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The House of Prayer Christian Church is a religious organization based in the U.S. state of Georgia.

COASTAL COURIER (done).

THE FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER (done).

ARMY TIMES.

MILITARY.COM (done).

THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE.

WTOC-TV (done).

THE NEWS TRIBUNE.

THE CHRISTIAN POST.

Establishment
The House of Prayer Christian Church (HOPCC) was established in 2004 by Rony Denis, whose work in Christian ministry may date to at least 1989. Denis had previously served as a minister at another Christian church, the New Testament Church of Christ, which had church locations nationwide, including in Hinesville, Georgia, and Graham, Washington. In 2003, Denis convinced 15 other ministers from New Testament to leave that church and join him in a new organization, which was officially established the following year. Denis founded the organization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but soon relocated HOPCC's headquarters to Hinesville, where he had previously ministered with New Testament. According to reporting from the Savannah Morning News, HOPCC registered with the Georgia Secretary of State on May 18, 2004, and is officially owned by a "foreign nonprofit group" known as House of Prayer Christian Churches of America, Inc., which is a 501(c)(3) organization. Following HOPCC's establishment, several people who had been congregants of Denis's at New Testament followed him to his new organization. Regarding the theology of the HOPCC, one member in 2017 stated that the church was Pentecostal, further saying, "We are what the Assemblies of God, Church of God and Methodists were 100 years ago".

By 2022, HOPCC operated 12 local churches across the country, as well as several seminaries. Of these churches, 11 were located near American military installations, including one in Killeen, Texas, located 4 mi from Fort Hood, one in Tacoma, Washington, near Joint Base Lewis–McChord, and another in the Augusta metropolitan area near Fort Gordon. The organization's principal church and headquarters in Hinesville was located less than 8 mi from Fort Stewart in Liberty County. On average, the typical membership at each of these churches was between 50 to 100 people, but the attendance would often double during sermons held by Denis, who several former members of the organization have described as a charismatic preacher.

Accusations of wrongdoing by former members
Since at least the 2010s, several former members of the church have criticized the organization for alleged wrongdoings, with some calling House of Prayer a cult. According to reporting from the Hinesville-based Coastal Courier newspaper, several former members have alleged that child abuse has occurred within the organization, and some former members have accused Denis of committing fraud and manipulating church members. According to the Coastal Courier, one former member who had followed Denis from New Testament to House of Prayer have claimed that he became "money hungry" at the new church. Former members have also alleged that Denis referred to himself as a deity and barred the church members' access to the Internet and certain electronic devices, such as cell phones. Additionally, according to some former members, Denis had control over who the church members' date and marry and claimed to have the ability to perform divorces, which one former member said he did to her marriage after she refused to give testimony. According to Arlen Bradeen, a former member and pastor with House of Prayer, Denis had initially agreed to allow local churches a large degree of autonomy, but employed a conference call system to directly communicate and preach to all churches, saying, "Someone could be preaching or singing a song and when the Polycom rang, you heard it through the PA system, and everybody had to sit and listen to Denis".

Allegations of targeting military personnel
- Former member said the church targeted military members because of their steady income, propensity for obeying orders, and isolation from friends and families while on military bases.

- FURTHER INFO ON TARGETING SOLDIERS.

- One soldier at Fort Stewart around 2022 said there was a meeting at his barracks that went over a church that was targeting soldiers.

- 2022: Representative from Fort Gordon spoke about the church, saying that they were aware that the organization was attempting to convert soldiers.

- Claims of sneaking onto Fort Hood barracks and threatening soldiers reported by The Augusta Chronicle.

- The individual churches don't outright state their relationship, but the relationship was proven by reporters investigating business registrations.

- Organization targeting military members, per The Augusta Chronicle.

- Accused by former members of manipulation.

- Former members allege that church leaders asked for their income and required 10 percent tithes on everything.

- Military members were required to give the church their reenlistment bonus, with one former member also claiming to have given the church their $400,000 military life insurance plan.

- "Soul-winning": A form of proselytizing to attract new members, primarily military members.

Hinesville protests
Between May 19 and 21, 2017, a group of about 20 or 30 former members of the church held a protest outside of the Hinesville location where they alleged that the organization was actually a cult that had engaged in wrongdoing, accusing House of Prayer of manipulating its members and abuse. According to a 2017 article in the Hinesville-based Coastal Courier newspaper, the protests were probably planned to coincide with a nationwide gathering of church members from the other branches. During the protests, one former member said with a megaphone that Denis is a "false prophet".

Name changes in 2017
- Around this time, church in Hinesville was also called Place of Help Prayer House, UNSURE WHEN NAME WAS CHANGED. - ALSO KNOWN AS "A PLACE OF PRAYER".

