In February, 2009, I accepted an invitation by Rick Wiles to move to West Palm Beach, Florida, to help him prepare and open a 1000-man 'tent' church in Ft. Pierce, Florida. I had been interviewed on his radio a few times, since December, and because of my heart to preach repentance to America, Rick and I had mutual agreement that it would be good for me to come to Florida and help erect the tent and preach beside him. At that time our discussion was that the church would be a permanent church, and that it would be used to preach the Gospel and feed the poor to those in the community who were now facing financial hardships due to the failing economy. Rick's vision included purchasing huge grills to place near the tent church so that the poor would be fed, and that eventually services would be scheduled seven days a week. Being that I believed his heart was in line with mine, to call out the Remnant from sin and to preach repentance, I agreed to relocate my family from Seattle, Washington, to West Palm Beach. At that time Rick told me he hoped to televise the church services for cable TV and internet, so that everyone could watch the services.

On the radio Rick told his listeners about his plan to start a church, and began to ask money to purchase a large cathedral tent. During this time, Rick emailed me and told me a wealthy businessman was donating the use of 8 acres of prime land on a visible highway in Ft. Pierce to erect the tent. He said that the businessman had also offered Trunews the use of more land nearby if our church began to outgrow the original 8 acre location. Rick proclaimed on radio about the donated gift of land usage and gave God praise for the miraculous provision. He asked his listeners to give generously to make the church a reality, and he asked for a total of $250,000.00. He said that $20,000.00 would be needed to purchase the tent, and $20,000.00 needed to buy 1000 chairs. I was elated at this provision by the Lord, and felt in my spirit that this was indeed God's will. Because of this great gift from the Lord, I donated a large sum to pay for half the tent.

I had three months before I was supposed to attend school in Las Vegas, so I agreed to spend March, April, and May beside Rick and his family to set up the church. Since I lost the contract I had with my job, and was currently out of work, and had three months before I entered the University in Vegas, I felt it was the ideal time to go and help do God's work. I moved my family to West Palm Beach and rented a furnished condo for three months. I covered all of the expenses, and relocated trusting that God would make a means for my family once we got there. I had sold my house, and the monies I received from that sale were put aside to pay for my schooling, so I had to be careful not to deplete what I had reserved for my family to live on while I was attending school full time over the next three years. I told Rick my financial situation, and he understood clearly that the only way I could spend my savings for anything else was if I did not go to school. He agreed to pray for me that God would provide. I told him I would have to find work once I arrived in Florida, but he insisted that I not do this, but rather wait and trust the Lord for provision. On the radio, he told his listeners he would be hiring staff, and so I rested in his words of faith.

Once we arrived, my wife, June, and I expected to be very busy over the next months preparing for the church. It was a huge undertaking, so I knew that it would take a lot of work to get it completed. Rick had collected money to buy the tent and chairs, and was telling his radio listeners that his goal was to have it erected in 30-days, so I knew this meant we had a whole lot of work to do to accomplish the task of setting up and preparing a church to house 1000 people. But, day after day passed, and soon weeks passed, and Rick would not engage me in any prayer or discussion regarding the church. He had me on the radio the first week I had arrived to promote the project, and to preach on repentance, so I found it odd that neither he, nor his family, were preparing for the church project behind the scenes. I started to question inwardly why Rick had invited me. I had no idea how he planned on getting a church of this magnitude ready to go when nothing was being done.

After a few weeks went by, I called Rick to question him on my role in church preparations, but his answer was evasive. A few days later, at his house, I pushed him again about what he wanted from me, but again, he gave noncommittal answers. His secretive and authoritarian manner began to make me feel uneasy in my spirit.

