I am going to use myself as the prime example. Around 1984, the girls were moved to the current facility at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, Warsaw. How much does a house cost in Hephzibah? Dress definitely affects our personality. They accompanied her to the shower and toilet, and introduced her to a life of communal isolation and rigid discipline. Deuteronomy 22:5 says you are an abomination to God if you wear the clothing of a man. We found 84 addresses and 85 properties on Highway 88 in Hephzibah, GA. Neither will the rest of us. Patti Williams, along with her husband Ron, founded Hephzibah House, an unlicensed Baptist girls group home in Winona Lake, Indiana. My daughter Naomi has never worn pants unless under a maxi and that is rare. 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. 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. A mother is the primary Influence on her daughter. Whos to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco? The New Press amplifies progressive voices for a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. Jay Kirksey, Circle of Hopes attorney, would not address Donnas claims, but he extended an invitation to come visit. But Lucinda, another former student, is defending . Since the same root hafz means "guarding" or "taking care of," all words from this root suggest the idea of "safeguarding," and . As I listen to their questions, handle their problems and study the Word for answers, I see that the Bible holds us responsible as mothers for our part in helping or harming our children. This location included Believers Baptist Church, a school and staff houses. Once Gerencser reached the pulpit, he saw teen-home directors showing up at pastors fellowship meetings to peddle their services; Hephzibah House director Ron Williamswho now hosts a show on the Bob Jones University radio stationvisited Gerencsers own church with a girls chorus. That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous. Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. Eighteen-year-old Olivia Lambright just left the school last June. 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! In 2007, she sent her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey, to the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville, Missouri. It's us but for your ears. Hephzibah House, which still operates today and was championed to the end by WMUU, the radio station started by Bob Jones University, has been investigated in the past for child abuse. Visitors to the festival have increased from 65,000 in 2000 to 285,000 in 2018. Like you, I came to Christ as a young adult and had no experience at all with extremism until then. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. In one memorable 1982 incident, a student named Guy disappeared from the school after he was badly beaten with golf clubs by other students, leaving Guys terror-stricken friends to wonder whether the staff had finished him off. Translated from the original Hebrew, Hephzibah literally means, "My delight is in her.". Indeed, Olin King (who through his wife declined to comment for this article) now runs a North Carolina home for preteen boys under the names King Family Ministries and Second Chance Ranch. Believers Baptist is pastored by Don Williams, the son of Ron and Patti Williams. 2,384 Sq Ft. 3474 Stockport Dr, Hephzibah, GA 30815. 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. is an assistant Director of Hephzibah House, and Assistant Pastor at Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana and has held these positions since 1990. She lived at Hephzibah House from 2007 to 2009. 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. So, it was a team effort by thousands of people across the country.. While at Grace Seminary, he was awarded the annual Glenn Russell Fink Award in expository preaching (1978).In 1987, Brother Williams was honored by the Great Plains Baptist College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where they conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree. I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. A safe place where a daughter can go to have time alone to find God and her direction.. I know there are a few pastors just like him who would not change even if Jesus himself came down and told them Ron Williams was wrong but I honestly have more faith in some of their supporters that they are deceived. I know that there's hundreds of girls that this is huge for them and this is a relief and I'm so happy for them. Are you on Social Media? They went through every single girl and talked to every single staff the day after it aired. About The New Press. I hope more reporters and journalists will be exposing this horror it has been going far too long. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. In 2 Kings 21:1, Hephzibah is the name of King Hezekiah's wife. Then-prosecutor Tommy Rountree said deputies raided the ranch after an escapee alerted them to beatings, isolation cells, and armed staffers who would go hunting for runaways.. When I phoned New Beginnings to ask about the familys allegations, a staffer referred all questions to Wesley Barnum, the academys attorney, who did not return my repeated calls. But apparently not if youre a teenage girl.. Of course not it was for men! Open Houses. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Many times I warned my husband about this woman and could not understand why Godly men across this nation followed her. I really admire the dress of the Amish and Mennonite women who live relatively close to our mission. He says he wants the community to know about the physical and emotional abuse he both saw and endured growing up at Hephzibah House. Want Dr. Phil to Investigate a Situation or Possible Scam? He has 41 living grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. About This Home BACK ON THE MARKET AT NO FAULT OF THE SELLER! Mental abuse -- YES YES YES. At both the state and federal levels, the troubled teen industryreligious and secularenjoys quiet support from many politicians. I just knew that when certain lobbyists would stand up to say, We have a concern about how this affects faith-based institutions, the bill was immediately amendedit was a very Republican legislatureor it would immediately die. 