Tour NTCC 2 New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. Graham, WA: "Man-Made Murder"

9822 158th St. E.
Puyallup, WA
Where Cori Lewis
was murdered
(lower right unit)

Today marks the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Cori Lewis. She was murdered by a former New Testament Christian Church Lay Pastor in the building pictured here (lower right apartment). This four-plex unit, and three more like it (see picture 2 also) located on 158th St. E. in Puyallup, WA were owned by Cherlyn and Kelly Merz, a couple who moved to the region to attend the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. Bible School or Seminary.

Having a knack for acquiring real-estate, the couple remained in Washington, renting out several apartments to other NTCC Bible School or Seminary students and ministers. Though Kelly became a Lay Pastor for NTCC, both he and Cherlyn stopped attending the church. They divorced in 2004, with Cherlyn retaining the ownership of their real estate.  Meanwhile Kelly worked for a pizza place and acted as site manager of the buildings where he murdered Cori.

Picture 2:  Another
Unit owned by Merz

I knew Kelly and Cherlyn from my time in the ministry at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina from 1994-1995.  When I learned of this tragedy, I asked myself (and others who knew this couple):  "What happened?"  Many issues came to mind, all of them tied to the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. and their abusive treatment of people resulting in a profound negative impact on their lives, sometimes ending in death, as is the case here.  Let's look at some of these issues.

 Long View of site
 where Cori Lewis'
 Remains were recovered
 less than a mile from
 the NTCC compound

Racism In The New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.

Offically the party lines of the NTCC are "All are welcome." and "A Church of All Nations."

In practice, however, that is just NOT TRUE.

All are welcome IF they pay tithe and give in offerings.
And IF they keep their place below whites.
And IF they don't mingle with whites.
And IF they 'white-up' .

 Close up of the grave
 site off 86th St. E. &
 224th Ave. E. in
 Graham, WA 

What does that mean?  African Americans and others are welcome if they pay tithe and give in offerings, dress and act white, and don't wear afros or corn rows.  They also would be bombarded with Anti-African-American lingo from the pulpit where NTCC CEO mikey kekel would mock "ebonics" and "monkey music".  Also the NTCC founder and President de facto, rodger wilson davis, clearly sees African Americans as being beneath white folks; because he frequently taught the false doctrine that "If a white man marries a black woman, he has low self esteem."  WOW!  davis clearly is stating that he sees "black women" as being so far below a "white man" that he would only down-grade and marry one if he had low self esteem!  Did we mention davis came from dirt poverty, from, in his words, "a cotton mill hill" town in the South?  Draw your own conclusions; but he is white.  And he constantly used "the N word" from the pulpit and lectern and claimed "If that offends you, you need to get saved.  They that love the Lawd, nothing will offend them."  [*cough*  Yeah, right, whatever dude.]  We're guessing davis tore out those pages in the bible describing how Moses married an Ethiopian woman (a sister of color).  And yet, somehow, Moses was able to "do a work for the Lord."  *ahem* [shaking our heads in wonder at the davis false doctrines that is so deeply embedded in the NTCC]  What do people think when they read of the mighty ministry of Moses who married an Ethiopian?  Do they murmur against him and God the way Miriam and Aaron did until God judged them and ended that?  Read Numbers 12 link.

Another one of the four
 four-plex buildings run by
 Cherlyn and Kelly Merz 

davis also often taught that black-white inter-racial marriages "limit the ministry".  Consequently most ntcc ministers discouraged  members from pursuing such relationships and refused to perform wedding ceremonies for such couples and deterred them from attending the NTCC bible school, quoting davis' dogma that such unions "limit the ministry" and informing the couple that they would most likely never be sent out to pastor a church as would other couples.

