There is no agency overseeing the quality of education or care at the school because Indiana law allows for boarding schools to operate without a license due to a religious exemption. Excellent point that you made about the fact they just answer to themselvesthey definately need to have some accountability for the things that they do!!! I want to look special for the Lord and my husband. Dec 1, 2020 #1 Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tickets. And my lesbian friends would disagree that all girls and women are out to get attention from men. Yet I was an ERA type woman to the core. Then your holy book is evil. They will look after the children., In the absence of federal action, alumni of the teen institutions have been trying to expose the abuses. He does not know how to treat a woman. I work with the Hephzibah House girls on Saturday evenings. We have been unable to get that confirmed with DCS. ]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. 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. Anderson Cooper covered a thorough investigation of the boarding school for girls and no one has made any efforts to close down this . This boarding school for girls is located in Winona Lake, Indiana called, Hephzibah House. We know how we are but we hide behind a spiritual mask and a civilized veneer. Women Claim They Were Housed In Basement, Punished With Paddling, Assigned Bathroom Times At Hephzibah House, Woman Claims She Wasnt Allowed To Speak For 30 Weeks At Hephzibah House School, Claim School Denies, The Girls Who Are Speaking Out Against Hephzibah House In A Negative Light Are Lying, Claims Former Student, Women Claim They Were Made To Eat Rotten And Bug-Filled Food At Christian School, Claim School Denies, Do Not Send Your Daughter To Hephzibah House, Says Son Of Founder And Director Speaking Out For First Time, Women Claim They Had To Wear Sentence Uniforms So Everyone In Church Knew They Were Being Punished, Sponsored: Dr. Phil McGraw Teams Up With Sundae To Help Homeowners Sell As-Is. Words 14-year-old brother, Doug, was sent there soon after for stealing a neighbors Playboy magazines. He served as Assistant Pastor in Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana for 11 years and since 1998, has been the Senior Pastor. That should keep the windows operational, or close the facility down. This boarding school for girls is located in Winona Lake, Indiana called, Hephzibah House. 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. 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. Dr. Williams is also active in the field of evangelism. Since then, the landscape of "victim advocacy" has changed a lot. Terms of Service apply. 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. A woman is not submissive in a pair of pants. she said. Titus 2:5 says we are to be keepers at home. Those were the days of the ungodly provocative lets-go-to-bed-look fashions. If a mans eyes are filled with lust (Matthew 5:28 Proverbs 27:20), then how can we justify the wearing of swimming apparel in mixed swimming? I was a different personality for specific occasions and my dress fit the occasion. Perhaps you live a decent Chrlstian life, but why are you allowing your daughter to live like a strange woman? It feels great, says Mary. As I have worked with women and teens for years I see the same character in each female. When it comes to paddling the girls too hard, the school said they have not used corporal correction for years. Dr. Phil S18E80 (Hephzivah House P1) Inside A Religious Reform School - Survivors of Hephzibah House Pepperoni Pizza 136K subscribers Subscribe 49K views 11 months ago Monday January 13, 2020. What follows are several video clips from the show. I would say that's going too far. There may be more. 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. If you have any information please send it to prettykitty1964@live.com, This is a great ministry and the Williams are very kind people. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. Watch Living in Sin: Inside a Religious Reform School | A&E. Each child has an individualized treatment plan to address their specific needs. I want to please the Lord not man. 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. 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. This beautifully constructed 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, all brick ranch style home is the Plainview 17 by Bill Beazley Homes. I believe that documentation is necessary to keep these criminal men and criminal churches from sliding back into false images of godliness. Hephzibah Children's Association Corporate Office: 1144 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60301 Tel: 708.649.7140 Group Residence: 946 North Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60301 A woman who is causing problems in the body of Christ is either not dressed properly or not under submission to her husband. She must be crazy or something. All Rights Reserved. But the one thing that they would tell me was, 'This is the way God wants us to do it, and this is your fault this is happening,'" Lambright explained. The average rent price in Hephzibah, GA, is $1,211.00. What is using the same staff he was using to help with children do for PTSD?. You may now be thinking or wondering what she is getting at? 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 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. Local courts promote the homes as an alternative to juvenile detention, and facilities can collect a variety of state and federal grants. Translated from the original Hebrew, Hephzibah literally means, "My delight is in her.". Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. IFB churches emphasize strict obedience and consider teen rebellion an invention of worldly society, so its little surprise that families faced with teenage drinking, smoking, or truancy might turn to programs promising a tough-love fix. Authorities in the state are barred from inspecting the homes or even keeping track of them. I would give literature to parents about the schools, says Gerencser, who is now a critic of the IFB mindset. 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. When you have an abuser that will not acknowledge abuse and won't repent of the abuse and won't be honest about the abuse, more than likely they're still going to be an abuser," he said. They do not know how to walk sit or act. Kumar also says she didn't get proper medical care while staying at Hephzibah House. Standing Strong against ignorance, preconceptions, labels and excessive housework. Copyright 2014 - All Rights Reserved - jeriwho.net. Dr. Ron Williams founded Hephzibah House in 1971. 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. These fashions included the mini skirt. You must log in or register to reply here. 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. 