PRETEND

Part one was about control. Part two is about the money.

Behind the soul-winning and the sermons and the bylaws, the New Testament Christian Churches of America runs a very well-funded business. Tithing is tracked, enforced, and tied to your military paycheck. Fall behind and you go before the general board. Fall further behind and you lose your credentials.

So where does the tithing money go? Church CEO Michael Kekel told his congregation they owed $25,000 a year in property taxes on the fellowship hall. But tax records tell a different story. The fellowship hall paid $9.65. The $25,000? That's the bill on a personal house in the name of Kekel's wife.

In this episode:

-Tracy Pelfrey, former NTCC member of 17 years

-Bruce Smith, reporter, The Mountain News, who has covered NTCC for nearly two decades

-Sarah DeJonghe, former Navy Seabee and NTCC ex-member

-Archival recordings of R.W. Davis, founder of NTCC

-Archival recordings of Michael Kekel, CEO of NTCC

Next time on Pretend: Former members say that NTCC fosters a culture where adult men courting teenage girls isn't just tolerated — it's encouraged. That's next time.

Listen to Part 3 now:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group or organization, you have options. The Military OneSource confidential helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. You can also reach out to your installation chaplain, who can provide confidential support across all faiths and no faith at all.

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Deep Cover is a true crime show about double lives, brought to you by our friends at Pushkin Industries.

Their new season, The Family Man, is a gripping story about how families can deceive each other and the lengths we’ll go to to protect our loved ones.

Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis—but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them... like how he really made his money.

Everything changed in a single night:


The Raid: Police arrived at the front door, seizing boxes of evidence.


The Chase: Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV to a surreal sight—their father in the middle of a high-speed police chase.


The Identity: The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.”

The girls were stunned, struggling to accept a reality they never saw coming.


How long had he been lying?


What had he done?


Who, exactly, was their father?

Listen Now: Find Deep Cover: The Family Man wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge the Full Season: If you want to know how the story ends right now, you can binge the entire season today. Sign up for a Pushkin+ subscription on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.

Official Link: lnk.to/DCFMPretend

The Secret Life of the SuburbsThe Aftermath[CALL TO ACTION]
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In 1996, Sarah DeJonghe was a 20-year-old Navy Seabee stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Two guys in uniform approached her on base and invited her to church. She said no.

They came back anyway.

Four months later, Sarah was out of the Navy and on her way to a Bible seminary in Washington State. She didn't see it coming. Neither did the dozens of other military members who found themselves drawn into the New Testament Christian Churches of America, a church that has spent decades planting itself outside US military bases around the world, marketing itself as a home away from home for single, lonely soldiers.

Former members say it's a cult.

Want to keep going? Part Two is available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get every episode of this series ad-free and a week early, plus bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985
Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

Resources mentioned in this episode:

NTCC bylaws (publicly available): https://myntcc.org/bylaws/


Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey) - https://www.youtube.com/@StayAwayFromNTCC

Bruce Smith's reporting at The Mountain News

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A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and his lifestyle. When they finally compared notes, they didn't get mad. They got organized. This is the story of Bill Sullivan, and the self-appointed militia of scorned women who banded together to take him down: Operation Cockblock.

Before you go:

Stick around for a sneak peek at Chain of Command, PRETEND's new investigative series about a secretive church that brands itself a "ministry to the military" and has been operating near U.S. military bases around the world.

🎧 Listen now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

💙 Or on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/pretendradio?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

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Somebody went through hundreds of Reddit comments asking what the greatest podcast episode of all time is, then actually listened to all of them. That somebody is Ivy, the creator behind @watchandlisten.ivy on TikTok, and she has been going viral ever since.

In this episode we go through the ones that kept coming up:

Reply All: "The Case of the Missing Hit" https://open.spotify.com/episode/0CaOGo6xSN51B2aLAQa1kU

Heavyweight: "Gregor" https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LKrLVEAY3tsqHPURec6ke

Mystery Show: "Belt Buckle" https://open.spotify.com/episode/7niwu8ksl85o2GP2IUEJdA

Radiolab: "Colors" https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ugEsqx79eit9kFVw5xN7a

You're Wrong About: "Andes Flight 571" https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Tqgu60WVXQWYMqiwWy5F7

Love and Radio: "The Living Room" https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HQSZAsQ78AanIb68NChHC

Follow Ivy: @watchandlisten.ivy https://www.tiktok.com/@watchandlisten.ivy
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