WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Sanctuary of Wilmington, one of the most high-profile churches in Wilmington, North Carolina, is facing intense scrutiny after former members accused its senior pastor of maintaining a secret long-term affair with the praise & worship leader, according to social media posts and a former member.
Pastor Daniel Cook, the longtime senior pastor of The Sanctuary of Wilmington, has been accused on social media of maintaining a secret sexual relationship with his praise and worship leader while allegedly attempting to “groom” another female church member, according to posts and former congregants.
The allegations, which surfaced publicly last week, quickly spread across social media and have shaken one of Wilmington’s most talked-about churches.
“They’ve Been Sleeping Together for Seven Years”
On Tuesday, Aviana Spurgeon, a former member of the church, took to Facebook with a blistering post accusing Pastor Cook and the church’s praise and worship leader, Kishanda Canty, of carrying on a sexual relationship for years.
In her post, Spurgeon alleged that Cook and Canty “have been f*cking for the last seven years,” and claimed she herself was being positioned as the next target.
“Dear Sanctuary of Wilmington, your pastor & worship leader have been f*cking for the last 7 years. Then lied to my face, Aviana wrote.”
In another part of her post, she said:
“Daniel, we gave you the chance to tell the truth. We did it privately,” Spurgeon wrote. “It’s just not in you. At your mantle, you are a liar, manipulator, and abuser. Your ability to say something completely different from what is reality needs to actually be studied.”
Spurgeon said she was less concerned about the alleged affair itself than what she described as a pattern of spiritual control.
“I don’t care about the damn affair,” she wrote. “I do care about the fact that you’re building a cult and doing it by using Christ.”
Sanctuary of Wilmington Cancels RENEW U Service as Fallout Grows
Within 24 hours of the allegations going public, The Sanctuary of Wilmington abruptly canceled its midweek RENEW U service, fueling further speculation among current and former members.
Husband Speaks Out: “That’s When Everything Clicked”
Spurgeon’s husband, James Spurgeon, a former member of the church and a U.S. military servicemember, told us the situation unraveled rapidly once he returned home and became more involved in church life.
He said his wife began attending The Sanctuary in early 2023 while he was on active duty. By May 2024, he said, he was attending full-time.
According to James, Aviana initially served as a guitarist before moving into a sound engineering role. He later joined her, helping operate the soundboard after other staff members left.
In 2024, James says Pastor Cook delivered what he described as a “fake prophecy” to his wife.
“He was like her, ‘ Oh, I’m like Elijah, you’re going to be my Elisha. I want you close to me,’” James said. “dude’s very charismatic, but it still kind of rubbed me a little wrong – cause like – excuse me?”
Job Offer, Pay Cut, and Red Flags
James said that months later after the prophecy, Pastor Cook offered Aviana a job as an administrative assistant after a previous staff member left. He said his wife quit her nursing job and was making “a fraction of what she used to” but it wasn’t a big deal.
According to James, the church office environment consisted of just three people during the workweek: Aviana, Pastor Cook, and Canty.
That’s when his wife began noticing what he described as weird behavior.
“He Was Trying to Hit on My Wife”
James said he learned of the alleged relationship between Cook and Canty the same day he believes Cook attempted to pursue his wife.
“I don’t know what he thought this was, but she immediately showed me the messages and was like, ‘Hey, I think you should see this,’ and I saw it and I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s hitting on you.’”
The next day, James said, his wife showed Canty the messages — who allegedly broke down and confirmed a pattern of behavior.
“This woman has a breakdown and spills all of this to my wife about, like ‘Yeah, that’s not normal. Oh my God, he’s trying to groom you. He said, like, the same things to me.’ Yeah, so as soon as it happened, I found out, ” James recalled.
Alleged Messages, Recordings, and Denials
James said he and his wife possess approximately 30 screenshots, multiple screen recordings, and recorded phone calls involving Pastor Cook. Only a portion, he said, were posted publicly.