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. Thats the backdoor channel that Donna, a military wife and mother of eight in the Northeast, ended up taking. You are using an out of date browser. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Yes of course he does. He served as Assistant Pastor in Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana for 11 years and since 1998, has been the Senior Pastor. The name Hephzibah or Hafzbah expresses a very clear idea. I am not so sure any of us are really deceived deep down inside. You can have them made for most jobs at which you work. Instead, he offered to put me in touch with two pastors who had daughters there. In addition to documenting the complaint, the health inspector also cited Hephzibah House for a few of its procedures involving food preparations. Getting through by phone also proved challenging, and calls were monitored. We live in very unbiblical times where people do not like certain rules.Our church is considering supporting this ministry and I am supportive of this decision. Id never visited those homes, but you took at face value that people were doing good things. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Terms of Service apply. More recently, he underwent Emergency Medical Technician training in Indiana, and served for ten years as an EMT. A Fish and Her Bicycle: The Horrors of Hephzibah House A Fish and Her Bicycle Rants, Musings, and Mental Meanderings of a former Conservative Christian Mother. Ive been calling everyone, Donna says, and I want to know: Why is nothing being done?, Our Consumer Protection Division is still looking into the issue, Gonder responds. Thank you so much for posting this! Those were the days of the ungodly provocative lets-go-to-bed-look fashions. With so many woman contacting 16 News Now, we reached out to Hephzibah House. 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. In 1982, they sent her to New Bethany, and her 10-year-old sister followed soon after. This is a link to the article I mentioned, where Ron Williams explains how to "beat" an infant. The wife of Hezekiah and mother of king Manasseh ( 2 Kings 21:1 ). To hear another outside observer recognize the rehearsed statements feels a little like being validated. 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 . 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. 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. "I will not shut up. But you Christian mothers, why are you allowing your daughter to be a strange woman, a schizophrenic woman? Kumar says the neglect was beyond physical, leaving her unprepared for the real world. thank you for sharing. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. In April, Montana state Rep. Christy Clark, who campaigned on a faith and family platform, joined 11 other Republicans in scuttling a bill that would have regulated religious teen homes; a mother of three, she cast the homes residents as unreliable witnesses who struggle with truthfulness.), When Jeannie Marie arrived at New Beginnings, she had a tense conversation with the school counselor, who insisted that Roxy wanted to stay. I gotta learn not to read stuff like this right after dinner. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? She said, So many of you turned out to have alcohol and drug problems. I didnt tell her at that point that shed ruined my life.. "A lot of on the floor work," she said. There's girls there right now and my heart hurts for them every day," she said. A woman has an inner desire to attract men. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. Help these children now The healing and long journey of recovery begins the moment a child comes through our doors. Recovery home is now for sale. Mary Kumar's Story. Soon I felt bold, hard, haughty and unfeminine. 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. 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. The average property tax on Highway 88 is $1,560/yr and the average house or building was built in 1971. 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. She becomes either bold or sloppy perhaps slobby. 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. After months of punitive mealtimes, including five-minute force feeding sessions for girls on redshirt, she wolfed her food. Vaginal exam -- [This] did not happen to me, luckily. Or similarly lots of makeup and a bland or unkempt hair style is equally awkward. 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. Our Affiliates. Dr. Williams is also active in the field of evangelism. 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. If you are convicted and truly believe pants are a sin, then you are sinning against God by working at a job that requires you to compromise your convictions. (I dont know anything about that, he said.) Hephzibah House, an Independent Fundamental Baptist-run girls home located in Winona Lake, IN, was recently thrust into the national spotlight after the Dr. Phil Show did a two-day expose' on January 13 & 14.I watched both episodes today and was completely horrified by the stories that the women told. Repentance means to turn around, change, be different. Mary Kumar is a survivor of a lockdown reform school for the wayward . The girl had been caught drinking with school friends. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Search 5 Single Family Homes For Rent in Hephzibah, Georgia. Ladies it was and is hard for me to change. 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. The bill passed in the House, but stalled in a Senate committee. That is wonderful but you were just as guilty because you caused a man to lust or to attempt control over his vision. The Cassells offer the listener a front row seat to the enormous conspiracy of lies that only slowly began to unfold in 2005.These interviews are pulled from the podcast, with very little sound added, but they are powerful in their own right, without adornment. Builder is offering $8000 Buyer Incentive on this home. Hephzibah House sent a letter to their supporters saying they sent their last student away and that the closure came after their insurance carrier dropped them. 