Our children are being molded by our character whether we like it or not. Full stop, no excuses, no exceptions. While jogging earlier that year, the 17-year-old (whom Ill call Roxy) had been pulled into a vehicle and assaulted by a group of men. 16 News Now was contacted by more than a dozen women with similar experiences. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. The girls call her a Holly Hobbie doll. The schools effects on Roxy were striking, Jeannie Marie told me. As a small child I desired to be a beautiful movie star and practiced the role by prancing and dancing all around the house. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tickets. For what reason? Violence was the norm, Word says, and students were expected to enforce discipline. She becomes either bold or sloppy perhaps slobby. "There was no free talking, no giggling, no pillow fights, no making friends," Mary Kumar explained. Sheriff Dukes has an open invitation anytime he wants, they dont need a warrant, and same to Winona Lake police. Be willing to resist the pressures of the world and disobedient Christians. Our Staff - Hephzibah House My wife and I left a teaching position in the early nineties. Hephzibah House is at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, right outside of Winona Lake, and is . All first-time comments are moderated. The girl had been caught drinking with school friends. 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! I grew up in a typical American home. I hope after the Dr. Phil expos that Indiana officials will finally bring to bear on Hephzibah House the full weight of Indiana law. She says she was spanked during her five years there. This boarding school for girls is located in Winona Lake, Indiana called, Hephzibah House. The school cooperated in providing information, but their information was different from hers.. Bill McNamara and his wife eventually took over, and when state officials began investigating the home, they moved New Beginnings to Missouri. Which is crazy, just insane, because there's 300 of us out here that have PTSD, says Mary. (New Beginnings has operated under multiple names in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.) Our position does not win friends and influence people to love us. Patti Williams, along with her husband Ron, founded Hephzibah House, an unlicensed Baptist girls group home in Winona Lake, Indiana. Im trying to be kind here. (Rapiers ex-wife Dee told me she sent Guy to recover at her mothers Texas home before returning him to his parents.). Thats sick. About ten years ago I ran into the pastor form the IFBX church we left and decided to take the high road. His preaching, itinerary and deputation work has taken him into many fundamental churches, colleges, universities, Bible schools, Christian high schools, missions conferences, educators conferences and pastors conferences.He is the speaker/teacher on the weekly 15-minute radio broadcast The Voice of Hephzibah House. He has written several booklets and tracts on home and family-related themes. It's not. Ford operated a separate New Bethany home for boys in Longstreet, Louisiana. He and his wife have six grown children and twelve grandchildren. But the most important position in my life is to obey the Lord in all areas of my life and leave the results to Jesus. 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. That is wonderful but you were just as guilty because you caused a man to lust or to attempt control over his vision. 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. He refused to discuss any allegations of abuse. Satan doesnt want that. 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. A billing dispute with New Beginnings staff didnt make things any easier. They will look after the children., In the absence of federal action, alumni of the teen institutions have been trying to expose the abuses. Of course not it was for men! I was left speechless after that comment. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. No. Mary Kumar's Story. 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. Available on A&E now, the - The Lambs of Hephzibah House | Facebook Its no wonder rape victims are blamed in fundamentalist Christianity. Those who say they were abused will continue to try to get Hephzibah House shut down. 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. But Lucinda, another former student, is defending the work she says Pastor Williams has done at Hephzibah House. Her letters went unansweredonly one of Roxys replies got past the academys censors. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. Food -- The food sucked most of the time. A woman who is causing problems in the body of Christ is either not dressed properly or not under submission to her husband. Hephzibah House operates under the authority of Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana. International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Wikipedia Ron Williams Response to the CNN documentary - jeriwho.net 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. The wife of Hezekiah and mother of king Manasseh ( 2 Kings 21:1 ). They were not allowed contact with their families during their first month, or with anyone else for six months. This boarding school for girls is located in Winona Lake, Indiana called, Hephzibah House. Learn More Intact Family Services The Hephzibah House is a Winona Lake, Indiana boarding school for troubled