- "Place of Help Prayer Force".

- Former member said the name changes were a way to obscure the activities of the church.

2017 "town hall"
- June 21, 2017: "Town hall" meeting organized by activist for former church members, interrupted by current church members.

- Confrontation "nearly led to fistfights", per Coastal Courier.

- Current members brought earpieces and cell phones, info on why that is important.

- Former pastor of House of Prayer, now living in North Carolina, traveled to Hinesville to speak and accused Denis of being a fraud.

- This former pastor also created a website to serve as a forum for former members.

- ACCUSATIONS LEVELED BY FORMER PASTOR.

- Allegations directed at Denis regarding child abuse, info on that and a previous DFCS incident.

- Scuffle involving shoving occurred in the parking lot following the town hall.

Accusations of real estate wrongdoings
- 2017 Article in the Coastal Courier claimed that former members accused Denis of real estate wrongdoings, INFO ON THAT.

- Per the article, Denis's real estate wrongdoings date back to 2004 or 2005 and have affected many former members.

- Former member said that the company behind these real estate dealings had been blacklisted in Fort Lewis.

- MORE INFO ON REAL ESTATE WRONGDOINGS.

- 2022: Fort Stewart listed the church-affiliated real estate company in its off-limits list.

- List of the real estate company and its subsidiaries.

2020 Veterans Education Success letter
- August 2020: Veterans Education Success, a veterans' advocacy group, requested that the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Georgia equivalent look into potential abuses of the GI Bill by the church.

- VES sent the letter after interviewing 14 former members and one current member.

- One interviewee said they were recruited by an Army sergeant at Fort Stewart.

- Claims from other interviewees made in the letter.

- Claims of intimidation against members seeking to leave.

- Points made in the VES letter.

- VES alleged that the group operated like a cult.

- VES alleged that the church encouraged military members to spend their GI Bill money on their own seminaries, which often had changing rules for graduation.

- STATEMENT ABOUT CLASSES.

- Rates for classes increased for military members.

- No student ever received a completion letter or certificate.

- VES said that the organization sought money from GI Bill, VA Disability Loans, and VA Home Loans.

- Military members were requested to seek out disability assistance for nonexistent ailments, per letter.

- VES estimated that $7 million of taxpayer funding was lost by the church, including $3.5 million directly to their seminaries.

- VES claimed $7 million had gone to the church.

- 2018: Church received roughly $700,000 in GI Bill money.

- In 2017, a former member accused the church of kicking her out after she questioned the church's Bible seminaries.

-- HOME SCHOOLING CURRICULUM IN 2017, BJU PRESS, MENTIONS BRADWELL.

-- 2017: THE HINESVILLE CHURCH'S SCHOOL WAS NOT ACCREDITED.

- 2020: Tacoma Bible school received $150,000 in GI Bill money.

- According to VES, one student attended classes for 12 years, never graduated, and completely drained their GI Bill amount.

- Seminaries, designed to train pastors, accepted women, even though women were not allowed to become pastors.

- SPECIFIC QUOTES FROM THE LETTER.

- Alleged that much of the money that goes to the church goes directly to Denis.

2022 FBI raids
- June 23, 2022: FBI raided church locations in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington.

- Multiple churches in several states affected.

- LIST OF ALL FIVE LOCATIONS AFFECTED.

- Assembly of Prayer Christian Church on Massey Street in Killeen, Texas, was also raided.

- Killeen Police Department aided the FBI with traffic.

- Raids were conducted with cooperation from local law enforcement agencies.

- All of the churches were connected to the House of Prayer Christian Church.

- All of the churches were located near military bases.

- Raid affected one church in Hinesville and one in the Augusta area.

- Augusta area church was an Assembly of Prayer located on Old Tobacco Road in Hephzibah, in Richmond County.

- ADDRESS FOR THE HEPHZIBAH LOCATION, which records showed was owned by House of Prayer Christian Church.

- That raid saw the assistance of the Richmond County Sheriff's Department.

- FBI was executing a search warrant.

- Court-authorized search warrant.

- FBI raided the Hinesville church location.

- FBI gave no reason for the raids and noted that no arrests were made.

- Following raid, spokesperson for Fort Stewart put out message saying that the church may be added to list of businesses soldiers should be wary of.

- As of November 2022, no arrests had been made.

- November 2022: State regulatory agencies in several states had barred Bible schools associated with HOPCC from receiving GI Bill funding.

- November 2022: FBI still had not disclosed the reason for the raids.

- 2022: Church leader Denis reportedly lived in Augusta, Georgia.

- 2022: Denis owned three mansions, two in Georgia and one in Florida, and at least two Rolls Royces, per the Coastal Courier.