Hephzibah House is a small private boarding school in Winona Lake, Indiana, a small town about an hour west from Fort Wayne. 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. Inside a Religious Reform School: Survivors of Hephzibah House: With Phil McGraw. He has pastored in West Virginia and ministered as a replacement missionary with his wife, Sandy, in Germany in 1993-94.He and Sandy reside in Warsaw, Indiana. That daughter will reveal this in her marriage. The Kosciusko County health inspector documented a formal complaint about the food quality just last month, including that students were "served something resembling dog food" and that they "became ill multiple times from food and was then shamed for being ill". Hephzibah House, the embattled private faith-based Winona Lake boarding school for troubled teenage girls, will be featured on CNN tonight as part of an ongoing series on child discipline and religion called "Ungodly Discipline." After Dr. Phils expos, Dave Halyaman publicly voiced his objections to the story. 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. However, common sense is laid aside for the sake of style! 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. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. 2,384 Sq Ft. 3474 Stockport Dr, Hephzibah, GA 30815. Each child has an individualized treatment plan to address their specific needs. Select an address below to search who owns that property on Highway 88 and uncover many additional details. 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. There's still work that has to be done, says Mary Kumar. To hear another outside observer recognize the rehearsed statements feels a little like being validated. Donations on a monthly basis can be made through Patreon. 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. Spanking -- To my knowledge they no longer spank, however this is so they will continue to receive students in my opinion. 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. Perhaps we need to be bound up? 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. I have done all I can do. Hephzibah House follows the state requirements for a General and or College prep diploma. I began documenting clergy sex abuse of children in Christian Fundamentalism in 2001. That is wonderful but you were just as guilty because you caused a man to lust or to attempt control over his vision. Dress definitely affects our personality. 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. I am very sorry to say I won my own husband by my dress and actions. They also refuted claims that they keep students locked in a basement. Other girls? She told me of her upbringing in North Carolina, where an IFB preacher named Mack Ford occasionally visited her church. Religious reform school closes after former students allege abuse & neglect, At least 5 sent to hospital in downtown Elkhart house fire. I would control his! Yes of course he does. 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. Nanci Gonder, press secretary for the Missouri attorney generals office, suggests that officials are hamstrungprivate schools dont require state accreditation and are not governed by laws regulating the public schools. With so many woman contacting 16 News Now, we reached out to Hephzibah House. For the past thirty years, Dave Halyaman has served the assistant director of Hephzibah House and assistant pastor at Believers Baptist. While it is unlikely they will ever be arrested and prosecuted, surely Indiana law enforcement and child protective services can find ways to eradicate the stench coming from Hephzibah House. I really really hope that government officials are looking into this evil place!!!! JavaScript is disabled. My fingerprints were never on them. But he adds that he fired three staff members shortly before the raid for abusive methods: one for shooting a rifle over the boys heads, one for roughhousing a resident and shoving him into a locker, and one for placing a boy in handcuffs. Don assumed the pastorate of the church from his father truly a family-owned and operated institution. Follow Bruce on Facebook and Twitter. She lived at Hephzibah House from 2007 to 2009. The girls would open them up, and they would just starting dumping. Even then I wanted to be beautiful. For example some women have hairdos with no makeup. Elect. 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. Photos: New Bethany Alumni; Barbed Wire: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images. 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. Inexpensive, too! This resulted in many personalities. The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. No. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. thank you so much for shedding light on this place. I could not believe myself. It was two months before she and her husband could arrange a conference call with Roxy and the staff. Oh, this is all part of some deitys Perfect Plan? 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. 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. The good news is that finding an affordable and desirable property to rent in Hephzibah, GA -- whether it's apartments . 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? Visitors to the festival have increased from 65,000 in 2000 to 285,000 in 2018. For the first time ever, Ben, the founders son, speaks out. 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. 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. "We would get cases of, banana boxes full of dented cans that had no labels. For more than 40 years, the ministry has been helping teenage girls receive a Christian education as well as being taught how to improve their relationships with parents and Pastors. When I wear my housedresses, I feel like working on floors that need scrubbing, cooking and digging in the garden. New Homes. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2023 demands. Were helping parents get their kids back. In 1982, when New Bethanys leaders shut down the home to avoid a state inspection, they had a volunteer staffer put up this banner. I abhorred the fact that they would do children like they were doing them.. 