This was the case with the Merz.  Their first ntcc pastor confessed that he regretted not performing their marriage ceremony, due to this davis doctrine.  Also, the couple was involved with NTCC for ten years (a long time by NTCC standards) before any of their pastors would recommend them for Bible School (a prerequisite for attendance).  We feel the only reason they were approved by davis was their ability to generate large income from real estate, paying ten percent (or more) in tithe to the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.  Perhaps it was the large tithe check that prompted davis to "allow" this couple to stay in Washington when most others who graduate the NTCS are immediately sent out to work elsewhere.  Whatever the reason, they stayed and were systematically destroyed by the NTCC machine.

The Ministry Machine by Jay Cameron Video Link

 Stop the madness!
 Leave the NTCC
 and Serve God. 

We feel the NTCC man-made doctrines and abusive practices led to not only the destruction of the Merz' marriage, but also the mental health of Kelly himself, driving him down, systematically taking from him his military career, self-esteem, self-worth, marriage, and faith in God.  With nothing left, is it a wonder that he took someone else's life?

It's our opinion that NTCC's man-made extra-biblical doctrines led to this senseless murder.

What will it take to stop you from following the false teachings of the NTCC?

Take The Full Tour of NTCC:  Click Here

Another NTCC Victim: Cori Lewis Murdered by Kelly E. Merz; Former NTCC Lay Pastor of New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. Cult Confesses to Murder, Leads Authorities To The Body Of Cori Lewis, Whom He Buried In A Shallow Grave In Graham, Washington Not Far From The NTCCA Bible School aka NTCS Seminary Compound

On the 13th of September, 2011 former Graham lay pastor Kelly Merz of the New Testament Christian Churches of America (NTCCA), Inc Seminary (NTCS)  was arrested and charged with first degree murder in Graham, Washington where the body of his 33 year old female roommate was found in a shallow grave.  Merz confessed to his former wife, Cherlyn, and later to police that he had shot Cori Lewis in the head and buried her under a few inches of soil and debris in Graham, Washington.  This tragedy has been covered extensively by Bruce Smith of The Mountain News -- WA:

"A":  Story by Bruce Smith and Photo of Grave Site: Click Here

Google Satellite Image Showing Location Of Grave Site Near
The New Testament Christian Churches of America Seminary
Located in Graham, Washington State:

View  Map on Google

["A"]  New Testament Christian Churches Of America Seminary
["B"]  Grave Site Where The Body Of Cori Lewis was recovered
Blue Line shows the 3.2 mi route between the NTCCA - NTCS and the grave site

3.2 mi from the grave site to the NTCCA - NTCS New Testament Christian Churches Of America Seminary 
Compound in Graham, WA
"the church behind the fence"

Merz is a former lay pastor of the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. and had relocated to the Graham, Washington area to attend the NTCCA's seminary or bible school, the "church behind the fence" situated on the Orting-Kapowsin Highway between 210 St. East and 224 th in Graham, Wa.

  Pic Of Google Street View of The Church Behind The Fence, NTCC, Inc.

 "The Church Behind The Fence" NTCC Inc. NTCS

Original Dispatch News Series on NTCC by Bruce Smith.  Update 2-28-14

Originally these links above brought one to the Five Part Series on NTCC.  Written by Bruce Smith and published by The Dispatch, each article had  multiple pages of reader comments offering a comprehensive look into the "church behind the fence" the NTCC.  The series and reader comments have subsequently been removed by The Dispatch original site; but for a time they are available by clicking on the numbered articles below. You may want to check out the few archived pages of reader comments published below each story. And you may also want to grab a cup of coffee or Pepsi before you begin reading . ;-)

Temporarily Available At:
Article #1:  A Look Within The "Church Behind The Fence"  --}  #1 Click HereArticle #2:  Life And Worship In The New Testament Christian Church [NTCC]  --}  #2 Click Here Article #3:  NTCC:  Is It A Cult?  --}  #3 Click here Article #4:  A Deeper Look Into NTCC:  Following The Money [An Impossible Task?]  --}  #4 Click HereArticle #5:  A Deeper Look:  Sexual and Marital Relationships in the NTCC  --}  #5  Click Here

"B":  Overview of The New Testament Christian Church - Current as of 2-28-14

This overview is an updated version of the original Five Part Series done by Bruce Smith for his own online news service:

The Mountain News -- WA.