“Basically, everything we posted is like… what’s appropriate to put out, but in total there’s like 30 screenshots and like five screen recordings, and I also have a couple of recorded calls where he tried to reach out and manipulate me after we posted those, and he didn’t know, ya know, we recorded the call,” James said.
“She originally wanted to come forward with all of this back when it happened, in like November, and then, because obviously you see from the messages she was not getting paid, well, eventually she broke, had sex with him, got paid, and then she made up, and that’s basically been the pattern for the last seven years,” James claims.
“As of current, or like since she’s tried to lie and say it’s not real and ‘pretty please take them down,’ but she’s—she’s saying ‘pretty please take them down’ because the pastor is about to kick her out of her house, which he owns, and take her car, which he also owns, and we’re like, respectfully, that’s between you and him.”
Sanctuary of Wilmington Statement: Pastor Steps Away
On Sunday, The Sanctuary of Wilmington released a public statement, acknowledging the controversy.
The church said it was “aware of the information circulating publicly” and confirmed that Pastor Cook has stepped away from all ministry responsibilities and submitted himself to an internal accountability process.
A Long Tenure Now Under Scrutiny
According to the church’s website, Pastor Cook has led The Sanctuary for 18 years. He was ordained as a bishop under the mentorship of Apostle Rod Parsley of Harvest Church. He and his wife, Anne Cook has been married since 2006 and share two daughters.
Several photos show that Pastor Daniel took his wife and Canty on several trips. We obtained these photos from Anne Cook’s Facebook. This is just some of many.
As of publication, Pastor Cook has not personally responded to the allegations.
25 thoughts on “Sanctuary of Wilmington Pastor Accused of Secret Seven-Year Affair”
Follow The Money!!🚔🚔👮🏽♂️👮🏽♂️👮🏽♂️👮🏽♂️
This hypocrisy, immorality & wickedness going on amongst church leadership (modern-day Sadducees and Pharisees) has to stop! We have to stop worshipping these charismatic cult leaders & return to worshipping Jesus and studying the Bible! That’s why Believers have no real discernment; we think going to a building once or twice a week and venerating a human who interprets the Bible for us is enough! And anyone who protect, defends and hides the wickedness of any cult-leader wolf pastor is just as guilty (Prov. 17:15). The pastor was mentored by Freemason Rod Parsely! What do you expect?
Romans 14:4
I believe that Mrs. Cook knew the two of them were involved, just like members knew too!
IF THIS IS TRUE…
As ambassadors of CHRIST, we must ALWAYS represent HIM & that, represent HIM well. Satan is always after those who name JESUS as SAVIOR & LORD, & we must always be vigilant against his schemes to get us to misrepresent & turn from JESUS. We must also be diligent to keep our pride under control. That means when we know we’re weak in an area, we reach out for spiritual help, prayer, counseling, & guidance.
This “pastor” didn’t make a “mistake”. He made a conscious choice for (apparently) seven years. For seven years he CHOSE fulfilling fleshy desires over his vow to the LORD; himself over his wife & family; lying/deceit over telling the truth; & an eternity in hell over the perpetual presence of the FATHER.
The side piece isn’t innocent in any of this. She’s supposed to be a praise & worship leader & not only is she being deceptive before the congregation, but she also doesn’t even trust the GOD she sings about. Her trust wasn’t in JEHOVAH JIREH (HE wasn’t enough). Her trust for being provided for was in this “pastor”. He was her John & she was prostituting herself for a place to stay & a car, neither of which she’d ever own. AND WHAT HER SISTER SAID SHE DID TO TAKE HER SON!!!
This is terrible, but not surprising. At a time when CHRISTianity is mocked & under attack at every turn, JESUS’ ambassadors should be the last group assisting Satan to tarnish HIS reputation. Instead, we’re involved in things that bring reproach upon the CROSS & cause others to stumble. GOD’s gonna get us, too.
FATHER, FORGIVE US FOR MISREPRESENTING YOU & BRINGING REPROACH TO YOUR BODY!!
And I pray Sade & G are reunited.
Of course he was conscious he made a conscientious choice. SEVERAL times! The WRONG ones…
The way I see it, the former worship leader is just as at fault as my former pastor was. Some of you need to shoot some shade her way and dig a little deeper into HER past. With that being said, my heart is absolutely broken for the congregation that I once knew as family. He really did us ALL dirty.
Praying for Sister Anne and her girls. That’s what’s really blowing my mind right now; my heart literally aches for you 3.
I am telling my story because silence has cost me my child.
My name is Sade Washington, and I am the biological sister of Kishanda Canty, a well-known worship leader in Wilmington, North Carolina. What the public sees is a woman of faith. What I lived through tells a very different story.
Kishanda conspired with Pastor Daniel of the church we attended to take my son, Giovanni (“G”), from me. The messages they exchanged, the court appearances he attended, and the influence he wielded in the community all played a role in what happened. I have receipts—text messages, court documents, and witness accounts—to support everything I am saying.
At the time, I had hired a highly respected attorney, Cecilia Reyna, in Wilmington, NC. Kishanda frequently bragged about how powerful my legal representation was. Then, without warning, that attorney resigned from my case. I have text messages that show the timing and circumstances surrounding that resignation, and to this day, it raises serious questions.
I had long suspected that Kishanda and Pastor Daniel’s relationship crossed boundaries. Their closeness in photos, their constant proximity—none of it felt appropriate. When I confronted her, instead of denying it over the phone, she drove to my home in person to insist nothing was going on. Shortly after, she deleted many of their photos together from her Facebook page.
This was not new behavior. At a previous church in Wilmington, Purpose Church, Kishanda was involved in another inappropriate relationship that ultimately caused her to leave. This pattern matters, because it shows intent—not coincidence.
Financially, she benefited as well. She openly stated she was the highest-paid worship leader in New Hanover County. With that income came tax burdens, and with Giovanni in her custody, she gained a dependent tax credit. That reality cannot be ignored.
Giovanni is innocent in all of this.
Despite a court order stating I was entitled to see my son at least once a week—with the possibility of expanded visitation at Kishanda’s discretion—she repeatedly denied me access. I now understand why she was given so much control: the narrative had already been shaped against me.
I was physically attacked by Kishanda twice in front of my son. In one incident, she admitted in court to assaulting me inside the church, after Pastor Daniel invited me into his study. In another, while I was pregnant with my daughter Gia, she attacked me so severely that I suffered knots on my head and had to go to the hospital. Law enforcement was called, and an automatic no-contact order was issued.
She later told me that if I dropped the charges, she would allow me to see Giovanni again—because she didn’t want her “clean record” ruined. Desperate to be reunited with my son, I believed her. I dropped the charges.
One week later, she took him from me completely.
I was excluded from his birthdays. Giovanni was not allowed to meet his newborn sister. Church members and his own father later told me that when Giovanni asked about me or his baby sister, he was brushed off and told we were “sick.” Hearing that broke me, because I know what that kind of confusion does to a child’s heart.
It has now been over a year and a half since I’ve been allowed to see my son.
When I attempted to take the matter back to court, things became even worse. Kishanda appeared with no evidence, yet the outcome favored her again. I was instructed to use a third-party supervision company that, as it turned out, did not even exist—effectively blocking my visitation entirely.
The emotional toll of this has been devastating. I have made mistakes while living in unbearable pain, feeling powerless against the influence of a pastor and a system that chose reputation over truth. My son was taken from me not because I was unfit, but because I was outpowered.
This is only a summary. I am willing to share documentation, messages, and court records that substantiate my claims. I am telling this story not for revenge, but for accountability—and for my child.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I believe you. Reach out to Robyn Torgrimson at mega maniacs podcast. She’s covering this scandal tonight. She may have connections to help you. May God help you. Don’t give up on your baby!
I hate this for you but please know your day of victory is on the way. Stay strong and don’t give up.
I don’t know why your son was with your sister, & I’m not asking. I just hope everything is straight & you ate reunited with G SOON. You’re in my prayers.
I am so sorry you have had to endure this kind of treatment from family. Unfortunately I too am too familiar with how narratives can be manipulated and manufactured by people who have a little power/pull in the area. Especially when they all come together to attack your character. I believe you 100 percent and I am so sorry you have gone through this. Just so you are aware your sister is in contempt of court by breaking the order that you are suppose to see your son once a week and she could face jail time for it. Since you have her info and address I would go file asap! I have had a similar situation where my sister is in contempt and breaking a court order cause she felt like it and the only reason she has gotten away with it is because I do not have an address. Please go file asap and get him away from those wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing! They are not fooling anyone.
Why were you losing your children? Addiction? Just asking
I believe you, of course. My ex husband bribed everyone just to destroy me. A few weeks after he had been sente ed for DV against me and our 4 children, he managed to get all 4 of them. He had money. I didn’t. THREE attorneys from church told me God told them to represent me. After the pastor “forbade” them to do it, they left me. I managed to get my girls back but it took years before I saw my boys again. So I understand and deeply empathize with you. I read your post after I watched Everrett from Ohio for Freedom podcast and his episode on D. Cook. Your story needs to come out more. God will move and help you.
Time to go back to court. Best wishes.
I’m sorry this happened to you Sade. I can relate. God saw what they did and you will get your power back!
Hello how old is Gia and what is her real name and do you have a son Kamari
Hello and how old is Gia and do you have contact with Kamari
The wife knew .
Why would you make a statement like that? How do you know that’s true? I don’t believe she would turn the blind eye. I’m very familiar with a Cook family. I was with the sanctuary before they got into the mega church.
I can’t imagine, sister and knew
Unless you know for sure, I wouldn’t make statements like that if it’s true then it’s true, but I don’t believe it
That’s what I was thinking. Ain’t no way you on all these vacations and on the staff and not notice your husband looking at the worship leader a little longer.
We don’t know what all happened. What don’t come out in the wash will come out in the rinse.
May God have mercy on us for all that we done and do.
And may God have mercy on him and her if they done any 🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾.
Understand the assignments
Us: Pray
Pastor: Grow, Learn before your next promotion in the kingdom. The LORD will continue to do great works through you.
To be brief God knows everything all of our assignments are unique to us.
Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.
Pastor is one of God’s chosen and I honor you.
Trials and tribulations will come.
Man is not GOD, Man is a god (ruler, leader, King who has Dominion over the earth).
He without sin cast the first stone 🤔
Proverbs 24 v16-18
#PrayNotPrey #kysheemremix
#bishopdanielcook
#WeHonorYou
Disgusting
If he’s a predator he’s not Gods anointed. And man is not a “little god” that’s demonic talk. Repent for making an idol out of him. We’re to worship Jesus only.
You do know the Bible states that Pastors are held to a higher standard right? And….if there was this one, there were others as well. This pastor is and always has been a charlatan. His love of money and his own ego are his idols and apparently his arrogance. Up there dancing like a showgirl and claiming to have the gift of tongues? Guarantee you he was not being filled by the Holy Spirit. Satanic influences motivated him. Like Lucifer, he desired personal adoration and worship. He thrives on controlling others. How can you even remotely defend him and state he will be restored to ministry? Have you not read all this guy has done to others? I guess when you are taught by carpetbagger you learn to accept the his profound hypocrisy. If you truly believe in Christ and accept God’s Word as inerrant, you would fully understand that Daniel Cook is not and never was a “prophet.” I would even question his salvation at this point. But like you indicated, only God knows where his soul is bound. Satan is a clever one. You have been bilked!!!