teenage girls usually committed by their parents and recommended by Baptist pastors. A safe place where a daughter can go to have time alone to find God and her direction.. Its board of directors reportedly voted for closure in 2001, but rumors abound that New Bethany boarded girls as late as 2004. I was only there for three months, Roxy said, but because we werent allowed to keep track of time, it felt like six., Desperate for a way out, shed attempted suicidemany of the girls did, she added nonchalantly, if only for the chance to get taken to a hospital and beg for outside help. Besides being very hard on the back, difficult to walk in, and cold on the feet in the winter when there is snow and ice. What do normal 18-year-olds do?" Its good to know that someone isn't actively being abused right now, she explains. Their studies consisted of memorizing Scripture (mistakes were punishable by paddling) and a rote Christian curriculum. That includes issues he says the school has with the quality of food being served. This beautifully constructed 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, all brick ranch style home is the Plainview 17 by Bill Beazley Homes. Hephzibah Discover a selection of 70 vacation rentals in Hephzibah, GA that are perfect for your trip. That is an absolute contradiction of standards and another aspect of a feminine schizophrenic personality. Thats the backdoor channel that Donna, a military wife and mother of eight in the Northeast, ended up taking. Hephzibah House Audio Documentaries| Jeri Massi A Christian Mother Has A Heavy Responsibility. Well you say we are in different times, they wore different clothing and besides they both wore robes. Dr. Williams is also active in the field of evangelism. The school reopened the next year in Walterboro, South Carolina, under a new administrator, Olin King. We have noticed that after a few weeks their outward appearance changes. I want to please the Lord not man. The raid grabbed headlines, but the school reopened again, this time merging with Fords New Bethany girls school in Arcadia. My soup is threatening to come back up. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run, she told me. Neither will the rest of us. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. I would control his! This rating has decreased by -9% over the last 12 months. Spanking -- To my knowledge they no longer spank, however this is so they will continue to receive students in my opinion. 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. Where do they get these ideas from ?? Oh to be like Him! Hephzibah House Asst. Director Speaks Out Against Allegations Theres still people out here that are hurt, so Im still talking. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Most people in Hephzibah, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.7 minutes. The role she played was not and is not the role of a woman who is a keeper at home. 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. Ben Williams tells us he is concerned that the girls currently enrolled at Hephzibah House are being abused. I was sent to this home,and know many other's our lives were forever damaged. 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. Dr. I look back on it and see how irresponsible that was., In September 2008, Clark Word began doing some research on New Bethany. Hephzibah House operates under the authority of Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana. Fear. 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. 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. I have done all I can do. Brenda, I just came from that site and thought exactly the same thing!! Stopping a curse can be accomplished by obeying Gods Word. We as former students-myself included-have revisited horribly painful memories and have signed our name along with our statements. Just getting a girl out of pants changes their personality and they are not even aware of the change. We never got the food we should have recieved, I am sure of it. You wont want to miss this episode. In an open letter, Williams argued that it would effectively close all Christian ministries helping troubled youth because of its onerous provisions. They were joined by a group called the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, which opposed HR 911 on the grounds that statesdespite all evidence to the contraryare best situated to oversee the homes. They wear balanced, simple and modest clothing. She says humiliation is a daily part of life in the dorms and at church for Hephzibah House students. ?No problems whatsoever. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Dr. Williams has taken specialized training in Biblical counseling.Following the death of his wife, Patti, in 2011, Brother Williams married Glenda Curtiss in 2014. 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. In 2020, the median property value in Hephzibah, GA was $120,200, and the homeownership rate was 69.6%. These fashions included the mini skirt. The operators of shady homes do seem to have a knack for avoiding major prosecution. If he [Ron Williams] was an abuser or a pedophile, I would know. I have huge bulges, varicose veins, fat pockets. Read carefully as he explains how Hephzibah House is operated and how the girls are and were treated. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. 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. 