Several new photos are in the article and some previously undisclosed information appears as well a hint of more stories to come.

Ange says,

When I met and knew Kelly Merz and his then-time wife Cherlyn in 1994-1995, they were happily married (for around, at that time, 10~11 years) and living in Fayetteville, North Carolina where they both faithfully attended the ntcc's Ft. Bragg Servicemen's Home and Church services at 3324 Rogers Drive.

The couple relocated to the Graham, WA area to attend the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc. Seminary / Bible School (NTCCA NTCS BS).  They also began acquiring real estate properties that they rented to fellow NTCC bible school students, a practice that continues to this day, despite both Merz having left the NTCC.  If you know NTCC, you know that it this is never heard of; people "in" "the organization (NTCC) DO NOT have contact with those who have left.  In religious circles this practice is called "disfellowshipping" or "shunning".

Although the Merz divorced in 2004 after 20 years of marriage, they had enough of a friendship that Kelly called Cherlyn and tearfully confessed to killing his roommate, a 33 year old woman named Cori Lewis.

This is an unspeakable tragedy that, in our opinion, is related to the Merz' long-time involvement in the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.  Too many stories exist of ntcc putting extreme pressures on people.  Years of ntcc stress has caused many people to change drastically from who they were when they came into the ntcc.  One woman has shared that she was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stess Disorder) after her years of involvement with the ntcc.  We believe that is also likely in this situation.

Racism In Your NTCC (And Its Deadly Consequences):
For those who don't know them, Kelly Merz is a white man; and Cherlyn is a woman of color.  That should not matter.  But for those who know ntcc, they will understand what that means:

NTCC brags about being "a church of all nations".  But the ugly truth is that the NTCC has a well-documented history of putting down African Americans.  This prejudice stems from the head of the NTCC, rodger wilson davis and his son-in-law, NTCC CEO,  michael craig kekel.  From the pulpit and lectern racial slurs have abounded to include:

• slinging out the N* word
• teaching that "a white man who marries a black woman has low self-esteem"
• white-black "inter-racial marriages" "limit the ministry"
• rap music is "monkey" music
• corn rows or braids were forbidden
• a PONTIAC is just a "Poor Old N*gger that Thinks It's A Cadillac"
• and more

As awful as this racism is, it is just one area of extreme duress the Merz would be subjected to in the ntcc.  Other areas exist.  We really believe that if they were not entangled in the ntcc system of rules and prejudices, Kelly and Cherlyn would still be happily married today and Cori Lewis would be alive.

Sadly, that is not the case.

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Cori Lewis, who, in our opinion, is yet another victim of the New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.

Related Stories:

The Moreno Tragedy Click Here

"The Moreno Tragedy" discusses on this blog the ntcc pressures that drove Roland Moreno to shoot and kill his pregnant wife, 5 year-old son, and then himself.  Eerily, almost exactly eight years to the day, the Moreno Tragedy of death following ntcc duress is repeated in the murder of Cori Lewis.

Click on the labels below to see more related stories on this blog:
 "Moreno" and "Murder"

The Cori Lewis Tragedy has also been covered extensively by Bruce Smith on The Mountain News -- WA in (to date) four related articles:

1)  Body of homicide victim found in a shallow grave on 86th Ave in Graham; local residents provide critical information to police
(same story as "A", above)

2)  Update on Lewis homicide: Shooter had strong ties to Graham

3)  The New Testament Christian Church of Graham: an overview
(same story as "B", above)

4)  Update on Kelly Merz – an interview with his brother, Keith Merz

Further discussion of this tragedy took place on a site called Dreamin' Demon:  Real.  Life.  Horror:  Their article included many references including (1) to the Pierce County Court Database on Kelly Merz, and another (2) to the Prosecutor's Press Release- Removed.  The Dreamin' Demon article emphasized  Merz sexually violating Lewis' remains.  Click below:

Man Confesses To Kissing Victim’s Genitals After Murder

To return to the series about the loss of

The Moreno Family Click Here