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. Thank you both so much for taking time to read this and comment. 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. Neither characteristic is a Godly one. Garden Lady is right -what were the cops and CPS thinking? Celebrating original thought, religious freedom, parenthood, free enterprise and chocolate. But dozens of. 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. The mission headquarters has been located in Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1971, the year of its organization. I want to look special for the Lord and my husband. Hephzibah House - UnGodly Discipline - CNN report 60,646 views Sep 1, 2011 274 Dislike wdtony 730 subscribers Anderson Cooper Of CNN reports on allegations of abuse at Hephzibah House, a. Over the next two decades, both the girls and boys branches would close and reopen several times moreswelling at times to hundreds of students. 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. A clinical trial's protocol describes who is eligible to take part in the research. How can you be a keeper at home rearing your children loving your children, and your husband and at the same time leading a movement across the nation? "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. So what is he doing with the money in the meantime? If he [Ron Williams] was an abuser or a pedophile, I would know. What do normal 18-year-olds do?" 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? Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. Do not be a schizophrenic woman but a virtuous woman! 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. 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. Our daughters are virtuous women because we have obeyed the Lords commands. 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. 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. Just an observation. I could not believe myself. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Fear. Hephzibah House has been based in the Winona Lake area for almost 49 years. No child should ever be brain washed to believe a person who inflicts harm. They do an excellent job of imitating our bad qualities. Good thing his wife isnt alive. Watch Living in Sin: Inside a Religious Reform School | A&E. The Lord has shown me the role of the woman in the home. I was sent to this home,and know many other's our lives were forever damaged. Dad will burst his buttons with praise over a pure virgin daughter filled with Godly character if you do it Gods way. Peer pressure forces us to allow our girls to wear them. "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. Then there was the big sister treatmentestablished students, directed by staff, inflicting punishments on the newbies. They could have said anything, they could have maligned us and bashed us, and all they did was praise us. I grew up in a typical American home. Inside A Religious Reform School: Survivors of Hephzibah House. (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. Bill McNamara and his wife eventually took over, and when state officials began investigating the home, they moved New Beginnings to Missouri. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. Brenda in FL, Brenda, thank you for your comment. "I had an accident and they were like, 'Oh! In the News. Reclamation Ranch, he says, had a family-style atmosphere. He points to his misdemeanor sentence as proof that the prosecution was politically motivated. It will ruin your daughter physically, mentally, emotionally," Lambright pleaded. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. My wife and I left a teaching position in the early nineties. ], King Family Ministries and Second Chance Ranch, hosts a show on the Bob Jones University radio station, nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office, join us with a tax-deductible donation today. Seeking Interesting People Who Play Solitaire Grand Harvest. And that is why there's a fear, that is why there's devout loyalty. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. These fashions included the mini skirt. Williams died several years ago, but her husband still continues to operate Hephzibah House. There was no way before. We were not saved until we were in our late twenties. He earned the certificate in Biblical Studies in May, 1977, and the Master of Divinity (cum laude) from Grace in 1979. There's still work that has to be done, says Mary Kumar. New Bethany alumni alerted local authorities to Kings past and his new location. (Though after reading comments from local law enforcement, its evident that any action against Hephzibah House and the Williamses will NOT come from local authorities.). Perhaps you will identify or relate to what I have to say. "We would get cases of, banana boxes full of dented cans that had no labels. The Lord will forgive and forget but her body and mind will bear nonerasable scars. As a small child I desired to be a beautiful movie star and practiced the role by prancing and dancing all around the house. Let the fire marshall in for an inspection, then do surprise inspections frequently after that. there is a difference. 