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. Donna, spread thin with her husband on his third Iraq deployment, and fearful of a family history of substance abuse, worried that Kelsey was headed for trouble. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. The Faith Community has been prominent in our county since 1894, the beginning of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.. Explore rentals by neighborhoods, schools, local guides and more on Trulia! Dr. Williams is also active in the field of evangelism. ]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. As you may recall, neither Don Williams nor Ron Williams. Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. 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. For what reason? We never got the food we should have recieved, I am sure of it. I too am a former Hephzibah student and so appreciate those who are helping get the word out! We must repent of what we have done. The home was originally at 508 School Street in Winona Lake. 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. 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. She was monitored day and night by two buddies, girls whod been there awhile and knew the drill. Are you on Social Media? A traveling chorus from New Bethany. 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. Sick. The Lambs of Hephzibah House. Now 65 and living in Texarkana, Texas, Dee had pleaded for forgiveness from her former charges. Dec 1, 2020 #1 But are they cultish? Churchgoers emptied their wallets, pouring out love offerings to sustain Fords mission. I came across this documentary about Hephzibah House yesterday and wondered if anybody here has seen it Then there's this story from a Williams son: That wasa little bit interesting. I gotta learn not to read stuff like this right after dinner. Homes for Sale. 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. 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. Thank you for reading this post. She was also punished with cold showers, she said, and endless sets of calisthenics after meals. Pastor Dave Halyaman is also the assistant pastor at Believers Baptist Church, and has held the positions since 1990. I have heard many mothers say they do not wear pants and do not believe in them but you know how it Is! I want to please the Lord not man. I took them personally through every single room, downstairs, they wanted to see the storage area, the girls. Bruce Gerencser, 65, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 44 years. Hephzibah House told 16 News Now the Department of Child Services visited in January and nothing was found. He is very charismatic and in my opinion a convincing con man and abuser of women and all these young girls. They included former Indiana Rep. Mark Souder (Hephzibah House), Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt (Reclamation Ranch, Rachel Academy), and North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx (King Family Ministries), who testified: This bill is not neededThe states and the localities can handle these situations. Money? Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the peacefulness. 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. The average car ownership in Hephzibah, GA was 2 cars per household. Since then, she had begun acting up at home, as well as sneaking out and drinking. The Lord will forgive and forget but her body and mind will bear nonerasable scars. One of the most haunting and disturbing testaments to the imbecilic brutality that continues to be sheltered and protected in Christian Fundamentalism. They made a striking presentationyoung women in white blouses or dresses, with lovely voices, singing and offering dramatic testimonies. He does not know how to treat a woman. 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. Kumar also says she didn't get proper medical care while staying at Hephzibah House. [Ron Williams] is asking supporting churches to support him until the end of the year which is a lot of money. They do an excellent job of imitating our bad qualities. 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 criminal background check came back clean, and the teacher, who denied abusing any children, remains at Amelia.). Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. (Please read Who's to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco?) 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. 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 Naomi is not a tomboy and I think it is because she has been in dresses and feminine styles from her birth. Being bisexual is common. Rapier, who had continued running the school while free on bond in a 1981 child-abuse case (the charges were eventually dropped), sent the other boys awaysome went home, some were placed at kindred facilities. Hephzibah House-Being Forced to Wear Diapers. 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. It has been a journey. ACE is recognized by the State of Indiana, as well as many other states. etc. Dear lady, you are then gross in a bathing suit! Surrounded by her disciplinarians, the girl replied that she had to staythat New Beginnings was good for her. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. And yes, every once in a while they deny this but every once in a while a can of dog food would get dropped in. While those who run the school say it wasn't their choice or desire to close, former students, like Mary Kumar, tell us they're overjoyed. Brenda, I just came from that site and thought exactly the same thing!! Culottes can be worn for recreation. 