In 2000, Rider created a New Bethany survivor forum comprising as many as 400 former residents and staff. And the girls are having accidents and that's what happened to me," she said. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. She told me of her upbringing in North Carolina, where an IFB preacher named Mack Ford occasionally visited her church. For the first time ever, Ben, the founders son, speaks out. Would you want your girl to come and spend a year around other kids with STDs? 16 News Now requested an interview with him, and he agreed to send us prerecorded responses to our questions. Absolutely. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. Sheriff Dukes has an open invitation anytime he wants, they dont need a warrant, and same to Winona Lake police. 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. Nope she is burning in hell. *, 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. Peer pressure forces us to allow our girls to wear them. They knew they would all be severely punished if they did. In 2 Kings 21:1, Hephzibah is the name of King Hezekiah's wife. A woman that wears pants is either rebellious or ignorant. 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. Heather wore pants until she was five when we got saved. (I dont know anything about that, he said.) 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. Hephzibah House told 16 News Now the Department of Child Services visited in January and nothing was found. Quote of the Day: Are Militant Secularists Trying to Take Over the United States? Despite the bad PR, Christian reform facilities appear to have no trouble attracting new recruits. 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. Beginning initially in the suburbs of Chicago, it was not long until the Lord providentially led us to Winona Lake, Indiana, where we have been until this present hour. Thats still true. (Missouri isnt alone. 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. 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. When I phoned New Beginnings to ask about the familys allegations, a staffer referred all questions to Wesley Barnum, the academys attorney, who did not return my repeated calls. 16 News Now was contacted by more than a dozen women with similar experiences. This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! Perhaps you live a decent Chrlstian life, but why are you allowing your daughter to live like a strange woman? Hopefully the more the word gets out, the fewer girls and families can be devastated by this so-called "ministry.". A reform school in Kosciusko County, facing allegations of neglect and abuse from former students, has closed. 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! I have heard many mothers say they do not wear pants and do not believe in them but you know how it Is! Keep up the good work!! Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. Michelle Guenther Leonard, resident of Hephzibah House January 2, 2009 until May 18, 2010 I am a survivor of Hephzibah House located in Winona Lake, IN. 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. That is an absolute contradiction of standards and another aspect of a feminine schizophrenic personality. That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous. Garden Lady is right -what were the cops and CPS thinking? "At night you had a 10:30 bathroom break and a 2 a.m. bathroom break, and there will be times where they take the 10:30 and they miss the 2 a.m. bathroom break. Search 5 Single Family Homes For Rent in Hephzibah, Georgia. DCS says that's why there are no formal inspections unless child neglect or abuse is reported, and even then they don't investigate claims against unlicensed facilities without law enforcement. You have to wear diapers now.'". 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. I think now that girls, children, aren't there right now is bigI mean its huge. 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 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. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. We were not saved until we were in our late twenties. (Key fundraisers for Mitt Romneys 2008 and 2012 campaigns hail from Utahs teen-home sector.) Joined Feb 2, 2012 Messages 6,901 Reaction score 1,100 Points 113. (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.). 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. 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. A woman greatly influences and brings out the Godly qualities of her man by her actions and words. The wife of Hezekiah and mother of king Manasseh ( 2 Kings 21:1 ). He found Riders online community, which included Dee Rapier, the wife of his old nemesis. I was proud and haughty at my catch but filled with doubts and suspicions afterwards. When CPS came to interview the girls, of course none of them said anything against the staff. Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel. Please share your thoughts in the comment section. But dozens of women who were students there say what they experienced was not love but abuse. I so badly want to torture the living crap at of this man. Then they wanted to talk to the girls. Ford operated a separate New Bethany home for boys in Longstreet, Louisiana. One-time donations can be made through PayPal. The name Hephzibah or Hafzbah expresses a very clear idea. The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. A woman who wears pants or immodest dress will produce a daughter that will have either masculine character or rebellious character or the qualities of a strange woman. Most people in Hephzibah, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.7 minutes. 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. Ben Williams says this is just one step in the healing process. Thank you so much for helping us to spread the word about the abuse at this facility!!!www.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.com. Police normally returned runaways to the home, but the severity of the boys injuries led state officials to investigate. Search one of the largest collections of foreclosure, bank-owned, 2nd Chance Foreclosure, Short Sale, and luxury properties available online. 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. If you are a first-time commenter, please read the commenting policy before wowing readers with your words. Better a pink bottom than a black soul, Roloff famously declared at a 1973 court hearing after he was prosecuted by the state of Texas on behalf of 16 Rebekah girls. 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. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. I was conscious of how I walked and sat. One of the students Martin contacted was Teresa Frye, now a 43-year-old mother of four. 