That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous. 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. Still, without proof of a crime, law enforcement officials say little can be done. It will ruin your daughter physically, mentally, emotionally," Lambright pleaded. Petition Closed. TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Outrageous news story in your town? What is using the same staff he was using to help with children do for PTSD?. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Hephzibah House follows the state requirements for a General and or College prep diploma. 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. Homes for Sale. About This Home BACK ON THE MARKET AT NO FAULT OF THE SELLER! 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.. They pled no contest to false-imprisonment charges and received suspended sentences and probation. But are they cultish? Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes says that of allegations investigated in the past 20 years, no criminal charges were ever filed. Ron Williams and his wife, the late Patti Williams, started Hephzibah House in 1971. Naomi is not a tomboy and I think it is because she has been in dresses and feminine styles from her birth. The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. We have our critics, but also people who think very well of us, he said. Dad will burst his buttons with praise over a pure virgin daughter filled with Godly character if you do it Gods way. So I dug out my pants and wore them for one entire day. The New Press amplifies progressive voices for a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. 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. This story has an eerily similar feel to those told by the girls that were incarcerated at Mack Fords New Bethany Home for Girls. That daughter will reveal this in her marriage. Kalie, Susan, and Gabby raise awareness about a Christian boarding school, where they say they were abused; Lucinda, another former student, defends the work she says that pastor Ronald Williams has done; the founder's son, Ben Williams, speaks out; The girls call her a Holly Hobbie doll. She must be crazy or something. He refused to discuss any allegations of abuse. In 2000, Rider created a New Bethany survivor forum comprising as many as 400 former residents and staff. 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. I really admire the dress of the Amish and Mennonite women who live relatively close to our mission. 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. Discipline ranged from belt whippings to being forced to scrub pots with undiluted bleach orin the years after Frye attendedwearing painfully high heels for weeks on end, or running in place while being struck from behind with a wooden paddle, according to alumni. Bill McNamara and his wife eventually took over, and when state officials began investigating the home, they moved New Beginnings to Missouri. Hephzibah House-Being Forced to Wear Diapers. Officials with Hephzibah House say they're still praying for former students in a statement that reads in full: While Ben, Mary, and countless others plan to continue working together. etc. Dear lady, you are then gross in a bathing suit! (Rapiers ex-wife Dee told me she sent Guy to recover at her mothers Texas home before returning him to his parents.). For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Dr. Williams is also Pastor Emeritus of Believers Baptist Church, an independent, fundamental, separated church fellowship under which Hephzibah House operates. I would control his! The documentary traces the beliefs that Shifflett embraced and taught, which his followers gullibly beleived, that empowered him to tyrannize over his church and ultimately gave him immunity as he brutalized, enlaved, and molested church children. First she jumped through the glass of a second-story window. The bill passed in the House, but stalled in a Senate committee. 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. New Homes. We floated around to Bible, Grace Brethren and BJU type churches. Believer's Baptist is pastored by Don Williams, the son of Ron and Patti Williams. The girl had been caught drinking with school friends. I am not so sure any of us are really deceived deep down inside. Brenda in FL, Brenda, thank you for your comment. 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. That includes issues he says the school has with the quality of food being served. She will suffer all the rest of her life. 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. The schools effects on Roxy were striking, Jeannie Marie told me. I hope after the Dr. Phil expos that Indiana officials will finally bring to bear on Hephzibah House the full weight of Indiana law. Yet inwardly they are not changed and would wear pants at the first opportunity. 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. Anderson Cooper covered a thorough investigation of the boarding school for girls and no one has made any efforts to close down this . Just as important are the fruits of her marriage: the children. He also studied at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. You wont want to miss this episode. 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. This five part audio documentary explores the teachings and practices of Chuck Shifflett, former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Culpeper Virginia and a devoted, indeed fanatical, follower of the late Jack Hyles. Hephzibah House documentary. One of the students Martin contacted was Teresa Frye, now a 43-year-old mother of four. It feels great, says Mary. What effect do pants have on our children? 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. 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. Just the way a woman reacts to the whole subject of pants, modesty and dress reveals to me the seriousness of the situation. 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. She lived at Hephzibah House from 2007 to 2009. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? Believers Baptist is pastored by Don Williams, the son of Ron and Patti Williams. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. 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? The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. 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. 