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. Heres some of what he said: When this thing aired, Wednesday morning guess who was at our door. The young women, visitors from a Missouri girls home called New Beginnings Ministries, sang old-time hymns, recited Scripture, and gave tearful testimonies about their journeys out of lives of sin. In some cases she is neither dressed in a proper manner nor under her husband. All Rights Reserved. The average property tax on Highway 88 is $1,560/yr and the average house or building was built in 1971. New Beginnings is emblematic of an unknown number of troubled teen homes catering to the Independent Fundamental Baptist communitya web of thousands of autonomous churches linked by doctrine, overlapping leadership, and affiliations with Bible colleges like Bob Jones University. Hephzibah House told supporters the facility that once housed troubled teen girls will now be a Christian Camp for those suffering with PTSD. Click here to read the Hephzibah House full response to the allegations. So I dug out my pants and wore them for one entire day. A clinical trial's protocol describes who is eligible to take part in the research. Three weeks ago, Dr. Phil featured Hephzibah House on his daily TV talk show. He worked as a Public Health Advisor with the National Venereal Disease Control Program of the United States Public Health Service for seven years. I tried something several years ago to see what would happen. 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. Shut down Hephzibah house. How ridiculous. 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. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. It was basically like in the military, where they do a blanket party, throwing a blanket over your head, and your teammates beat the crap out of you to make you get back in line, says Lenee Rider, a New Bethany alum whose father, an IFB pastor, frequently hosted Fords touring chorus during his training. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. Those early years of our marriage were a nightmare! They do not know how to walk sit or act. Hephzibah House is a small private boarding school in Winona Lake, Indiana, a small town about an hour west from Fort Wayne. 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. She will suffer all the rest of her life. The raid uncovered handguns and rifles, leg irons, and handcuffs; 11 boys were taken into state custody. 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. What follows is an excerpt from the pamphlet: One of the hottest issues today among women is the pants issue and other areas of clothing. 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. Perhaps you will identify or relate to what I have to say. I saw that with a lot of other students. So many people do not have the time or energy to help shut this place down and I am just so thankful for all the people that care about the future teenagers that will go thru that door and come out a very confused and broken person. MLS# 481380. In 2008, Susan Grotte, a Hephzibah House alum, led some 60 survivors in campaigning for its closure; they wrote to newspapers and picketed outside the county courthouse in Warsaw, Indiana, near where the school is located. The school says its mission is to take in troubled girls and help them with God's love. I can only imagine . Pastor Don Williams graduated from Hyles-Anderson College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Theology. Hephzibah House describes itself as a private Christian boarding school for teenage girls. One of Ron Williams' "Credible Witnesses". It sounded like a discipleship program, Jeannie Marie recalls. tonight HH will be exposed on CNN and 8pm EST. Our clothes should draw attention to the whole being and not certain areas of our body especially areas that may arouse a man sexually. Teresa Frye did my body weight in drugs after her stint at New Bethany. Please let me get a hold of this scum that beat babies. I was sent to this home,and know many other's our lives were forever damaged. Eighteen-year-old Olivia Lambright just left the school last June. It's going to help me heal, he tells us. Of course not it was for men! We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. Just an observation. 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. A good society limits the behaviors of its members only as much as is necessary for the health and well-being of the group. 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? 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. Satan doesnt want that. Dr. Williams is also Pastor Emeritus of Believers Baptist Church, an independent, fundamental, separated church fellowship under which Hephzibah House operates. After months of punitive mealtimes, including five-minute force feeding sessions for girls on redshirt, she wolfed her food. Anita Bryant is a prime example of what the Bible condemns. More recently, he underwent Emergency Medical Technician training in Indiana, and served for ten years as an EMT. The conversation politely ended, and it's in God's hands now. Targeted Because 0f Your Race or Religion? There was no way before. The girls found themselves at a remote compound bordered by a rural highway and ringed with barbed wire. Women: no skills, need to marry & have kids This is false. These fashions included the mini skirt. You can also read the FAQ for Hephzibah House here. Our children are being molded by our character whether we like it or not. The mission headquarters has been located in Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1971, the year of its organization. A reform school in Kosciusko County, facing allegations of neglect and abuse from former students, has closed. 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. Or similarly lots of makeup and a bland or unkempt hair style is equally awkward. Indeed, a lot of the kids who were forced to regale churchgoers with phony addiction stories turned to drinking and drugs to help them cope with what happened at the schools. 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. Perhaps you live a decent Chrlstian life, but why are you allowing your daughter to live like a strange woman? 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. I found it very odd that the so called testimonies of the complimenting parents and former students and staff all sounded to me overly flowery and sooooo similar in content and that not one testimony given so much as included even a first name! ]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. 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.
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