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Dr. Williams is also Pastor Emeritus of Believers Baptist Church, an independent, fundamental, separated church fellowship under which Hephzibah House operates. Patti Williams, along with her husband Ron, founded Hephzibah House, an unlicensed Baptist girls group home in Winona Lake, Indiana. Heres some of what he said: When this thing aired, Wednesday morning guess who was at our door. Reclamation Ranch founder Lee Patterson calls the abuse allegations bogus: The ranch, he insists, had a family-style atmosphere., We have laws to protect people from illegal incarceration, says an alum of one tough-love home for teens. After a heated school-board meeting where parents demanded an investigation, Amelia headmaster George Martin went online to solicit stories from New Bethany alumni. Because we are disobeying the Lord a mother who wears pants will produce a daughter that may not have a servant spirit to men or her husband unless she wants something special from him. Hephzibah, GA Homes for Sale & Real Estate 155 Homes Available Tile Sort by 29 3510 BECTON Road, Hephzibah, GA 30815 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,480 Sqft 0.32 ac Lot Size Residential $170,000 USD View Details 29 2167 KANECK Way, Hephzibah, GA 30815 5 Beds 3 Baths 3,742 Sqft 0.5 ac Lot Size Residential $385,000 USD View Details 7 "We had to work on our knees on the floor for three or four hours every day, so when I left I had very thick callouses on my knees that would crack and bleed.". That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous. This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! And guess what? they substitute mind control for spanking! She says students were expected to do heavy labor in addition to their Bible-based education. It still is a struggle 10 years later. Getting through by phone also proved challenging, and calls were monitored. As soon as I took them off I changed my personality inasmuch as I felt softer, meeker, feminine and gentle. Still, without proof of a crime, law enforcement officials say little can be done. Kumar also says she didn't get proper medical care while staying at Hephzibah House. Help these children now The healing and long journey of recovery begins the moment a child comes through our doors. Naomi is not a tomboy and I think it is because she has been in dresses and feminine styles from her birth. 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 at one time attended a church that supported this ". It was two months before she and her husband could arrange a conference call with Roxy and the staff. Imagine eating a bowl full of greasy kettle chips, sitting in a cold room shivering in your dreadful uniform, knowing that was to be your nourishment until supper ocurred at least 5 or 6 hours later. Let the fire marshall in for an inspection, then do surprise inspections frequently after that. 2,384 Sq Ft. 3474 Stockport Dr, Hephzibah, GA 30815. The school/home does not fit any category for a state license. 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. I knew what I was doing, I was not innocent. Watch Living in Sin: Inside a Religious Reform School | A&E. "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 abhorred the fact that they would do children like they were doing them.. New Bethany alumni alerted local authorities to Kings past and his new location. 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. You have to wear diapers now.'". I am sorry that these girls did not like the rules I will pray for them, An excellent documentary on this school by Jeri Massi.http://www.jeriwho.net/tlohh.html. In some cases she is neither dressed in a proper manner nor under her husband. Stopping a curse can be accomplished by obeying Gods Word. 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. Hephzibah Children's Association - Helping children thrive and families flourish since 1897 Award-Winning Foster Care Our Foster Care Program licenses and supports foster families and foster children in transition. I am not so sure any of us are really deceived deep down inside. You must log in or register to reply here. The Bible tells us in I Timothy 2:9 that a woman is to dress in a modest way. It sounded like a discipleship program, Jeannie Marie recalls. "We would get cases of, banana boxes full of dented cans that had no labels. And my lesbian friends would disagree that all girls and women are out to get attention from men. CPS with Winona Lakes police officer Joe Bumbaugh. Builder is offering $8000 Buyer Incentive on this home. Mother, you can avoid this by rearing her properly, or perhaps cleaning up your own life first and then cleaning hers up. As a nonprofit public-interest publisher, we leverage books, diverse voices, and media engagement to facilitate social change, enrich public discourse, and defend democratic values: Read more. But are they cultish? Those were the days of the ungodly provocative lets-go-to-bed-look fashions. (Please read Whos to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco?). It will ruin your daughter physically, mentally, emotionally," Lambright pleaded. Our Affiliates. This Williams woman was seriously misguided at best, possibly had mental health issues, or far, far, worse. They accompanied her to the shower and toilet, and introduced her to a life of communal isolation and rigid discipline. 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). Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Clark Word, now 44, was sent there when he was about 15. He would arrive with a school bus full of teenagers from his girls home in Arcadia, a Louisiana town of 2,700. Targeted Because 0f Your Race or Religion? Good thing his wife isnt alive. Visitors to the festival have increased from 65,000 in 2000 to 285,000 in 2018. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and So I dug out my pants and wore them for one entire day. Isn't it strange that those who testify against abuse boldly sign their names and those who are supposedly supporting the school don't dare to? Mary Kumar is a survivor of a lockdown reform school for the wayward. Later, she slashed her wrists. Ive been fighting this. There are many problems in the church today and I think women constitute one of the main problems. Authorities in the state are barred from inspecting the homes or even keeping track of them. Know a Teen Girl or Young Adult Coached By Mom on How to Lose Weight? I felt like they stole whatever was inside me that allowed me to trust, says a former resident. Dad will burst his buttons with praise over a pure virgin daughter filled with Godly character if you do it Gods way. If God tells me pants are sin (and He does) then my children are not wearing them whether they do at Christian Camp Youth Group Church or Christian School. I think now that girls, children, aren't there right now is bigI mean its huge. I dont hate anyone, because I know their influence is satan. After Dr. Phils expos, Dave Halyaman publicly voiced his objections to the story. He has pastored in West Virginia and ministered as a replacement missionary with his wife, Sandy, in Germany in 1993-94.He and Sandy reside in Warsaw, Indiana. About ten years ago I ran into the pastor form the IFBX church we left and decided to take the high road. There's girls there right now and my heart hurts for them every day," she said. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. For what reason? Mary Kumar's Story. My pets? Pastor Don Williams graduated from Hyles-Anderson College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Theology. Of course they should have interviewed girls that have left the place who will tell the truth willingly. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tickets. We have our critics, but also people who think very well of us, he said. The Lambs of Hephzibah House. I took that case personally, recalls Emory Rush, the now-retired sheriffs chief deputy who led the raid. The girls call her a Holly Hobbie doll. 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! Lambright told 16 News Now she had to carry a pink mat to church after that incident, which she felt was done to humiliate her. They spoke of living as prostitutes and drug addicts before finding salvation at New Bethany, where they now rode horses and studied the Bible. Are they 100% cult? I really admire the dress of the Amish and Mennonite women who live relatively close to our mission. Thats the backdoor channel that Donna, a military wife and mother of eight in the Northeast, ended up taking. Hephzibah House told supporters the facility that once housed troubled teen girls will now be a Christian Camp for those suffering with PTSD. Fear. *, In March 2010, the House passed the Keeping All Students Safe Act, a bill that would have banned the use of seclusion and physical or chemical restraints by any school that benefits from federal education money. I have thought the same thing myself, but I can be easily dismissed since I am a former student. 16 News Now was contacted by more than a dozen women with similar experiences. After Word had been there for almost seven months, his watch escaped. Neither characteristic is a Godly one. She told me of her upbringing in North Carolina, where an IFB preacher named Mack Ford occasionally visited her church. If he [Ron Williams] was an abuser or a pedophile, I would know. Despite being investigated by the state numerous times, Hephzibah House remains in operation. I pray that some will stand for His sake and not let the world control our dress and our lives. Schizophrenic Women should give you a good idea of how Hephzibah House was operated and how incarcerated girls were treated by the Williamses. The average property tax on Highway 88 is $1,560/yr and the average house or building was built in 1971. Its findingswhich detailed the use of extended stress positions, days of seclusion, strenuous labor, denial of bathroom access, and deathscame out in a series of dramatic congressional hearings over two years. Because it's going to help them heal. CPS should interview the girls who have graduated from H House, and (this is important) who are old enough to no longer be living under their parents control. I have seen how it adversely molded her thinking and interactions. He refused to discuss any allegations of abuse. New Homes. They would have these horrible illnesses or sicknesses and they would be made fun of or treated like garbage, but for things like that we were given forced pelvic exams or forced anal exams and that doesn't make any sense to me.". We have allowed the world to dictate our styles. Like you, I came to Christ as a young adult and had no experience at all with extremism until then. Hopefully the more the word gets out, the fewer girls and families can be devastated by this so-called "ministry.". Repentance means to turn around, change, be different. They knew they would all be severely punished if they did. Money? Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. (A former staffer called them revival rooms.) Misbehaving boys were put in isolation, given a can to pee in, and forced to listen to hours of taped sermons, Word remembers. Patterson insists that the abuse allegations were bogus and denies using any corporal punishment or isolation tactics. Thread starter ALAYMAN; Start date Dec 1, 2020; ALAYMAN Well-known member. Whether you're traveling with friends, family, or even pets, Vrbo vacation homes have the best amenities for hanging out with the people that matter most, including private pools and swimming pools. So what is he doing with the money in the meantime? I see it as an attack on Christianity. Photos: New Bethany Alumni; Barbed Wire: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images. He and his wife Wenda reside in Warsaw, Indiana, and have 10 children and 10 grandchildren. Religious reform school closes after former students allege abuse & neglect, At least 5 sent to hospital in downtown Elkhart house fire. 