The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. ]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 House Audio Documentaries| Jeri Massi Ron and Patti Williams, Hephzibah House and Schizophrenic Women 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. Are you on Social Media? 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. 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. How ridiculous. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. 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. 16 News Now investigates: Former students speak out against - WNDU 4020 EDENFIELD, Hephzibah, GA 30815 | MLS# 501876 | Redfin We know how we are but we hide behind a spiritual mask and a civilized veneer. It has been a journey. How much does a house cost in Hephzibah? The girls call her a Holly Hobbie doll. And I do not think any woman is innocent in this area. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. 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. A week or so after the disastrous conference call, Jeannie Marie traveled to La Russell with a friend whod heard about places like New Beginningssketchy teen homes drawn by Missouris laissez-faire policy toward faith-based residential facilities. Your next investment or dream home is just a click away. As you may recall, neither Don Williams nor Ron Williams. New Bethany alumni alerted local authorities to Kings past and his new location. 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 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. Parents need to read these stories before sending their children to be tortured! That is true. 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. Her letters went unansweredonly one of Roxys replies got past the academys censors. I was sent to this home,and know many other's our lives were forever damaged. She told me of her upbringing in North Carolina, where an IFB preacher named Mack Ford occasionally visited her church. "When you start spanking all the way down to your thighs, you have bruises on your thighs instead just on your bottom. It took decades of work to get just the most minimal standards of regulation at faith-based child-care centers, he adds. 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? The school cooperated in providing information, but their information was different from hers.. Nor would he divulge the name of his attorney or agree to have his attorney contact me. My ear erupted down the side of my face and that wasn't really given a lot of focus," she recalled. I hope after the Dr. Phil expos that Indiana officials will finally bring to bear on Hephzibah House the full weight of Indiana law. The bill passed in the House, but stalled in a Senate committee. As I have worked with women and teens for years I see the same character in each female. In addition to documenting the complaint, the health inspector also cited Hephzibah House for a few of its procedures involving food preparations. I have thought the same thing myself, but I can be easily dismissed since I am a former student. Ben Williams says this is just one step in the healing process. But the thing that makes my stomach churn is that these horrible ideas of how girls and women should behave, the ideas about how to raise and discipline a child, and the banality of the infractions that got the girls sent to the place in some casesthese are all celebrated by some versions of Christianity. 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. He blames this on the contracts parents signone mother who owed Patterson money feared that Big Jack might sue her if she cooperated with the stateas well as fervent support for men like Patterson among many Christian fundamentalists. Learn More Intact Family Services 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. No man would control my life! Those who say they were abused will continue to try to get Hephzibah House shut down. 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. 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. Former students say it's thanks to a community effort that the school shut down. Listen on Apple Podcasts. These people are sick, and not in the have compassion for way, but in the complete fruitcake doing really bad stuff way. She says students were expected to do heavy labor in addition to their Bible-based education. 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. The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. Culottes can be worn for recreation. Deuteronomy 22:5 says you are an abomination to God if you wear the clothing of a man. Jodi Hobbs' Story - Blogger A billing dispute with New Beginnings staff didnt make things any easier. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. 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. If you do not care then you are In severe rebellion and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23). You can also read the FAQ for Hephzibah House here. 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. 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. Shut down Hephzibah house. Each child has an individualized treatment plan to address their specific needs. I want to look special for the Lord and my husband. The Bible tells us in I Timothy 2:9 that a woman is to dress in a modest way. "I had an accident and they were like, 'Oh! And if you can't drive yourself to the research site, ask about transportation options. A Christian Mother Has A Heavy Responsibility. Just an observation. We have laws to protect people from illegal incarceration, she says, but apparently not if youre a teenage girl. In the past year, New Bethany alums staged a reunion trip to confront the Fords, and they joined with members of kindred groups such as Survivors of Institutional Abuse to gather and publicize survivor stories. Many times I warned my husband about this woman and could not understand why Godly men across this nation followed her. After months of punitive mealtimes, including five-minute force feeding sessions for girls on redshirt, she wolfed her food. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. Hephzibah in the Bible - Definition, Meaning and References r. Our Affiliates. And if you ca *, In March 2010, the House passed the Keeping All Students Safe Act, a bill that would have banned the use of seclusion and physical or chemical restraints by any school that benefits from federal education money. As a small child I desired to be a beautiful movie star and practiced the role by prancing and dancing all around the house. It's us but for your ears. Inexpensive, too! Available on A&E now, the - The Lambs of Hephzibah House | Facebook Satan doesnt want that. 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. But let us look at ourselves Mother. The raid grabbed headlines, but the school reopened again, this time merging with Fords New Bethany girls school in Arcadia. 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. Would you want us to not do that [give pelvic exams] ? tonight HH will be exposed on CNN and 8pm EST. One last pointmany of the former HH girls have been asked to write statements in support of Ron Williams & HH he actually gave examples of what to write (and guess whatit sounded just like the stories he has on his page now). But Lucinda, another former student, is defending . She will be the person you molded her to be and Dad will glow. Recently Sold . How can those who are advocating for these women of Hephzibah House obtain information on the churches who support HH so that we could write letters directly to these pastors. The Hephzibah House is a Winona Lake, Indiana boarding school for troubled teenage girls usually committed by their parents and recommended by Baptist pastors. It sounded like a discipleship program, Jeannie Marie recalls. Vaginal exam -- [This] did not happen to me, luckily. It is a Netflix Original, meaning that the streamer has global rights, including in Korea. The New Press amplifies progressive voices for a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. Fear. It will ruin your daughter physically, mentally, emotionally," Lambright pleaded. (It, too, died in the Senate.) I pray that some will stand for His sake and not let the world control our dress and our lives. For the past thirty years, Dave Halyaman has served the assistant director of Hephzibah House and assistant pastor at Believers Baptist. There was no way before. Which is crazy, just insane, because there's 300 of us out here that have PTSD, says Mary. After a housemother bandaged Angelas arms, Rider said, she heard the girl being beaten down the hall. The school reopened the next year in Walterboro, South Carolina, under a new administrator, Olin King. Its no wonder rape victims are blamed in fundamentalist Christianity. Ron Williams Response to the CNN documentary - jeriwho.net That daughter will reveal this in her marriage. In a locked-up basement where they never see the light of day, as a prisoner and that's over. (Please read Whos to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco?). 229 Hephzibah homes for sale range from $6K - $1.99M with the avg price of a 2-bed single family home of $108K. (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.). That guy Ron Williams is totally warped. The Hephzibah House, a recovery home in Newton, recently closed permanently after about eight years of helping . Hephzibah, GA | Data USA All Rights Reserved. "The leaders of most of our critics, when they left our ministry, were very cordial, friendly, amiable. Hephzibah House & the Hyles-Anderson Connection - No Eden Elsewhere 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. [Ron Williams] is asking supporting churches to support him until the end of the year which is a lot of money. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. It was relatively easy to take the girl out of the IFBX, but taking the IFBX out of the girl is another matter. You have to wear diapers now.'". [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. One of the greatest shocks our girls go through is to have their pants taken away! Hephzibah, GA Homes for Sale & Real Estate 155 Homes Available Tile Sort by 29 3510 BECTON Road, Hephzibah, GA 30815 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,480 Sqft 0.32 ac Lot Size Residential $170,000 USD View Details 29 2167 KANECK Way, Hephzibah, GA 30815 5 Beds 3 Baths 3,742 Sqft 0.5 ac Lot Size Residential $385,000 USD View Details 7 You may now be thinking or wondering what she is getting at? 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! This boarding school for girls is located in Winona Lake, Indiana called, Hephzibah House. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? In 2000, Rider created a New Bethany survivor forum comprising as many as 400 former residents and staff. Movoto has access to the latest real estate data including single family homes, condos/townhouses, open houses, new listings and more in Hephzibah GA. Now I know why - secrecy is the key to continued operationI think it is a good thing that this organization is being exposed. I have done all I can do. 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. 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. When they stopped at a restaurant on the way home, she robotically asked for permission to speak or to use the bathroom. 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. It was founded in 1971. Hephzibah House is a small private boarding school in Winona Lake, Indiana, a small town about an hour west from Fort Wayne. Visitors to the festival have increased from 65,000 in 2000 to 285,000 in 2018. Celebrating original thought, religious freedom, parenthood, free enterprise and chocolate. You can have them made for most jobs at which you work. A traveling chorus from New Bethany. Sometimes, it seems like because they portray themselves so well, people just believe them without really checking into the place, hopefully more and more will truly investigate and realize the truth. Because if their parents who sent them there still have control over the girl she will not speak freely. The Lord has shown me the role of the woman in the home. I have seen how it adversely molded her thinking and interactions. They are softer, sweeter and submissive. Rider found her in the bathroom, surrounded by shards of broken mirror. I never went to Hephzibah House but was horrified to read the comments of survivors. There may be more. He said he didn't even remember the particulars just that it had something to do with my loyalty to him. October 25, 2018 Mary Kumar's Story. There is so much wrong with what this woman wrote, beginning with the assertion that little girls are purposefully sexual temptresses. "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. Mary Kumar is a survivor of a lockdown reform school for the wayward . Mental abuse -- YES YES YES. Hephzibah House follows the state requirements for a General and or College prep diploma. ACE is recognized by the State of Indiana, as well as many other states. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. 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. Years ago, Patti Williams wrote a pamphlet titled Schizophrenic Women. Bill McNamara and his wife eventually took over, and when state officials began investigating the home, they moved New Beginnings to Missouri. 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. It may not display this or other websites correctly. New Bethany founder Mack Ford proved even less talkative. On his second day, he recalls, he watched administrator Larry Rapier punch a boy of 10 or so in the mouth for wetting his pants on the bus to Sunday worship. krystal pritchard started this petition to Abuse at Hephzibah House a boarding school for girls . I would control his! 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. Most people in Hephzibah, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.7 minutes. Builder is offering $8000 Buyer Incentive on this home. 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. There's still work that has to be done, says Mary Kumar. I soon learned that I could control men with my eyes, voice, body movements and dress. Other girls? Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. It is hard to imagine now but she was a real tomboy. Clark Word, now 44, was sent there when he was about 15. New Homes. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. He is very charismatic and in my opinion a convincing con man and abuser of women and all these young girls. Windows nailed shut in sleeping quarters is a fire code violation. Are they 100% cult? 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. Hephzibah House to be Featured in CNN Investigation Hephzibah House Permanently Closed, When And Why Not Answered Hephzibah House Abuse Lawsuit | Independent Fundamental Baptist Abuse I am very sorry to say I won my own husband by my dress and actions. I know this will step on toes literally, but these new sandals with three and four inch heels are not simple. They knew they would all be severely punished if they did. The whole ministry was gone and I was alone in the house. they substitute mind control for spanking! The girls found themselves at a remote compound bordered by a rural highway and ringed with barbed wire. Then they wanted to talk to the girls. She says she was spanked during her five years there. JavaScript is disabled. Her dress and character will bear fruit in her children. These fashions included the mini skirt. They will look after the children., In the absence of federal action, alumni of the teen institutions have been trying to expose the abuses. George W. Bush deregulated the activities of faith-based groups there. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Since the same root hafz means "guarding" or "taking care of," all words from this root suggest the idea of "safeguarding," and . Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel. I am a former student of Hephzibah House in Indiana. Thank god!. 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). If you would like to contact Bruce directly, please use the contact form to do so. And that is why there's a fear, that is why there's devout loyalty. That should keep the windows operational, or close the facility down. 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. My pets? etc. Dear lady, you are then gross in a bathing suit! Ugh ! Celebrating original thought, religious freedom, parenthood, free enterprise and chocolate. Williams died several years ago, but her husband still continues to operate Hephzibah House. 'Do Not Send Your Daughter To Hephzibah House,' Says Son - Dr. Phil That same year I tried something else. Some say your job requires pants. Donna told me that she has approached at least seven state and federal officesincluding the Missouri AGseeking action against Circle of Hope for stating falsely on its website that it was state-registered, a claim she says gave her the confidence to send Kelsey there. Naomi is not a tomboy and I think it is because she has been in dresses and feminine styles from her birth. Theres still people out here that are hurt, so Im still talking. Well you say we are in different times, they wore different clothing and besides they both wore robes. Later, she slashed her wrists. My soup is threatening to come back up. After Word had been there for almost seven months, his watch escaped. Hephzibah House told 16 News Now the Department of Child Services visited in January and nothing was found. Keep up the good work!! I am not so sure any of us are really deceived deep down inside. The school gave us written statements refuting the claims. In 2020, the median property value in Hephzibah, GA was $120,200, and the homeownership rate was 69.6%. 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. It's going to help me heal, he tells us. If he [Ron Williams] was an abuser or a pedophile, I would know. He has 41 living grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. 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. A good society does not teach children that might makes right. But Dee Rapier confirmed the atmosphere of physical and psychological torment at the facility she ran with her former husband. Congress has tried, and so far failed, to rein in the schools. 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 "They did an invasive exam to see why I couldn't go to the bathroom. Family Member, Friend or Colleague of a Guest. He would arrive with a school bus full of teenagers from his girls home in Arcadia, a Louisiana town of 2,700.