Faith Deliverance Worship Center, Inc.

Apostle Eric F. Ricks, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was born in 1940.  In 1965, he rededicated his life to Christ and became a member of Deliverance Evangelistic Church under the pastorate of the late Benjamin Smith, Sr. There he received his indigenous ministry training, and discovered and activated his spiritual gifts of teaching and evangelism.

In 1972, after following the direction of the Lord, Minister Ricks became the founder and pastor of Deliverance Evangelistic Church of Burlington, New Jersey, (presently known as Faith Deliverance Worship Center, Inc.)

His ministry vision is SAVE--Spiritual, Academic, Vocational, and Economic development and empowerment.

In 1978, he received a Certificate in Ministry from the Center for Urban Theological Studies (CUTS) in Philadelphia, where he served as a member of the executive board for a number of years and chairman of the Sponsoring Association.

During the following years, Pastor Ricks served in mission ministry at Christian Haitian Outreach (CHO).  For many years he served as a member of the executive board and was elected chairman of the board for three years.  While serving, he helped to develop bylaws and set policies for the ministry.  Over the years God has taken him to Jamaica, Haiti, various states throughout the United States, and many African nations preaching the gospel, teaching family enrichment seminars, and ministering at various leadership conferences and church development workshops.  For several years, he had two fifteen minute radio broadcasts.  The one out of Trenton, NJ was an AM station; the other out of Jenkintown, PA was a FM station.

On February 26, 2005, during a joint prayer meeting of a group of churches, Pastor Ricks was called forth as an Apostle.  On Sunday May 1, 2005, after a conference with Apostle John Eckhardt, Apostle Ricks publicly acknowledged and activated his call to the apostolic office and ministry.  His role as an apostle is: (a) to set things in order, (b) to assume and exercise general leadership over a number of pastors, church leaders and churches, (c) to inaugurate elders, and (d) to plant, establish, merge, or dissolve churches.

His ministry emphasizes mentoring, church planting, worship, outreach, Christian education, fellowship, the five-fold ministry, and lay leadership activation.

Apostle Ricks' spiritual declaration is Proverbs 3:5-7, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil."