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Clark Word, now 44, was sent there when he was about 15. TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Are you involved in a story making headlines? Perhaps you will identify or relate to what I have to say. She extracted her daughter nonetheless. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. A Christian Mother Has A Heavy Responsibility. What can you say about my husband? About The New Press. The combination does not really go together. She says humiliation is a daily part of life in the dorms and at church for Hephzibah House students. As you may recall, neither Don Williams nor Ron Williams. Dave Halyaman, assistant director of Hephzibah House, would not respond directly to Glovers claims. Yet with so many former Fundamentalists now calling themselves advocates, I find that I am still the only one who documented case afte case, getting down to the specifics of naming child molesters and churches that conspire to protect them. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Dr. Williams is also Pastor Emeritus of Believers Baptist Church, an independent, fundamental, separated church fellowship under which Hephzibah House operates. But because deputies neglected to seize Pattersons computer, which the escapee claimed contained files of videotaped beatings, Patterson was able to plead his felony charges down to a verbal harassment misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine. "I had this weird ear infection while I was there because they wouldn't let us use Q-tips and I didn't have a lot of time to clean myself because of our three-minute showers. The Faith Community has been prominent in our county since 1894, the beginning of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.. He said he wanted tomake sure he read them first to ensure that they weren't altered or censored once submitted to the secular media.GabriellaWww.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.com. He and his wife Wenda reside in Warsaw, Indiana, and have 10 children and 10 grandchildren. One of the greatest shocks our girls go through is to have their pants taken away! Thank you so much for posting this! Does it make sense for a Christian woman to cover her body with modest Godly clothing then take these clothes off to go in for mixed swimming? By Jason W. February 15, 2016 at 11:37 am CST. She was also punished with cold showers, she said, and endless sets of calisthenics after meals. Her dress and character will bear fruit in her children. Recovery home is now for sale. In a 1979 standoff that would become the stuff of fundamentalist folklore, Roloff declared his cause the Christian Alamo, organizing hundreds of supporters into barricades to keep state officials off his compound. Good thing his wife isnt alive. Back in Maryland, Jeannie Marie was unaware of her daughters plight. She wanted to know how Id turned out, Word recalls. MLS# 481380. Are You Involved in a Story Making Headlines? Soon I felt bold, hard, haughty and unfeminine. Are you on Social Media? I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. "A lot of on the floor work," she said. Windows nailed shut in sleeping quarters is a fire code violation. If a religion supports these things, then it is f****** EVIL. The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. My fingerprints were never on them. But he adds that he fired three staff members shortly before the raid for abusive methods: one for shooting a rifle over the boys heads, one for roughhousing a resident and shoving him into a locker, and one for placing a boy in handcuffs. Keep up the good work!! Relies uponn sermon clips, interviewes with victims, and interviews with adult members of the congregation. It was founded in 1971. I too was there and I too was beaten by them. I soon learned that I could control men with my eyes, voice, body movements and dress. Founded in 1971, the school operates under the authority of Believers Baptist Church, one of the hundreds of small churches that ascribe to the religious teachings of the independent fundamental Baptist movement. The Schizophrenic Woman, what has that to do with me? Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Perhaps you live a decent Chrlstian life, but why are you allowing your daughter to live like a strange woman? Please take the time to read the Times Union article about Halymans response. Just the way a woman reacts to the whole subject of pants, modesty and dress reveals to me the seriousness of the situation. The mission headquarters has been located in Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1971, the year of its organization. This comes after a 16 news now investigation just over a month ago. I put Joe and the lady from CPS in a room and closed the door. When it comes to paddling the girls too hard, the school said they have not used corporal correction for years. That is true. Williams died several years ago, but her husband still continues to operate Hephzibah House. Inside a Religious Reform School: Survivors of Hephzibah House: With Phil McGraw. So I dug out my pants and wore them for one entire day. Yet I was an ERA type woman to the core. He said he is stumped by the abuse accusations. The Lambs of Hephzibah House. Hephzibah House tells 16 News Now there are currently four girls enrolled at the reform school. Just getting a girl out of pants changes