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. But dozens of women who were students there say what they experienced was not love but abuse. Getting through by phone also proved challenging, and calls were monitored. If you do not care then you are In severe rebellion and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23). One of the most haunting and disturbing testaments to the imbecilic brutality that continues to be sheltered and protected in Christian Fundamentalism. He is very charismatic and in my opinion a convincing con man and abuser of women and all these young girls. 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. The school says its mission is to take in troubled girls and help them with God's love. Oh how I pray some will stand for Jesus! Lets not tell them or maybe we should- that Indian Indians think pants are more modest than skirts. There's good people there to this day but when you get captured into that culture, it takes years for you to literally deprogram," Ben Williams explained. "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 put Joe and the lady from CPS in a room and closed the door. Ford operated a separate New Bethany home for boys in Longstreet, Louisiana. He has 41 living grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He served as Assistant Pastor in Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana for 11 years and since 1998, has been the Senior Pastor.He also has served as an assistant to the director of Hephzibah House since 1987. Heres some of what he said: When this thing aired, Wednesday morning guess who was at our door. I would suggest that you wear feminine culottes. We have allowed the world to dictate our styles. We have our critics, but also people who think very well of us, he said. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Ben Williams tells us he is concerned that the girls currently enrolled at Hephzibah House are being abused. ], 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. Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. The Hephzibah House is a Winona Lake, Indiana boarding school for troubled teenage girls usually committed by their parents and recommended by Baptist pastors. After months of punitive mealtimes, including five-minute force feeding sessions for girls on redshirt, she wolfed her food. Our students are taught to be productive and responsible members of society. 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. Mary Kumar's Story. This woman is intentionally mean, calling older women whose bodies are aging as womens bodies do disgusting slobs and those whose bodies may have held up better slutty temptresses. 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. Nope she is burning in hell. Want Dr. Phil to Investigate a Situation or Possible Scam? 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. But let us look at ourselves Mother. Sheriff Dukes has an open invitation anytime he wants, they dont need a warrant, and same to Winona Lake police. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run.I figured this was Gods plan.. I suffer to this day from the emotional and mental truama of being separated from society and my family and friends, all the while having my head pounded full of lies about God, my rebellious and sinful nature, and normal things that they made into something twisted and taught to us as truth. How much does a house cost in Hephzibah? The conversation politely ended, and it's in God's hands now. Teresa Frye did my body weight in drugs after her stint at New Bethany. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Click here to read the Hephzibah House full response to the allegations. The average property tax on Highway 88 is $1,560/yr and the average house or building was built in 1971. We did go out to eat twice I think, but the second time we were only allowed the salad bar since we took half the ministry with us as well, and there wasn't enough money to feed everyone the other tempting food. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. 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. I felt they stole whatever was inside me that allowed me to trust, Rider says. "The leaders of most of our critics, when they left our ministry, were very cordial, friendly, amiable. The only times we really got good food were holidays, Friday nights (sometimes) and whenever a girl recieved treat money. Theres still people out here that are hurt, so Im still talking. "They really dumbed us down there, because women aren't really supposed to have a lot of thoughts or dreams besides becoming a mother. I was 18 playing dress up. I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. But while Williams tours the country speaking to churchgoers about home and family, his son Ben is speaking out against his father's school. Believers Baptist is pastored by Don Williams, the son of Ron and Patti Williams. This rating has decreased by -9% over the last 12 months. Naomi is not a tomboy and I think it is because she has been in dresses and feminine styles from her birth. 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. Are You Involved in a Story Making Headlines? Expand. ACE is recognized by the State of Indiana, as well as many other states. Other girls? 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? ]My attempts to track down Larry Rapier proved fruitless. Sick. there is a difference. Whichever is true, both will give an account to the Lord. He now runs a home for adult men on the Reclamation Ranch property and a girls home called Rachel Academy in neighboring Walker Countyand is in the process, he says, of opening new homes in Ohio, Florida, and Michigan. New Bethany founder Mack Ford proved even less talkative. No child should ever be brain washed to believe a person who inflicts harm. But are they cultish? There's girls there right now and my heart hurts for them every day," she said. Recently Sold . In 1982, they sent her to New Bethany, and her 10-year-old sister followed soon after. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. The girl had been caught drinking with school friends. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? In 2007, she sent her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey, to the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville, Missouri. Movoto has access to the latest real estate data including single family homes, condos/townhouses, open houses, new listings and more in Hephzibah GA. Ben Williams, one of Pastor Ronald Williams and his late wife, Patti's, nine children, speaks out for the first time about Hephzibah House, the Christian boarding school Ronald and Patti founded in 1971 and Ronald still runs today. .. Would you want us to not do that [give pelvic exams] ? 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. Hephzibah House is at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, right outside of Winona Lake, and is . He surrendered to preach in 1982. Full stop, no excuses, no exceptions.