Rick went on the radio and told his listeners that he was so busy in preparing for the church that he needed to hire staff to help carry the heavy work load. As previous times, Rick asked for $250,000.00 to hire staff, build a platform, and purchase equipment. He also began asking for gold, silver, and precious gems. It was at this time that my wife and I became deeply troubled as to why Rick was falsifying information on the radio. Neither Rick, nor his family (wife, daughter, and son-in-law, the producer) were preparing for the church, and June and I, who had uprooted our family to come help him, and did so without expecting a salary, were sitting around doing nothing. We had tried to engage in the project and make ourselves useful, but every idea we handed Rick was ignored. We were troubled as to why Rick was painting a picture that was not true. That week he told me people were sending in a lot of gold and silver, yet he never hired me on as staff, or anyone else. The truth was, there was no heavy work load, and nothing was being done to ready for the church. Rick seemed oblivious to the fact that a church needed many members of God's Body to function. Besides me and my wife, there was no one else around who was truly part of the project and doing hands-on preparation for the church. Rick's radio show is a family run ministry, and so I wondered how he expected to oversee such a huge church project alone.

I started to put some things together in my mind, from previous conversations I had with Rick, that led me to suspect that Rick never intended to have a church. He simply used the 'church' idea as a cover in which to collect enough donations to enable his radio show to be televised. The tent was not to be used for the community, for the people, for a church, but only as a platform to house his advancement into TV. It all made sense as to why he was not preparing for a church, and why I was doing absolutely nothing. I began to suspect that my role was simply to be used as a marketing tool to gain donations and/or promote his introduction into TV.

June and I tried to keep things going, hoping he might turn around. So, we met Rick and his wife, Susan, on April 4th, at my request, at 4:00 pm, to view the donated 8 acres of land, and to hopefully discuss details of the church. We spent an hour looking over the property, but much to our dismay, Rick did not mention how he planned on getting the church ready in time. It was this day that the Lord moved us to end our relationship with Rick! At 11:00 pm that evening, during prayer, God revealed to June and I that the tent was not going up, and that Rick was out of His will! We thought we must have heard the Lord wrong. Heavy in spirit, I contacted Rick the next day, and he confirmed what the Lord told us. He said that he decided to relocate the church to a temporary spot at the St. Lucie Fairgrounds, which was about 20 minutes south of the original location. I had stood with Rick the day before on the original land, and he never mentioned considering another location! His actions made no sense at all, and I was upset that he showed so little value and concern in my role beside him. He was a one man show, and had no understanding of how to interact with the Body of Christ. It became readily evident to me that Rick Wiles was not planning on putting up a church!

I was not in agreement with Rick's decision and told him so. I told him that since he had proclaimed to all his listeners that God did a miracle by providing the 8 acres of land, and had collected thousands of dollars based on this proclamation, he had to stay the course, and continue to represent the Lord's character faithfully. But Rick seemed oblivious to my concerns and how his redirection of the church might affect other people. In prayer over this, God took me to Numbers 20: 12:
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therfore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
The Lord showed me that Rick had sinned before Him, because he had misrepresented His character to his listeners. Rick had to repent and return the monies he had collected if he were to make things right again.

I was upset that Rick could take my donations, allow me to uproot my family, and not be honest about his true plans! Many listeners also donated because they trusted Rick to be a man of his word. He laughed at my concerns, and told me it was no big deal changing locations. He sent me emails with excuses on his decision. He said that the land was too costly to prepare for the tent, that the area was high in crime and had gangs, and that the landowner had a 'questionable' reputation around town. All three of these excuses were false. The land was already prepared, and even had an asphalted parking lot for cars, the area was NOT high in crime, but is a well-known reputable port community that houses both hardworking lower income and upper income level people, and the landlord had an outstanding reputation. I knew that Rick had enough faith to trust God to supply for all the preparations, and so I knew his excuses were simply hot air.

I emailed Rick and told him that he had to repent, and return the monies back to his listeners. He refused to do this. I wanted to do things right according to scripture, so I sent him a second letter and forwarded it to two other Christian men who had stood on the original land and had prayed with Rick and me a few months earlier. Rick emailed back and told me that I was 'hearing voices,' and said that if I did not come back under his 'submission,' that I might find myself stranded by God. God would not allow me to participate in deceiving listeners, or misrepresenting HIM, so I shook the dust off my feet and walked away.