their personality and they are not even aware of the change. A week or so after the disastrous conference call, Jeannie Marie traveled to La Russell with a friend whod heard about places like New Beginningssketchy teen homes drawn by Missouris laissez-faire policy toward faith-based residential facilities. For further information on their stories, please read the following posts: Bruce Gerencser, 62, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 41 years. The Lord has done a marvelous work in our lives. (It, too, died in the Senate.) I tried something several years ago to see what would happen. She had posted her phone number for anyone wanting to talk, drawing a cautious but earnest call from Word. In addition to documenting the complaint, the health inspector also cited Hephzibah House for a few of its procedures involving food preparations. Deuteronomy 22:5 says you are an abomination to God if you wear the clothing of a man. (Rapiers ex-wife Dee told me she sent Guy to recover at her mothers Texas home before returning him to his parents.). But apparently not if youre a teenage girl.. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. We have allowed the world to dictate our styles. I am not so sure any of us are really deceived deep down inside. 2,384 Sq Ft. 3474 Stockport Dr, Hephzibah, GA 30815. For church and special occasions or a precious date with my honey, I wear my finest. King and his assistant were charged with kidnapping, unlawful neglect, and conspiracy. Our students are taught to be productive and responsible members of society. Recently Sold . He surrendered to preach in 1982. Being bisexual is common. I have thought the same thing myself, but I can be easily dismissed since I am a former student. New Beginnings is emblematic of an unknown number of troubled teen homes catering to the Independent Fundamental Baptist communitya web of thousands of autonomous churches linked by doctrine, overlapping leadership, and affiliations with Bible colleges like Bob Jones University. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. Again, I believe they realized they would be shut down so that one had to go.Ron Williams is still very interested in who's who in the virginal world of his students, however. Andy Kopsa, who covers abusive homes in her blog, Off the Record, noted that GOP members whose districts host tough-love schools rallied against the act. And yes, every once in a while they deny this but every once in a while a can of dog food would get dropped in. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. (New Beginnings has operated under multiple names in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.) Inexpensive, too! We found 84 addresses and 85 properties on Highway 88 in Hephzibah, GA. Im trying to be kind here. They made a striking presentationyoung women in white blouses or dresses, with lovely voices, singing and offering dramatic testimonies. She will suffer all the rest of her life. I wept with joy because I know now that no more parents, who don't have the ability to be the parents they should have been, can just dump their girls to somewhere where that girl is locked up for 1, 2, 3, 4 5 years at a time! Lesbianism among teenagers is common and routine. there is a difference. Thank you for reading this post. I am a former student of Hephzibah House in Indiana. Click here for the CNN report on abuse at Hephzibah House. Theres still people out here that are hurt, so Im still talking. After Word had been there for almost seven months, his watch escaped. A reform school in Kosciusko County, facing allegations of neglect and abuse from former students, has closed. Ben Williams tells us he is concerned that the girls currently enrolled at Hephzibah House are being abused. It is interesting to note that as far as I can tell, we have never had a girl or woman come into our program at Hephzibah House that did not wear pants. New Beginnings describes itself as a character-building facility for troubled teens, and what Jeannie Marie heard in church that day was that this might be a place for her daughter to heal. 229 Hephzibah homes for sale range from $6K - $1.99M with the avg price of a 2-bed single family home of $108K. Select an address below to search who owns that property on Highway 88 and uncover many additional details. All Rights Reserved. This location included Believers Baptist Church, a school and staff houses. Donna estimates that the family spent $20,000 on her three-month staytuition and fees, plus the cost of counseling and educational catch-up required after Kelsey came home. Each child has an individualized treatment plan to address their specific needs. Satan doesnt want that. Listen on Apple Podcasts. We have laws to protect people from illegal incarceration, she says, but apparently not if youre a teenage girl. In the past year, New Bethany alums staged a reunion trip to confront the Fords, and they joined with members of kindred groups such as Survivors of Institutional Abuse to gather and publicize survivor stories. What follows is an excerpt from the pamphlet: One of the hottest issues today among women is the pants issue and other areas of clothing. Now I know why - secrecy is the key to continued operationI think it is a good thing that this organization is being exposed. Your children need to obey; you and your husband need to let these groups know where you stand on this