An Unhappy Toiler in the Vineyard

In July 1983, young Mike Delaney took a position as printer and general handyman with the Peter Popoff Evangelical Association in Upland. Soon, he was working in the radio production department, and in less than three years had risen to the position of manager of the tape-recording operation and general assistant to Popoff. He says that he felt from the first that the Popoff ministry was crooked, and many of his assignments convinced him of that suspicion. One of his functions was to dispose of the mountains of mail that came in every week. Unlike W. V. Grant, who simply threw out his letters in trash bags, Popoff had his professionally shredded, and Mike was in charge of that. Popoff was on guard against competing evangelists who would like nothing better than to go through his trash for additions to their mailing lists. And Popoff made promises to his donors that Delaney says were not kept. Explained Delaney:He’d say [on TV], “Send your letter in and I’ll pray over it.” But he never prayed over them. They’d sit there in a big pile for a month, then they’d be shredded. I’d take them to the shredding company and they’d take care of it.

This was done, of course, after the money had been taken from the envelopes and the names, addresses, and other personal data had been entered into the IBM computer system to maintain Popoff’s secret detailed file on each writer. Popoff’s security guards were in charge of checking the garbage for any unshredded documents. In the weeks before Delaney left Popoff’s employ, a security man was told to follow him every time he drove the rented U-Haul truck into Los Angeles to have the material shredded. Once, just for a lark, Mike eluded his stalker simply by driving the truck into the U-Haul parking area and then joining other trucks as they drove off in various directions. Delaney also witnessed examples of Popoff’s callous attitude toward the people who supported him. When Popoff sent out a special-appeal mailing of 2,500 letters to donors who were known to be unusually generous, Delaney himself signed 1,500 of them because Popoff was tired. Often he watched as people showed up at the Peter Popoff Evangelical Association headquarters, down and out because they had given the preacher all the money they had. They even arrived in rented trucks with all their furniture stacked in them, desperate for help. When they asked to see Popoff, expecting a miracle, he was never in. They were always refused an audience.

Evangelist/ healer Leroy Jenkins just after his release from prison in 1979. (See Chapter 7, pp. 89-98.)  

Leroy Jenkins “heals” a woman by the “laying on of hands.”  

Pastor David Epley, before he took up his ministry in Fort Lauderdate. He had just been fined for soliciting funds illegally in Cineinnati. (See pp. 230 ff.)  

The Reverend Roberts in 1987. He threatened that he would die unless his supporters could raise $9 million  

Oral Roberts , early in his career , using his "magacal" right hand yo "heal." (See Chapter 10.pp. 183-195)  

Father RalphDiOrio. of Massachusetts, at one of his charismatic “healing” services. (See Chapter 13, pp. 217-225.)  

The faith-healer who wants to be president of the United States, as seen at a political rally. (See Chapter 11, pp. 197-205.)  

The Reverend Ernest Angley, of Akron, Ohio, as he appears on his syndicated television show. (See pp. 237-239.)  

Ernest Angley laying hands on a subject in the healing line.  

"Jorgensen" collapses at the touch of Popoff and is caught by an usher.  

Don Henvick, as "Virgil Jorgesen ." in a state of simulated ecstasy at a Peter Popoff meeting in Anaheim, California. On the left is Reeford Sherrill, Popoff‘s "form man." The bearded man with the glasses at the right a applausding Don’s performance is Shawn Carlson, my colleague.  

Elizabeth Popoff enters the TV trailer in Detroit to begin her clandestine radio transmission to husband Peter Popoff. (See p. 148.)  

This Detroit lady denied she’d told anything to Mrs. Popoff, though we’d overheard their conversation. When her pastor discovered us talking to her, she told us that she had better not speak to us any longer.  

Popoff crusade in Houston, Texas. The author (circled, bottom) is in the white wig. Mrs. Popoff questions “Travis Lamar,”played by Steven Schafersman (circled, center). He was later “called out” to be healed by Peter Popoff, who was divinely inspired to give him exactly the same information Schafersman had given to Mrs. Popoff. (See p. 146-147.)  

“Gae Devoe”(Dr. Gae Kovalick, another “mole” at the Houston meeting) is given the Popoff trickery.  

Don Henvick in disguise as “Bernice Manicoff,” preparing to enter the Popoff crusade meeting in Detroit. (See p. 150.)  

W. V. Grant claims a “miraculous healing.” However, Mr. Kidd, the Milwaukee man, was not “blind all of his life.”(See pp. 112-113)  

W. V. Grant in Haiti, where he claims to feed thousands of orphans through his ministry. (See pp. 118 and 134-135.)  

This is the “How many fingers?” trick used by W. V. Grant on persons with impaired sight. (See p. 105.)  

W. V. Grant seems to stretch this woman’s left leg by prayer. In actuality, he has simply pulled her right shoe slightly off her foot, then pushed it back again to produce the illusion. (See p. 128.)  

W. V. Grant as he appears on the cover of his publication Dawn of a New Day.  

Letters of payer partners, checks, and souvenirs salvaged from W. V. Grant’s garbage following his Fort Lauderdate meeting  

Discarded crutches at the Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico . (See p. 270.)  

The Gang of Four immediately after the Popoff expoure. Left to right: Done Hencick. Alec Jason, James Randi, and Bob Steiner.   As a result of my exposure of the Popoff organization on the Johnny Carson show, his failure to rise above the $8.50 an hour paid him by the ministry, and an involvement in one of Popoff’s major scams, which will be discussed later, Mike Delaney left the Popoff organization. He gave two weeks’ notice, but was dismissed the next day, July 12, 1986.