Calvary Chapel Flagler Beach is not a very large church.

Members gather in a storefront church and hope to eventually expand to a larger building.

But two years ago, the church was rocked by news when its former associate pastor, Wesley Alan Brown, had talked some members into investing their money in a precious metals and commodities fund.

The whole thing was a scam.

State investigators determined Brown pocketed most of the money — more than $395,000 was deposited into his personal bank account.

Mark Convoy, who is the senior pastor of the church, said Brown's ability to impact lives helped him pull off the scam. 

"(Brown's) style was to sort of break off one-on-one with folks and talk to them," Convoy said. "And I think that provided him with some opportunities to connect with people."

Brown took off shortly after he confided in Convoy that the money was gone and that church members had invested with him.

But Convoy kept hearing bits and pieces of where his former associate pastor was: Flagler County, New Jersey, North Carolina.

Whenever Convoy would get a tip, he would pass it along to authorities. And on July 14, a tip about North Carolina proved useful.

Brown was arrested in Brunswick County, North Carolina. He awaits extradition to Florida. He was charged with seven counts of the sale of unregistered securities, five counts of securities fraud, four counts of grand theft and one count of the sale of securities by an unregistered dealer.

For church elders, they're glad to see this finally coming to an end. They're also glad to see their church survive — and even thrive — through the difficult ordeal.

The church has taken steps to ensure something like this never happens again. It's a newer congregation and, as such, church bylaws are still being adjusted.

For one former assistant pastor, it's also been a lesson he's taking with him as he starts his own church.

Robert Pineda can still remember talking with the victims.

"It was just so hard to look at them in the face and tell them it's going to be OK because we know there was that issue of, 'Would they get the money back? Would they not?' And we still don't know that answer," Pineda said.

There's still anger two years later. But there is forgiveness, too.

Scott Adie, the president of the church's board, added: "There's a hope that through all of this, maybe this Wesley Alan Brown character will come to know the Lord in the same way that we do.”

Church leaders said they did a background check on Brown, but nothing came up that would have tipped them off to the eventual fraud.

When they learned of what happened, church officials immediately contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission and then the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. They were told their cooperation shaved months off the investigation.