issue. Click here to read the Hephzibah House full response to the allegations. Ive known him for 30 years. Would you want us to not do that [give pelvic exams] ? To hear another outside observer recognize the rehearsed statements feels a little like being validated. You do have to sign in through some type of cable provider to watch it: https://www.aetv.com//living-in-sin-inside-a-/full-special aetv.com Watch Living in Sin: Inside a Religious Reform School | A&E I want to look special for the Lord and my husband. Back in Maryland, she showed signs of an eating disorder, self-destructive behavior, and severe depression. I too am a former Hephzibah student and so appreciate those who are helping get the word out! In fact, in a letter to the constituents inquiring about the bill, Brown had simply noted that this was a concern of the bills opponents, not necessarily his own view. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. In response to the accusation that they conduct child labor, the school said it does require students to do daily chores but does not overwork them. At Circle of Hope, Kelsey was allegedly ordered to do pushups in horse manure, restrained and sat upon by staff members, and pushed to make false confessions about promiscuity. That includes issues he says the school has with the quality of food being served. This five-part, 75 minute series explores the brutal cult of ignorance promoted by Ron and the late Pattie Williams. Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the peacefulness. It was done with written permission. I also see this change in children. I was very unsubmissive and I grew worse as the day progressed. I really admire the dress of the Amish and Mennonite women who live relatively close to our mission. Rants, Musings, and Mental Meanderings of a former Conservative Christian Mother. At Hephzibah House Ron Williams preached from the pulpit that menstruation was called the curse because it was a curse. The average property tax on Highway 88 is $1,560/yr and the average house or building was built in 1971. When I wear my housedresses, I feel like working on floors that need scrubbing, cooking and digging in the garden. If he does not desire to speak out then do not speak out either but pray the Lord protect your child. I was a different personality for specific occasions and my dress fit the occasion. The effects of a pants-wearing mother is just as devastating on a boy. she said. George W. Bush deregulated the activities of faith-based groups there. You are using an out of date browser. These are easy to make or to have made. Unfortunately, just like there is in the public schools and public sector, there are disgruntled parents, who, instead of looking at their own child and situation, choose to talk about the school, he said. Audio Documentary of the practices and teachings of Ron and Patti Williams of Hephzibah House in Warsaw Indiana, a so-called "Home for Troubled Girls" that makes it a policy to humiliate, degrade, and improperly feed and care for teenage girls, all in the name of making them godly Christian women. How can those who are advocating for these women of Hephzibah House obtain information on the churches who support HH so that we could write letters directly to these pastors. Seeking Interesting People Who Play Solitaire Grand Harvest. Follow Bruce on Facebook and Twitter. She lived at Hephzibah House from 2007 to 2009. Houses for Rent Near Me; Cheap Apartments for Rent Near Me; More. She says she was spanked during her five years there. One-time donations can be made through PayPal. Despite the bad PR, Christian reform facilities appear to have no trouble attracting new recruits. Sexual Abuse in the Name of God: New Bethany Home for Girls, Teen Group Homes: Dear IFB Pastor, Its Time for You to Atone for Your Sin, NPR Story on Mack Ford, Sexual Abuse, and New Bethany Home for Girls in Arcadia, Louisiana, Black Collar Crime: Pastor Eddy Noelsaint Accused of Rape, Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Youth Pastor Josh Henley Sentenced to Forty-Five Years in Prison for Sex Crimes Against Children, Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Student Ministry Leader Vernon Willis Accused of Inappropriately Touching Church Girls, Evangelicals are an Existential Threat to the United States, Some Atheists Think I was Stupid for not Deconverting Sooner, Black Collar Crime: Catholic School Teacher Verity Beck Accused of Murdering Her Parents, Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Evangelist Chris Brooks Accused of Assaulting His Wife, Why I Write The Black Collar Crime Series and Will Continue to Do So Despite Criticism from Evangelicals, Dr. David Tee Thinks Everyone Who is Not a Christian is an Atheist, Bruce, I Pray You Will Have Your Eyes Opened and the Truth will Guide You, Dont Dress Like a Whore if You Dont Want to Get Sexually Assaulted Says Lori Alexander. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. I think you have made a very wise observation. Rebekah Home eventually closed, and New Beginnings opened in Florida soon after, under the watch of a couple who had worked with Roloff for 35 years. Beginning initially in the suburbs of Chicago, it was not long until the Lord providentially led us to Winona Lake, Indiana, where we have been until this present hour. The bill passed in the House, but stalled in a Senate committee. She told me of her upbringing in North Carolina, where an IFB preacher named Mack Ford occasionally visited her church. Watch Living in Sin: Inside a Religious Reform School | A&E. My wife, on the other hand, grew up in it. The school is still asking for financial support from Fundamentalist Baptist church-goers, which leaves former students with unanswered questions. They went through every single girl and talked to every single staff the day after it aired. Among them was Cat Givens, an Ohio radio technician who stayed at New Bethany in 1974 and became so shell-shocked by the routine of punishment and submissionand the spectacle of runaways being returned by the police and handcuffed to their bedsthat she lost her will to resist. Brenda, I just came from that site and thought exactly the same thing!! A woman greatly influences and brings out the Godly qualities of her man by her actions and words. Because I used to listen to [Roloff] on the radio, and read about the great girls coming out of his place, I thought maybe this was Gods thing for Roxy, Jeannie Marie remembers. Whos to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco? Welcome to the website for HEPHZIBAH HOUSE. It will ruin your daughter physically, mentally, emotionally," Lambright pleaded. Our ungodly dress has resulted In our unsubmissive, bold, masculine spirits. She told me how, in her first weeks at the academys Missouri compounda summer-camp setup in remote La Russell, population 145she and other girls snuck letters to their parents between the pages of hymnals in a local church they attended, along with entreaties to congregants to mail them. Nanci Gonder, press secretary for the Missouri attorney generals office, suggests that officials are hamstrungprivate schools dont require state accreditation and are not governed by laws regulating the public schools. But back at the hive, Roloffs wards were often subjected to days in locked isolation rooms where his sermons played in an endless loop. The average household income in the Highway 88 area is $57,996. And if you can't drive yourself to the research site, ask about transportation options. They asked Roxy if she wanted to come home. DCS says that's why there are no formal inspections unless child neglect or abuse is reported, and even then they don't investigate claims against unlicensed facilities without law enforcement. Girls were not allowed to converse except from 6 to 9 p.m. each Friday. they substitute mind control for spanking! Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do. Geez, the cop and CPS should have known this. Even then I wanted to be beautiful. Well you say we are in different times, they wore different clothing and besides they both wore robes. "There are myriads of troubled teenage girls in this world, and we can't help all of them, but, praise God, we can help some. I was 18 playing dress up. NEW BETHANY FINALLY shut down its remaining Louisiana compound after years of police raids and legal battles. Anderson Cooper covered a thorough investigation of the boarding school for girls and no one has made any efforts to close down this . TM & 2023 Peteski Productions, Inc. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc.. a Paramount company. Learn More Intact Family Services One of the students Martin contacted was Teresa Frye, now a 43-year-old mother of four. No man would control my life! They are our fruits. Fear. This story has an eerily similar feel to those told by the girls that were incarcerated at Mack Fords New Bethany Home for Girls. Perhaps you have worn these and did not desire these things. Full stop, no excuses, no exceptions. Then there was the big sister treatmentestablished students, directed by staff, inflicting punishments on the newbies. 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. I abhorred the fact that they would do children like they were doing them.. tonight HH will be exposed on CNN and 8pm EST. My ear erupted down the side of my face and that wasn't really given a lot of focus," she recalled. I would give literature to parents about the schools, says Gerencser, who is now a critic of the IFB mindset. The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Interviews with a half-dozen former students indicate that most of the girls were merely rebellious teenslike Frye, who at age 14 began resisting her strict Baptist parents. Through the years, the ministry has changed locations a few times and altered its outreach programs to meet the needs of the day, at various times publishing periodicals and . The raid grabbed headlines, but the school reopened again, this time merging with Fords New Bethany girls school in Arcadia. They included former Indiana Rep. Mark Souder (Hephzibah House), Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt (Reclamation Ranch, Rachel Academy), and North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx (King Family Ministries), who testified: This bill is not neededThe states and the localities can handle these situations. A good society recognizes that its ultimate value, and survival, depends on cooperation among its members at many levels, and long-term cooperation requires mutual respect. The operators of shady homes do seem to have a knack for avoiding major prosecution. One of Ron Williams' "Credible Witnesses". This pamphlet remains popular in some corners of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) world. I