A month after I left, Rick still had not told his listeners that he had let go of the 8 acres of land in Ft. Pierce, or that he was considering putting the tent up as a temporary 'summer' project at the fairgrounds in another city. He continues to ask for donations of $250,000.00, and he has not told them that I am no longer part of the project. In fact, on May 27th, Rick's website mentions the tent, but leaves out the word church completely, and says nothing about the Gospel being preached in Ft. Pierce. It says:
"The original name of the radio program was America’s Hope. We proclaimed that Jesus Christ is America’s only hope. As we enter our 11th year of broadcasting, the Lord has inspired us to purchase a massive 1,000 seat high-peak cathedral tent and call it America’s Hope. The message remains the same: Jesus Christ is America’s only hope. We plan to broadcast on TV and radio from the tent. Interestingly, the number “11” represents “judgment and disorder.” Please join us in our prayer request to God for $250,000 to purchase the necessary equipment, supplies, and preparations to launch the America’s Hope meetings and broadcast the events across the USA."

In time I learned that Rick was unable to secure the fairground location, and went back to the businessman who had donated him the original 8 acres of land. Rick had never told the landowner that he had looked into going to the fairgrounds, so this generous man had no idea what had transpired so far. I found all this out when I met with the landowner myself. I found out that when Rick could not get the fairground location, Rick went back to the landowner of the 8 acres and asked if he could use the waterfront parcel near the port for the tent instead of the original location. The landowner told me he was confused at Rick's decision to switch locations because the waterfront parcel was not visible at all from the street, and was not a good spot for a church. Yet, he conceded to Rick's request and allowed him use of the parcel on the port. I am guessing that the original land location, though perfect for a church, was not perfect enough in background to televise Rick's show. Thus the reason he went after the nice Fairgrounds location, and from there, the Waterfront parcel.

Rick still has not told his listeners that he changed the direction of the church. He collected thousands of dollars, asked for gold and silver, yet has given no details on the status of a church that is supposed to be erected in Ft. Pierce in the month of June. He has not told anyone who he has hired, who is part of the elders, what the plans are for the poor, or any details about a church. All he talks about now is a 'tent' to televise his radio show.

My suspicions about Rick's true plans were proven the day I contacted the Ft. Pierce city planning department, and they told me that a tent could not be erected on any land, private or otherwise, in the city of Ft. Pierce, unless it was done under a special event permit. Under a special event, a tent could only be erected for 30 days. I do not believe Rick would purchase a $20,000.00 tent and not know the regulations of the city. In fact, I had brought up to Rick the need to check into permits when I was sitting at his dinner table. I believe when he invited me to Florida, he never intended to have a permanent church, and that is why it was no concern as to the city regulations for the tent. The waterfront parcel is located in Ft. Pierce, and still falls under these strict regulations. Rick's plan to televise must only be for a short term since the tent cannot stay up longer. The church idea was simply a logical means in which to collect donations.

Trunews radio show goes out to over 100,000 people. Rick holds a grave accountability and responsibility to make sure he is upholding righteousness, and being up front with his listeners, and using the monies he collects correctly. Rick is angry that I have asked him to repent, and that I have talked to the landowner, and that I have made some people aware that they should question him regarding the church project. As Christians it is our duty to make sure ministers and ministries are representing the Lord appropriately, and being Christlike in their endeavors. Rick continues to justify his actions, and instead of apologizing to me and my family for not being up front with us about the church, he has rewarded our good works by sending out slanderous letters to discredit my family's reputation. He calls himself a pastor in those letters, but I do not know of any pastor who would outright lie in the manner in which he has done, and take private things June and I shared with him and his family, and use it to attack us. This is not the working of a true believer. He claims in his letter that he never invited me to Florida, and that I 'pushed' my way into coming (no matter that many people were witness to him inviting me). He accuses me of being an unemployed lazy man who cannot feed his family (though I was out here to do the work of the Lord and spent my own money to help him, paid for half the tent, gave him a gold necklace, and never took a dime from him). He accuses me of being deceptive about the money in my bank account (money saved to pay for my schooling), so he could justify keeping the provisions God had entrusted him with to give me. He puts me down because he paid for dinner twice when he took me out to eat, but fails to mention that I paid equally for other dinner dates. What kind of man would say such a thing? The list goes on, and it is a shame that he would treat anyone in such a manner. He called me his friend on his radio show, yet now he accuses me of being delusional, and states that when I arrived he distanced himself from me because he had concerns about my authenticity as a Christian (no matter that my reputation is solid and proven for many years up to government levels, and I have documented emails from him urging me to come back after I told him God told me to leave. Obviously he found me 'sane' enough to want me to stay put). Rick knew my credibility as a committed believer and as a subject matter expert on counter-terrorism, and that is why he put me on his show, and why he wanted me part of the church. Rick would never have invited me to Florida without knowing my reputation was spotless.

In his letter he took my wife's testimony of coming out of an occultlike pentecostal church 20 years earlier, which she had openly shared with him (same testimony she has on this site), and threw it back at her, implying that she was still 'demonized' from having gone there. My wife wrote a book based on her experience, and talked about it on the radio in order to warn others against these types of deceptive churches. It is because of her testimony that she is able to effectively warn others on the deceitful 'wolves in sheep's' clothing who portray themselves as men of God, but who are, in actuality, deceivers of God's people. Her testimony makes her a credible advocate and witness for the Truth. She is a powerful example of how God can bring beauty out of ashes, and of how true repentance against sin can produce gold in our lives. Mr. Rick Wiles owes her a very big apology!

Everything in his letter sent out against me and June can be easily disproved due to the many emails and radio audios documented by Rick himself. We laid our lives down to be a blessing to Rick, yet what we received from him was rotten apples, and a whole lot of worms.

Rick needs to repent, and make things right with God and all the people he has hurt. Because I went on the radio and participated in promoting a church for the community of Ft. Pierce, and not to solely market a tent for the advancement of Rick's radio show into television, I feel responsible before the Lord to be up front about my part in the matter. Had I known what Rick's true plans were, I would never have agreed to move to Florida. My heart was never to deceive anyone, but to preach repentance. I also want to state that my disassociation to Rick Wiles is not in any way a disassociation to the guests he has on his show. He interviews many wonderful and respectable people who offer valuable information during these times. I am thankful for the many people who are willing to stand up for truth while we face such an evil shaking from Satan worldwide. I had a duty, as a believer, to go to Rick about this matter, and to stand up for righteousness. No matter what arrows now fly at me, I know I have done the right thing before God in exposing his sin. I know some listeners and guests who are connected to Rick's show will ignore the facts about his so-called 'church' because of his celebrity status, but as for me, I am not seduced by the shadow of fame. If I was only concerned about being seen of man, I would not be risking the attack against my reputation, which has surely come.

UPDATE: It is now over 9 months and that tent is still not up! What God told me and my wife back in April was true. Rick is under God's judgment for misrepresenting HIM and collecting donations for false projects. It is time for Christians to boycott Trunews and demand answers as to why his so-called television projects, like many others before, fail to come to completion! Since this time I have discovered that Trunews is not tax exempt with the IRS, though he implies that he is on his website, and states that he has board members. Trunews is listed with the FL Secretary of State as a church, and is listed as a Corporation Sole with Wiles being the sole board member as "office of the Bishop." In 2004 the IRS issued a warning about religious organizations who misuse the Corporation Sole status to commit fraud. They said a clue to such scammers is that they often file using the term "office of the Bishop," such as what Wiles uses to file his so called 'church.' After I exposed him on my site and contacted the IRS, Rick started having 'meetings' to placate the IRS so that he looked like a legitimate church. Trunews is a radio show, and not a church. If he were a church, why was he collecting money to start a tent church? He is scamming the system in order to con money from donors and not have to be transparent about it. He is a wealthy man off of the sacrifices of the poor. Shame on him! This man is a con artist, and a phony minister, and needs to be avoided. Do not donate to this man, he is a crook.

Igor Shafhid