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. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Oh to be like Him! We as former students-myself included-have revisited horribly painful memories and have signed our name along with our statements. The Faith Community has been prominent in our county since 1894, the beginning of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? Because of his practical experience in picking up the pieces of homes and families for so many years, the preaching of Pastor Williams emphasizes the Christian home and family. The call dissolved into a shouting match between Jeannie Marie and McNamarawho finally declared that he would only discuss the matter with her husband. Nor would he divulge the name of his attorney or agree to have his attorney contact me. A safe place where a daughter can go to have time alone to find God and her direction.. Headmaster Bill McNamara spoke, too, depicting the home as a place where girls could get on track academically, restore broken relationships, and learn to walk with God. Celebrating original thought, religious freedom, parenthood, free enterprise and chocolate. ]The girls behavior was micromanaged down to the number of squares of toilet paper each was allowed; potential infractions ranged from making eye contact with another girl to not finishing a meal. Seeking Interesting People Who Play Solitaire Grand Harvest. A Christian Mother Has A Heavy Responsibility. But Maj. Durward Bennett, the former chief deputy of the local sheriffs department, told me they didnt see fit to investigate Kings new home because, Bennett erroneously insisted, King was never convicted, and North Carolina has never deemed him unfit to operate a home. If you would like to contact Bruce directly, please use the contact form to do so. When they stopped at a restaurant on the way home, she robotically asked for permission to speak or to use the bathroom. Perhaps we need to be bound up? Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? He said he is stumped by the abuse accusations. What effect do pants have on our children? A woman who wears pants or immodest dress will produce a daughter that will have either masculine character or rebellious character or the qualities of a strange woman. For the past thirty years, Dave Halyaman has served the assistant director of Hephzibah House and assistant pastor at Believers Baptist. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run, she told me. Hephzibah Discover a selection of 70 vacation rentals in Hephzibah, GA that are perfect for your trip. Two weeks after seeing the girls in church, Jeannie Marie and her husband left Roxy in McNamaras care with the promise that she would receive counseling twice a week and stay at New Beginnings no longer than two months. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2023 demands. Soon I felt bold, hard, haughty and unfeminine. (Rapiers ex-wife Dee told me she sent Guy to recover at her mothers Texas home before returning him to his parents.). By that time, Roxy said, most girls are broken, having been told that their families have abandoned them, and that the world outside is a sinful, dangerous place where girls who leave are murdered or raped. 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. It is a Netflix Original, meaning that the streamer has global rights, including in Korea. I put a dress on her within two hours after she was born over her stretch sleepers and she has had dresses on ever since. etc. Dear lady, you are then gross in a bathing suit! I never went to Hephzibah House but was horrified to read the comments of survivors. This five-part, 75 minute series explores the brutal cult of ignorance promoted by Ron and the late Pattie Williams. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Then they wanted to talk to the girls. I mean, I think he brings up his utility bill is $20,000. Hephzibah House describes itself as a private Christian boarding school for teenage girls. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. He found Riders online community, which included Dee Rapier, the wife of his old nemesis. But while Williams tours the country speaking to churchgoers about home and family, his son Ben is speaking out against his father's school. 16 News Now investigates: Former students speak out against religious reform school, At least 5 sent to hospital in downtown Elkhart house fire. The New Press amplifies progressive voices for a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. I will continue to try to help as long as people want me to help them, explains Ben Williams. Hephzibah House, the private Christian boarding school for troubled teenaged girls that has been marred for decades with accusations of abuse, is now permanently closed. NEW BETHANY FINALLY shut down its remaining Louisiana compound after years of police raids and legal battles. A good society limits the behaviors of its members only as much as is necessary for the health and well-being of the group. Karen Glover, a Navy veteran who attended Indianas Roloff-inspired Hephzibah House as a girl, described what she calls the bowel and bladder torture. The girls were given bran, made to drink lots of water at breakfast, and then denied bathroom access until lunchtime. Back in Maryland, she showed signs of an eating disorder, self-destructive behavior, and severe depression. Some think that women do not really make sense. Girls at Hephzibah House are housed for a minimum of fifteen months, and during that time attend serviced at Believers Baptist three times a week. Dr. Williams is also active in the field of evangelism. But Dee Rapier confirmed the atmosphere of physical and psychological torment at the facility she ran with her former husband. Satan doesnt want that. Authorities and watchdog groups are familiar with the patternsthe state-hopping, the frequent openings and