told him wedon't see each other much at all (removed by over 100 miles) but after all this time I didn't want any bad feelings between us. The entrance to New Bethanys Louisiana compound. I grew up in a typical American home. I genuinely desire to be like my precious Saviour. So 'surprise soup' would be multiple different soups dumped in, stir it up, and that was the slop that they were served," Ben Williams said. Former students say it's thanks to a community effort that the school shut down. 16 News Now was contacted by more than a dozen women with similar experiences. Pastor Dave Halyaman is an assistant Director of Hephzibah House, and Assistant Pastor at Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana and has held these positions since 1990.Brother Halyaman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University Los Angeles in 1978, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Theology from Hyles-Anderson College in 1987. We never got the food we should have recieved, I am sure of it. The assistant director of Hephzibah House is speaking out after a two-part series aired on Dr. Phil earlier this month about the boarding school. This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous. Mental abuse -- YES YES YES. His psychology is messed up and he probably feels like a freak, but disguises it with the sinister behaviors. We had pants, shorts, bathing suits, immodest clothing, television, movies, dancing lessons, circuses etc. I reached him at home on three occasions, and he hung up on me twice. As soon as I took them off I changed my personality inasmuch as I felt softer, meeker, feminine and gentle. Eighteen-year-old Olivia Lambright just left the school last June. Hephzibah House follows the state requirements for a General and or College prep diploma. Bruce Gerencser, 65, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 44 years. One of the critics who was on the Dr. Phil show, after she graduated and she left us, she invited all of us the whole staff, months later to her graduation party. And the girls are having accidents and that's what happened to me," she said. 879 likes. A private religious school does not require state certification. Ugh ! I was proud and haughty at my catch but filled with doubts and suspicions afterwards. 2016 Hephzibah House Contact Usvar _rwObsfuscatedHref0 = "mai";var _rwObsfuscatedHref1 = "lto";var _rwObsfuscatedHref2 = ":he";var _rwObsfuscatedHref3 = "phz";var _rwObsfuscatedHref4 = "iba";var _rwObsfuscatedHref5 = "hpi";var _rwObsfuscatedHref6 = "ctu";var _rwObsfuscatedHref7 = "res";var _rwObsfuscatedHref8 = "@gm";var _rwObsfuscatedHref9 = "ail";var _rwObsfuscatedHref10 = ".co";var _rwObsfuscatedHref11 = "m";var _rwObsfuscatedHref = _rwObsfuscatedHref0+_rwObsfuscatedHref1+_rwObsfuscatedHref2+_rwObsfuscatedHref3+_rwObsfuscatedHref4+_rwObsfuscatedHref5+_rwObsfuscatedHref6+_rwObsfuscatedHref7+_rwObsfuscatedHref8+_rwObsfuscatedHref9+_rwObsfuscatedHref10+_rwObsfuscatedHref11; document.getElementById('rw_email_contact').href = _rwObsfuscatedHref; is the Founder and Director of Hephzibah House, Inc., a Christian Boarding School for troubled girls. The girls would open them up, and they would just starting dumping. Netflix and Korean public broadcaster MBC on Thursday defeated a court application for an injunction to stop the airing of their documentary "In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal." The 8-part series began airing from Friday (March 3). Thank you both so much for taking time to read this and comment. In 1984, police were tipped off by escapees about a rope chain gang working the gardens, and beatings with PVC pipewhich, the boys darkly joked, stood for pound victims cruelly., Officers raided the compound and discovered Doug Word bound, in his underwear, on the floor of a dark and padlocked isolation cell. It feels great, says Mary. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. You may now be thinking or wondering what she is getting at? Clarification: The version of this article that appeared in the magazine left the impression that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was concerned that HR 911 could interfere with parents rights. Titus 2:5 says we are to be keepers at home. Rountree, who bluntly calls Patterson evil, says he and his staff traveled extensively to gather testimony from former Reclamation Ranch kids, but found little usable evidence. Hopefully the more the word gets out, the fewer girls and families can be devastated by this so-called "ministry.". New Homes. He also asked for letters to the newspaper and media BUT he asked that they be sent to him first, and then he would submit the letters. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. A woman who is causing problems in the body of Christ is either not dressed properly or not under submission to her husband. The school/home does not fit any category for a state license. As I have worked with women and teens for years I see the same character in each female. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? Donations on a monthly basis can be made through Patreon. That is wonderful but you were just as guilty because you caused a man to lust or to attempt control over his vision. Mother, you can avoid this by rearing her properly, or perhaps cleaning up your own life first and then cleaning hers up. My wife and I left a teaching position in the early nineties.