are in the military to give up their financial benefits to the church (GI and VA income).
Moreover, the complaints state that Pastor Denis is allegedly ruining many lives and breaking apart marriages and families. Unfortunately some ex-members have stated the development of serious mental health issues as a result of their experiences with this Pastor and church, such as PTSD and depression.
Some of those who filed complaints with our office had this to say about HOPCC and its leadership:
1) “This church is abusive, the main one behind all of the wickedness is Rev. Denis, like all cult leaders he surrounds himself around fall men that will defend him in his wickedness. He holds people's spouses hostage, he abuses veterans by using their benefits to pay the church. He pronounces curses of Judgment on people if they do not obey his commands to control them through fear. He prevents people from talking to their families and even moving them away if he needs to…”
2) “I have been told my story needs to be heard but i have not posted anything on here because i have so many story’s to tell, and I just haven’t wanted to relive all of the years of sexual harassment. It's just too much.”
3) “No one in the church is not allowed to do anything without his [Rony Denis’] permission. We are trying to stop this guy before he ruins more people's lives.”
4) “Leader Pastor Rony Denis, has moved children to other church locations, is separating husbands and wives and remarrying them with others.”
5) “He takes people's money through real state fraud and GI benefits.”
6) “After I finally got the courage to leave the HOPCC organization Rony Denis would go on to defame my character by calling me gay across the pulpit… Leaving messages on my phone communicating threats that God would visit me soon. After I left I have been pursued and stalked i.e. Facebook and them hiring private investigators to find out where I live, causing my family to live in fear even though we had tried to go on and live the peaceable life. We are unsure of how safe we are. The trauma that we have been through is mentally unsettling and I will never be able to live without the horrid memories and scars that will forever be etched in my family's life.”
7) “He has gotten away with everything but murder (that we know of) right in front of our faces…It’s amazing to me how people sit around this guy and hear him airing out other people’s personal business and never think he will do the same to them.”
8) “He divorces spouses if one doesn't want to go to church anymore…I was told by ministers either to let my husband go (another divorce) or "be strong" and stay and my husband would stay because of me.”
9) “I was threaten… I was thrown out my home and everything was taken, my car, etc, mainly my husband whom I love and still love and miss, family was told I was evil and of the devil. I continue to suffer greatly emotional and financially being I was a house wife and forbidden from working. The church leaders continue to shun me and destroy my name…My husband at the time lost his mind and still has never recovery and still endures this evil practices because he no longer has a wright mind. My husband sign his business and houses over to the church and 2 cars.”
10) “During my time in HOPCC Rony Denis would set out to crush me and to bring me under subjection and in his words obedience and total submission to him. There was a time that I was so devastated and weakened by his abuse.”
11) “He began to separate us [family] by telling my daughter that she needed to keep him away from me because I taught him bad things, and went as far as to insinuate that I had inappropriate relations with him. He would also spew words of hatred and venom and tell me to my face in the company of several ministers that he (Rony Denis) was my daughter’s real father not me!”
12) “Since leaving the place, I have been harassed by several ministers that Rony Denis made call my phone…”
13) “[Denis] pronounces curses of Judgment on people if they do not obey his commands to control them through fear.”
14) “The departed are living in fear and in secret locations. Now if their address are known PI's are making deliveries and harassing them.”
Raymond Yorke Jr., a long time worker of the church, from 2004-2016, had this to say about his experience with the HOPCC:
“Each year of abuse from Rony Denis, the leader of the church, became worse and worse. Rony Denis verbally abused me by telling me I was wrong for getting my wife pregnant and that I was making his job harder… Rony Denis worked to try and destroy my marriage by trying to cause division between my wife and me. He told my wife that he could have blamed me for molesting my own son, which never happened. He also said the same thing concerning her father and our son. When my wife and I left the church Rony Denis sent a fake Superior Court of Liberty County, State of Georgia court document stating that he was taking us to court which I believe is against the law. He hired a private investigator to find our new address and deliver us this fraudulent document. My family lives in mental duress because of the anguish that Rony Denis and his church has caused us. We believe Rony Denis to be a very dangerous man. Since we have left we have heard that he has pronounced death upon us. He has called my cell phone and has left harassing and disturbing messages on.”
The Costal Courier, a local newspaper in Hinesville, GA published various articles about the HOPCC, including one about a town hall meeting that took place on June 21st, 2017. As stated in this article, Raymond Yorke claims that church leaders are manipulating members of the congregation, harassing former members with scare tactics and committing fraud.
If you believe you have been harmed by the HOPCC in any way, please contact our office at:https://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/c…/contact.html
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