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. I gotta learn not to read stuff like this right after dinner. Sold: 3 beds, 2 baths house located at 2521 Quail Run, Hephzibah, GA 30815 sold for $259,900 on Apr 19, 2022. There may be more. 5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bathroom w/ 2728 sq ft home built in 2019. Know a Teen Girl or Young Adult Coached By Mom on How to Lose Weight? Pastor Ronald Williams and his late wife, Patti, founded Hephzibah House in 1971, a Christian boarding school for teen girls. We have our critics, but also people who think very well of us, he said. Patti Williams, along with her husband Ron, founded Hephzibah House, an unlicensed Baptist girls group home in Winona Lake, Indiana. 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. Lesbianism among teenagers is common and routine. The only times we really got good food were holidays, Friday nights (sometimes) and whenever a girl recieved treat money. They made a striking presentationyoung women in white blouses or dresses, with lovely voices, singing and offering dramatic testimonies. Eighteen-year-old Olivia Lambright just left the school last June. Bill McNamara and his wife eventually took over, and when state officials began investigating the home, they moved New Beginnings to Missouri. She says students were expected to do heavy labor in addition to their Bible-based education. They draw a lot of attention to the feet, ankles and leg. Hephzibah Children's Association has an overall rating of 3.2 out of 5, based on over 22 reviews left anonymously by employees. The enemy here is not the critics of Ron Williams and Hephzibah House. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tickets. What follows are several video clips from the show. Churchgoers emptied their wallets, pouring out love offerings to sustain Fords mission. 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. There are accusations of abuse dating back to the 1980s. My soup is threatening to come back up. My wife and I left a teaching position in the early nineties. [Ron Williams] is asking supporting churches to support him until the end of the year which is a lot of money. A billing dispute with New Beginnings staff didnt make things any easier. You are using an out of date browser. She says humiliation is a daily part of life in the dorms and at church for Hephzibah House students. 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. The girls could have said anything. 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. Since then, she had begun acting up at home, as well as sneaking out and drinking. "They really dumbed us down there, because women aren't really supposed to have a lot of thoughts or dreams besides becoming a mother. Getting through by phone also proved challenging, and calls were monitored. But Dee Rapier confirmed the atmosphere of physical and psychological torment at the facility she ran with her former husband. I am a former student of Hephzibah House in Indiana. (Please read Who's to Blame For the Tragic Death of IFB Missionary Charles Wesco?) 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. Copyright 2014 - All Rights Reserved - jeriwho.net. He served as Assistant Pastor in Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana for 11 years and since 1998, has been the Senior Pastor. Jay Kirksey, Circle of Hopes attorney, would not address Donnas claims, but he extended an invitation to come visit. We have allowed the world to dictate our styles. Ben Williams tells us he is concerned that the girls currently enrolled at Hephzibah House are being abused. "The things that are happening at Hephzibah House are definitely cultish. Surrounded by her disciplinarians, the girl replied that she had to staythat New Beginnings was good for her. We use a pattern that makes a culotte that looks exactly like a pleated skirt yet has plenty of room for movement. "The leaders of most of our critics, when they left our ministry, were very cordial, friendly, amiable. When that could've been easily fixed with Metamucil or putting us on a better diet," she said. Clark Word, now 44, was sent there when he was about 15. I dressed for men, I desired to be beautiful for men. Anderson Cooper covered a thorough investigation of the boarding school for girls and no one has made any efforts to close down this . I do not mind if I get dirty, which I surely do when I really dig into a project. She lived at Hephzibah House from 2007 to 2009. 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. 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. Our Staff Ronald E. Williams is the Founder and Director of Hephzibah House, Inc., a Christian Boarding School for troubled girls. The Lord has done a marvelous work in our lives. 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. Rider found her in the bathroom, surrounded by shards of broken mirror. Learn More Intact Family Services "I am begging you from my heart, please don't send your daughter to this Hephzibah House, because it is not a good place. Your children need to obey; you and your husband need to let these groups know where you stand on this issue. 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). It was founded in 1971. In 1982, they sent her to New Bethany, and her 10-year-old sister followed soon after. 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. Well you say we are in different times, they wore different clothing and besides they both wore robes. Help these children now The healing and long journey of recovery begins the moment a child comes through our doors. There's good people there to this day but when you get captured into that culture, it takes years for you to literally deprogram," Ben Williams explained. (A criminal background check came back clean, and the teacher, who denied abusing any children, remains at Amelia.). 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. 229 Hephzibah homes for sale range from $6K - $1.99M with the avg price of a 2-bed single family home of $108K. Those early years of our marriage were a nightmare! Dr. Seeking Interesting People Who Play Solitaire Grand Harvest. Now 65 and living in Texarkana, Texas, Dee had pleaded for forgiveness from her former charges. The school cooperated in providing information, but their information was different from hers.. After a housemother bandaged Angelas arms, Rider said, she heard the girl being beaten down the hall. By Jason W. February 15, 2016 at 11:37 am CST. In a 1979 standoff that would become the stuff of fundamentalist folklore, Roloff declared his cause the Christian Alamo, organizing hundreds of supporters into barricades to keep state officials off his compound. It has long been my goal, as well as the goal of over one hundred to two hundred other girls, to expose the things we had to endure while in Hephzibah House's care in the hopes of protecting . Ron Williams and his wife, the late Patti Williams, started Hephzibah House in 1971. 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. Words 14-year-old brother, Doug, was sent there soon after for stealing a neighbors Playboy magazines. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. When I wear my housedresses, I feel like working on floors that need scrubbing, cooking and digging in the garden. 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."
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