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

Moreno Tragedy

A very dark chapter of ntcc's history is the Moreno Tragedy.

In September of 2003 Roland Moreno murdered his pregnant wife, 5 year-old son, and then allegedly shot himself ending his life too.

Triple Murder and Suicide(?) Online News Story Click Here

Was it really a gun
 that killed the Moreno family? 
 Or was it the ntcc / davis 
 false doctrine that 
 "children hinder  the
work of the borg lawd" ?! 

People who knew him were stunned.  He had been part of ntcc and wanted to go into servicemen's work.  But ntcc supposedly did not allow people with children to run servicemen's homes, although both the Bradeens and Taylors did so for years and years.  In the news article it was reported that when he found out his wife was pregnant, Moreno bought a gun.  He shot her, their boy, then called his ntcc pastor, Jake Espinoza, confessed, asked for prayer, and then allegedly shot himself dead.

How tragic.  ntcc should stop teaching the lie that "children hinder the work of gawd".  Especially since the man who teaches that false doctrine, Rodger Wilson Davis, made sure he and his second wife (after adultery, divorce, and marriage), Verna Mae, would have a child to raise.  They went out of their way to adopt a girl in the Philippines.  Some speculate that their daughter may be the illegitimate child of Davis with "another woman" - Elizabeth Haynes Reynolds, who is listed as the girl's birth mother on the Adoption Registry search for Tanya Tanya Maxamillia Reynolds Davis Kekel (Sister Kekel, wife of Mike/ Michael Craig Kekel, NTCC CEO):

Tanya Kekel Adoption Registry Search Click Here

We mention this adoption since it shows the significant double standard that exists in the NTCC, where the Board Members tell you to sacrifice, while they do whatever they wish.  These life-altering sacrifices, taught by the NTCC but not kept by NTCC leaders, have permanent deadly consequences.  These deadly double standards are enforced with rigorous public humiliation like yelling at pregnant women from the pulpit telling them "Lady, you are going to have to answer to God for ruining your husband's ministry!"  Well, who will answer to God for the despair that drove Roland Moreno to murder his son and pregnant wife when he learned she was pregnant?

Related Posts:

Phil Kinson's Adultery's Impact On The Moreno Murders:  click here

To read the full series about the loss of

The Moreno Family Click Here