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). I abhorred the fact that they would do children like they were doing them.. But dozens of women who were students there say what they experienced was not love but abuse. In 1982, when New Bethanys leaders shut down the home to avoid a state inspection, they had a volunteer staffer put up this banner. The Lord will forgive and forget but her body and mind will bear nonerasable scars. 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. And I do not think any woman is innocent in this area. They draw a lot of attention to the feet, ankles and leg. A good society does not teach children that might makes right. Three weeks ago, Dr. Phil featured Hephzibah House on his daily TV talk show. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Hephzibah House is a small private boarding school in Winona Lake, Indiana, a small town about an hour west from Fort Wayne. If you would like to contact Bruce directly, please use the contact form to do so. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. It was founded in 1971. The call dissolved into a shouting match between Jeannie Marie and McNamarawho finally declared that he would only discuss the matter with her husband. 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. Interestingly, Hephzibah House is not mentioned as a ministry on the churchs website. 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. It took decades of work to get just the most minimal standards of regulation at faith-based child-care centers, he adds. There's girls there right now and my heart hurts for them every day," she said. They also endured exhaustive corporal punishment. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. Titus 2:5 says we are to be keepers at home. Thank god!. 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. In 2007, she sent her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey, to the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in Humansville, Missouri. Hopefully the more the word gets out, the fewer girls and families can be devastated by this so-called "ministry.". You have this sense of total isolation: Theres no way out of it, youre there for the rest of your life.. I tried something several years ago to see what would happen. It has been a journey. Neither characteristic is a Godly one. 2521 Quail Run, Hephzibah, GA 30815 | MLS# 481380 | Redfin 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. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. The result was House Resolution 911 (PDF), which proposed giving residents access to child-abuse hotlines and creating a national database of programs that would document reports of abuse and keep tabs on abusive staff members. 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. Your children need to obey; you and your husband need to let these groups know where you stand on this issue. Pastor Ronald Williams and his late wife, Patti, founded Hephzibah House in 1971, a Christian boarding school for teen girls. Despite the bad PR, Christian reform facilities appear to have no trouble attracting new recruits. Inside A Religious Reform School: Survivors of Hephzibah House As for the shackles and weapons, I never knew how they got there, he told me. 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. When it comes to paddling the girls too hard, the school said they have not used corporal correction for years. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. Hephzibah House Inc - GuideStar Profile "The things that are happening at Hephzibah House are definitely cultish. I will continue to try to help as long as people want me to help them, explains Ben Williams. I can only imagine . 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. 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. Yet inwardly they are not changed and would wear pants at the first opportunity. I was 18 playing dress up. (It, too, died in the Senate.) His psychology is messed up and he probably feels like a freak, but disguises it with the sinister behaviors. They take away any feeling that you are capable of doing anything outside the home, she said. I dont hate anyone, because I know their influence is satan. She will suffer all the rest of her life. Movoto has access to the latest real estate data including single family homes, condos/townhouses, open houses, new listings and more in Hephzibah GA. I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. I put Joe and the lady from CPS in a room and closed the door. What is using the same staff he was using to help with children do for PTSD?. Since then, she had begun acting up at home, as well as sneaking out and drinking. Hephzibah in the Bible - Definition, Meaning and References Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. This petition had 249 supporters. He also pioneered girls singing groups as a way to promote Rebekah Homethe Honeybee Quartet was featured in his daily revivalist radio broadcasts. They are very beautiful to me and communicate a sense of purity. Hephzibah House has been based in the Winona Lake area for almost 49 years. Doesnt he have some responsibility in all of this? We ought to balance out what we wear. 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. "I had an accident and they were like, 'Oh! Hephzibah House: A Beacon of Hospitality in New York City she said. Of course they should have interviewed girls that have left the place who will tell the truth willingly.