closingsbut people forget, says Deputy Rush. Heather wore pants until she was five when we got saved. That should keep the windows operational, or close the facility down. Recovery home is now for sale. 879 likes. Movoto has access to the latest real estate data including single family homes, condos/townhouses, open houses, new listings and more in Hephzibah GA. Would you want us to not do that [give pelvic exams] ? Just getting a girl out of pants changes their personality and they are not even aware of the change. My own theory is the horrors of daily life among Puritans and Pilgrims who brought those Midieval ethics to this hemisphere. This comes after a 16 news now investigation just over a month ago. I saw that with a lot of other students. AS THE USUAL, the food was rather poor and not always cooked very well. (New Beginnings has operated under multiple names in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.) Would call us, stay in touch, invite us to their weddings, so now they are leading a whole group against us which is really inexplicable to us," he said. I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. Thats still true. (Missouri isnt alone. That same year I tried something else. A traveling chorus from New Bethany. I am going to use myself as the prime example. Back in Maryland, Jeannie Marie was unaware of her daughters plight. Believers Baptist is pastored by Don Williams, the son of Ron and Patti Williams. 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. Translated from the original Hebrew, Hephzibah literally means, "My delight is in her.". About This Home BACK ON THE MARKET AT NO FAULT OF THE SELLER! Spanking -- To my knowledge they no longer spank, however this is so they will continue to receive students in my opinion. While it is unlikely they will ever be arrested and prosecuted, surely Indiana law enforcement and child protective services can find ways to eradicate the stench coming from Hephzibah House. Kalie, Susan, and Gabby say they want to raise awareness about Hephzibah House, where they claim they experienced abuse that still haunts them to this day. Her letters went unansweredonly one of Roxys replies got past the academys censors. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. This resulted in many personalities. Williams said the school and its staff do the Lord's work in line with fundamentalist Baptist teachings. Ive known him for 30 years. krystal pritchard started this petition to Abuse at Hephzibah House a boarding school for girls . A soft-spoken young woman, blonde and blue-eyed with a bright smile, Roxy confided to me that she found it easier to discuss her ordeal with a stranger than with the people closest to her. A woman is either attractive and causing a man to stumble or she is a slob and gross in appearance when she wears mens clothes. But apparently not if youre a teenage girl.. Now 65 and living in Texarkana, Texas, Dee had pleaded for forgiveness from her former charges. In 2 Kings 21:1, Hephzibah is the name of King Hezekiah's wife. I was 18 playing dress up. And if you can't drive yourself to the research site, ask about transportation options. You wont want to miss this episode. Ben Williams says this is just one step in the healing process. There was no horseback riding. I personally believe obedient saints have always maintained the sharp distinction between the sexes God ordered in this verse whether in New Testament Palestine or In the modern era. I feel for any girl or woman who has ever been under the purview of this place and SHAME on any parents who sent their children there! 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. Food -- The food sucked most of the time. Hephzibah House told 16 News Now the Department of Child Services visited in January and nothing was found. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. Hephzibah Children's Association has an overall rating of 3.2 out of 5, based on over 22 reviews left anonymously by employees. Absolutely. Deuteronomy 22:5 says you are an abomination to God if you wear the clothing of a man. It was done with written permission. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. The young women, visitors from a Missouri girls home called New Beginnings Ministries, sang old-time hymns, recited Scripture, and gave tearful testimonies about their journeys out of lives of sin. This four-part series is an interview that I did with Pat and Dennis Cassell, former members and church staff at Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, the home church of the infamous child molester, Pastor Bob Gray, and the morally bankrupt deacon board that allowed him to feed his appetites on the children of the church for two decades. Its hard to understand it, but faith-based is just taboo for regulation, says Matthew Franck, an editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who authored an investigative series on the states homes in the mid-2000s. New Bethany founder Mack Ford proved even less talkative. My dear Sister in Christ, look around our daughters are no longer pure. Its no wonder rape victims are blamed in fundamentalist Christianity. Girls were not allowed to converse except from 6 to 9 p.m. each Friday. The only times we really got good food were holidays, Friday nights (sometimes) and whenever a girl recieved treat money. 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. The average household income in the Highway 88 area is $57,996. I too came from a church that supported "the Double HH Ranch" and am absolutely appalled at the things I am hearing about this place. No. Learn More Intact Family Services One day last November, a group of teenage girls dressed in long khaki skirts and modest blouses stepped onto the stage at an Independent Fundamental Baptist church in Maryland where Jeannie Marie (a military spouse who asked that her last name not be used) attended services with her family. I have huge bulges, varicose veins, fat pockets.