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. Our ungodly dress has resulted In our unsubmissive, bold, masculine spirits. The role she played was not and is not the role of a woman who is a keeper at home. They knew they would all be severely punished if they did. By Jason W. February 15, 2016 at 11:37 am CST. I also see this change in children. Ford operated a separate New Bethany home for boys in Longstreet, Louisiana. They are our fruits. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! 229 Hephzibah homes for sale range from $6K - $1.99M with the avg price of a 2-bed single family home of $108K. Sold: 3 beds, 2 baths house located at 2521 Quail Run, Hephzibah, GA 30815 sold for $259,900 on Apr 19, 2022. Hephzibah House is a small private boarding school in Winona Lake, Indiana, a small town about an hour west from Fort Wayne. Keep up the good work!! All first-time comments are moderated. 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. Ben Williams says this is just one step in the healing process. That was round-about long-winded way of saying that I am glad that I did not grow up under the regime of such extremism and do not know what it is like to have to be completely deprogrammed of that false version of Christianity. This five-part, 75 minute series explores the brutal cult of ignorance promoted by Ron and the late Pattie Williams. In a locked-up basement where they never see the light of day, as a prisoner and that's over. Surrounded by her disciplinarians, the girl replied that she had to staythat New Beginnings was good for her. 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. Authorities and watchdog groups are familiar with the patternsthe state-hopping, the frequent openings and closingsbut people forget, says Deputy Rush. A woman who is causing problems in the body of Christ is either not dressed properly or not under submission to her husband. Heres some of what he said: When this thing aired, Wednesday morning guess who was at our door. I wanted them to notice me and I learned how to please them, resulting in the character qualities of the Biblical strange woman in Proverbs. In 1982, they sent her to New Bethany, and her 10-year-old sister followed soon after. Explore rentals by neighborhoods, schools, local guides and more on Trulia! ]My attempts to track down Larry Rapier proved fruitless. My pets? Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. My own theory is the horrors of daily life among Puritans and Pilgrims who brought those Midieval ethics to this hemisphere. 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. A woman greatly influences and brings out the Godly qualities of her man by her actions and words. The entrance to New Bethanys Louisiana compound. Our position does not win friends and influence people to love us. He taught us that when a young girl began menstruating it was God's sign to the papa that she was ready to be married. Our only authority is through the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which would include concerns like false advertising, she says. This Williams woman was seriously misguided at best, possibly had mental health issues, or far, far, worse. 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. After Word had been there for almost seven months, his watch escaped. There may be more. Then your holy book is evil. New Bethany founder Mack Ford proved even less talkative. I so badly want to torture the living crap at of this man. That same year I tried something else. 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. Interviews with a half-dozen former students indicate that most of the girls were merely rebellious teenslike Frye, who at age 14 began resisting her strict Baptist parents. She was also punished with cold showers, she said, and endless sets of calisthenics after meals. I abhorred the fact that they would do children like they were doing them.. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. 16 News Now was contacted by more than a dozen women with similar experiences. He earned the certificate in Biblical Studies in May, 1977, and the Master of Divinity (cum laude) from Grace in 1979. Donations on a monthly basis can be made through Patreon. My dear Sister in Christ, look around our daughters are no longer pure. A billing dispute with New Beginnings staff didnt make things any easier. Authorities in the state are barred from inspecting the homes or even keeping track of them. She had posted her phone number for anyone wanting to talk, drawing a cautious but earnest call from Word. 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. Teresa Frye did my body weight in drugs after her stint at New Bethany. Anderson Cooper covered a thorough investigation of the boarding school for . Officers raiding the compound discovered a young man bound, in his underwear, on the floor of a dark and padlocked isolation cell. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. 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. 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. Ben Williams tells us he is concerned that the girls currently enrolled at Hephzibah House are being abused. I was proud and haughty at my catch but filled with doubts and suspicions afterwards. Houses for Rent Near Me; Cheap Apartments for Rent Near Me; More. These girls are just letting go and finding freedom because they started discussing this. I said, Roxy, dont wait that long.'. She says humiliation is a daily part of life in the dorms and at church for Hephzibah House students. Interestingly, Hephzibah House is not mentioned as a ministry on the churchs website. 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. Whichever is true, both will give an account to the Lord. Dr. Williams served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves from 1960 to 1966.He was educated at the State University of South Dakota at Vermillion and Augustana College (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), earning the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History with a minor in Russian in 1964. Terms of Service apply. He said he is stumped by the abuse accusations. It's going to help me heal, he tells us. And that is why there's a fear, that is why there's devout loyalty. There's still work that has to be done, says Mary Kumar. We know how we are but we hide behind a spiritual mask and a civilized veneer. But you Christian mothers, why are you allowing your daughter to be a strange woman, a schizophrenic woman? We found 84 addresses and 85 properties on Highway 88 in Hephzibah, GA. Our Staff Ronald E. Williams is the Founder and Director of Hephzibah House, Inc., a Christian Boarding School for troubled girls. A clinical trial's protocol describes who is eligible to take part in the research. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and 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. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. If you are a first-time commenter, please read the commenting policy before wowing readers with your words. You can also read the FAQ for Hephzibah House here. His role becomes more confusing with relation to a girl. I am very sorry to say I won my own husband by my dress and actions. Around 1984, the girls were moved to the current facility at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, Warsaw. ]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. I am a former student of Hephzibah House in Indiana. Unfortunately, just like there is in the public schools and public sector, there are disgruntled parents, who, instead of looking at their own child and situation, choose to talk about the school, he said. Later, Hephzibah House began to welcome missionaries and pastors and other out-of-town visitors who wanted to investigate local Christian outreach or education programs. ]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. 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? Hephzibah House is at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, right outside of Winona Lake, and is . 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. It was not easy and I am still running the race striving to be like Jesus. One-time donations can be made through PayPal. I have a clear memory that goes back to my preschool years. In 1982, when New Bethanys leaders shut down the home to avoid a state inspection, they had a volunteer staffer put up this banner. Pastor Dave Halyaman is also the assistant pastor at Believers Baptist Church, and has held the positions since 1990. Hopefully the more the word gets out, the fewer girls and families can be devastated by this so-called "ministry.". 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? 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. (It, too, died in the Senate.) Are You Involved in a Story Making Headlines? Open Houses. Dec 1, 2020 #1 Its board of directors reportedly voted for closure in 2001, but rumors abound that New Bethany boarded girls as late as 2004. No man would control my life! I was conscious of how I walked and sat. This location included Believers Baptist Church, a school and staff houses. Survivors of Hephzibah House testify about beatings until they bled, bizarre rituals of control in whch they went for hours without being allowed to use the bathroom, starvation, forced feeding, and hour after hour of labor for no pay, all the while being humiliated and berated. ACE is recognized by the State of Indiana, as well as many other states. So, it was a team effort by thousands of people across the country.. 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. "The leaders of most of our critics, when they left our ministry, were very cordial, friendly, amiable. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run, she told me. He says he wants the community to know about the physical and emotional abuse he both saw and endured growing up at Hephzibah House. 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. "They did an invasive exam to see why I couldn't go to the bathroom. There are many problems in the church today and I think women constitute one of the main problems. What can you say about my husband? CPS with Winona Lakes police officer Joe Bumbaugh. King and his assistant were charged with kidnapping, unlawful neglect, and conspiracy. 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. She says students were expected to do heavy labor in addition to their Bible-based education. The good news is that finding an affordable and desirable property to rent in Hephzibah, GA -- whether it's apartments . It's us but for your ears. Schizophrenic Women was tl:dr. Why cant The Religious be succinct? But Kumar says other medical problems were given too much focus. As for the shackles and weapons, I never knew how they got there, he told me. Words 14-year-old brother, Doug, was sent there soon after for stealing a neighbors Playboy magazines. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Of course not it was for men! ?No problems whatsoever. That is an absolute contradiction of standards and another aspect of a feminine schizophrenic personality. 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! She says she was spanked during her five years there. 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. Again, I believe they realized they would be shut down so that one had to go.Ron Williams is still very interested in who's who in the virginal world of his students, however. .. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. 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. thank you so much for shedding light on this place. Among them was Cat Givens, an Ohio radio technician who stayed at New Bethany in 1974 and became so shell-shocked by the routine of punishment and submissionand the spectacle of runaways being returned by the police and handcuffed to their bedsthat she lost her will to resist. A good society limits the behaviors of its members only as much as is necessary for the health and well-being of the group. there is a difference. There are accusations of abuse dating back to the 1980s. A woman has an inner desire to attract men. Other girls? Wisdom says, maybe we should have just not done that. But Williams and her ilk are destroyers, packs of velociraptors in human disguise. graduated from Hyles-Anderson College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Theology. For what reason? "Nothing's changed in the belief structure. October 25, 2018 Mary Kumar's Story. 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. Hephzibah House operates under the authority of Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana. 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. If you would like to contact Bruce directly, please use the contact form to do so. We have allowed the world to dictate our styles. When they stopped at a restaurant on the way home, she robotically asked for permission to speak or to use the bathroom. That guy Ron Williams is totally warped. There's girls there right now and my heart hurts for them every day," she said. Elect. I will continue to try to help as long as people want me to help them, explains Ben Williams.
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