16 News Now investigates: Former students speak out against religious reform school, At least 5 sent to hospital in downtown Elkhart house fire. I took them personally through every single room, downstairs, they wanted to see the storage area, the girls. Sheriff Dukes has an open invitation anytime he wants, they dont need a warrant, and same to Winona Lake police. There was no apparent reason for this treatment, Glover says, save reminding the girls who was in charge. Available on A&E now, the documentary on Hephzibah House (Living in Sin). (Please read Whos to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco?). "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.". This rating has decreased by -9% over the last 12 months. Rider recalled one new girl she was assigned to supervise: Angela was a firebrand whod arrived at New Bethany straight out of a mental institution and became such a target of staff and big sister discipline that she twice attempted suicide. I pray that some will stand for His sake and not let the world control our dress and our lives. Dr. Ron Williams founded Hephzibah House in 1971. School records, Dee Rapier told me, were shredded. Ron Williams and his wife, the late Patti Williams, started Hephzibah House in 1971. Schizophrenic Women was tl:dr. Why cant The Religious be succinct? Sold: 3 beds, 2 baths house located at 2521 Quail Run, Hephzibah, GA 30815 sold for $259,900 on Apr 19, 2022. I also see this change in children. If a religion supports these things, then it is f****** EVIL. Michelle Guenther Leonard, resident of Hephzibah House January 2, 2009 until May 18, 2010 I am a survivor of Hephzibah House located in Winona Lake, IN. 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. TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Outrageous news story in your town? I didnt know to do deeper research, because, I thought, these are Baptists, these are my people., This past February, parents at Amelia Academy, a Virginia Christian day school with no IFB affiliation, made an unpleasant discovery: One of the teachers had been accused by former students at the New Bethany Home for Boys and Girlsa Roloff-inspired facility in Louisianaof participating in physical punishments decades earlier. I would suggest that you wear feminine culottes. But we really couldn't have done it without you guys, without the media, without family and friends helping us I mean we spoke up, but everyone else was basically holding us on their shoulders. What is using the same staff he was using to help with children do for PTSD?. There are many problems in the church today and I think women constitute one of the main problems. Read carefully as he explains how Hephzibah House is operated and how the girls are and were treated. Back in Maryland, Jeannie Marie was unaware of her daughters plight. A good society limits the behaviors of its members only as much as is necessary for the health and well-being of the group. Since then, she had begun acting up at home, as well as sneaking out and drinking. Yet I was an ERA type woman to the core. Just last year, prosecutors in Blount County, Alabama, charged Jack Pattersona Roloff protg and founder of a boys home called Reclamation Ranchwith aggravated child abuse. Then you say women have been bound for thousands of years and they ought to be allowed more freedom. That the homes own former staffers arent sure of the year speaks volumes about an industry so poorly regulated that state officials cant verify whether certain homes even exist. Rants, Musings, and Mental Meanderings of a former Conservative Christian Mother. she said. Dave Halyaman, assistant director of Hephzibah House, would not respond directly to Glovers claims. "When you start spanking all the way down to your thighs, you have bruises on your thighs instead just on your bottom. Survivors and their families complain that the state authorities seem uninterested in prosecuting abuses at the homesparticularly in Missouri, where some facilities settle so far out in the sticks that state agencies are unaware of them. Nor would he divulge the name of his attorney or agree to have his attorney contact me. It still is a struggle 10 years later. When I wear my housedresses, I feel like working on floors that need scrubbing, cooking and digging in the garden. She says humiliation is a daily part of life in the dorms and at church for Hephzibah House students. However, common sense is laid aside for the sake of style! Follow Bruce on Facebook and Twitter. It was discontinued because technology is so advanced, you can do blood work and figure out whats going on. He is very charismatic and in my opinion a convincing con man and abuser of women and all these young girls. 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. Pastor Dave Halyaman is also the assistant pastor at Believers Baptist Church, and has held the positions since 1990. Bruce Gerencser, who spent 25 years as an IFB pastor, recalls Lester Roloff visiting his Bible college to promote the homes. According to Assistant Director Pastor Dave Halyaman, the boarding school at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, right outside of Winona Lake, is closed. I would give literature to parents about the schools, says Gerencser, who is now a critic of the IFB mindset. About ten years ago I ran into the pastor form the IFBX church we left and decided to take the high road. But let us look at ourselves Mother. Hephzibah House tells 16 News Now there are currently four girls enrolled at the reform school. 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. Former students say it's thanks to a community effort that the school shut down. Nope she is burning in hell. They asked Roxy if she wanted to come home. Thats still true. (Missouri isnt alone. Years ago, Patti Williams wrote a pamphlet titled Schizophrenic Women. Indeed, when looking to rent in Hephzibah, GA, you can expect to pay as little as $540.00 or as much as $3,820.00, with the average rent median estimated to be $1,240.00. How ridiculous. Wisdom says, maybe we should have just not done that. Later, she slashed her wrists. They were Wiley Cameron (who later served on Bushs peer-review board for Christian childrens agencies in Texas) and his wife Faye (who was banned from working with children in the Lone Star state). 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. ]New Beginnings and numerous other Christian reform schools trace their lineages to Texas radio evangelist Lester Roloff, who founded the Rebekah Home for Girls in Corpus Christi back in 1967, employing disciplinary tactics that were adopted by dozens of imitators. Hephzibah, GA 30815 Contact Property Brokered by Meybohm Real Estate-West Augusta For Rent - House $1,295 $55 3 bed 2 bath 1,196 sqft 1406 Brookstone Rd Hephzibah, GA 30815 Contact Property.
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