Our Affiliates. Of course not it was for men! There is so much wrong with what this woman wrote, beginning with the assertion that little girls are purposefully sexual temptresses. Be willing to resist the pressures of the world and disobedient Christians. 879 likes. Relies uponn sermon clips, interviewes with victims, and interviews with adult members of the congregation. Hephzibah House Audio Documentaries| Jeri Massi It's going to help me heal, he tells us. Windows nailed shut in sleeping quarters is a fire code violation. But Lucinda, another former student, is defending . I would control his! After Word had been there for almost seven months, his watch escaped. He surrendered to preach in 1982. Mary Kumar is a survivor of a lockdown reform school for the wayward . Perhaps you will identify or relate to what I have to say. I mean, I think he brings up his utility bill is $20,000. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. He earned the certificate in Biblical Studies in May, 1977, and the Master of Divinity (cum laude) from Grace in 1979. In a locked-up basement where they never see the light of day, as a prisoner and that's over. I had a lot to crucify in my life. Doctor. Dad will burst his buttons with praise over a pure virgin daughter filled with Godly character if you do it Gods way. I at one time attended a church that supported this ". It is a Netflix Original, meaning that the streamer has global rights, including in Korea. 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. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. After Dr. Phils expos, Dave Halyaman publicly voiced his objections to the story. Its no wonder rape victims are blamed in fundamentalist Christianity. Our clothes should draw attention to the whole being and not certain areas of our body especially areas that may arouse a man sexually. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. The effects of a pants-wearing mother is just as devastating on a boy. Full stop, no excuses, no exceptions. (New Beginnings has operated under multiple names in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.) The shocking accounts of survivors who were beaten, starved,enslaved, and humiliated.Today young girls are still. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run.I figured this was Gods plan.. Parents need to read these stories before sending their children to be tortured! Dave Halyaman, assistant director of Hephzibah House, would not respond directly to Glovers claims. He said he didn't even remember the particulars just that it had something to do with my loyalty to him. All Rights Reserved. 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. They take away any feeling that you are capable of doing anything outside the home, she said. Read carefully as he explains how Hephzibah House is operated and how the girls are and were treated. This Williams woman was seriously misguided at best, possibly had mental health issues, or far, far, worse. If your Christianity is about following the instructions of Christ in how you treat your fellow humans, you have at least a chance of building a good society. And if you can't drive yourself to the research site, ask about transportation options. She had posted her phone number for anyone wanting to talk, drawing a cautious but earnest call from Word. I have seen how it adversely molded her thinking and interactions. 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. 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. 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. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. Neither characteristic is a Godly one. Pastor Dave Halyaman is an assistant Director of Hephzibah House, and Assistant Pastor at Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana and has held these positions since 1990.Brother Halyaman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University Los Angeles in 1978, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Theology from Hyles-Anderson College in 1987. In 1982, when New Bethanys leaders shut down the home to avoid a state inspection, they had a volunteer staffer put up this banner. The girls would open them up, and they would just starting dumping. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. King and his assistant were charged with kidnapping, unlawful neglect, and conspiracy. 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. Hephzibah House operates under the authority of Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana. Has Hephzibah House Mended Its Ways in the Wake of Public Criticism By Jason W. February 15, 2016 at 11:37 am CST. This pamphlet remains popular in some corners of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) world. Heres some of what he said: When this thing aired, Wednesday morning guess who was at our door. They could have said anything, they could have maligned us and bashed us, and all they did was praise us. TM & 2023 Peteski Productions, Inc. 2023 CBS Interactive Inc.. a Paramount company. Would you want your girl to come and spend a year around other kids with STDs? The bill passed in the House, but stalled in a Senate committee. A safe place where a daughter can go to have time alone to find God and her direction.. With so many woman contacting 16 News Now, we reached out to Hephzibah House. A Fish and Her Bicycle: The Horrors of Hephzibah House - Blogger Standing Strong against ignorance, preconceptions, labels and excessive housework. Hephzibah House describes itself as a private Christian boarding school for teenage girls. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. The average car ownership in Hephzibah, GA was 2 cars per household. "They really dumbed us down there, because women aren't really supposed to have a lot of thoughts or dreams besides becoming a mother. He has 41 living grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. As I have worked with women and teens for years I see the same character in each female. Were helping parents get their kids back. Are they 100% cult? He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Hephzibah House Ceases Operations - InkFreeNews.com Our humble work began in 1971, when the Lord called my wife and me to begin this unique ministry. Then you say women have been bound for thousands of years and they ought to be allowed more freedom. 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. I too am a former Hephzibah student and so appreciate those who are helping get the word out! Clark Word, now 44, was sent there when he was about 15. 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; That includes issues he says the school has with the quality of food being served. "The leaders of most of our critics, when they left our ministry, were very cordial, friendly, amiable. We have been unable to get that confirmed with DCS. Hephzibah Children's Association has an overall rating of 3.2 out of 5, based on over 22 reviews left anonymously by employees. Learn More Intact Family Services 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. A woman has an inner desire to attract men. About ten years ago I ran into the pastor form the IFBX church we left and decided to take the high road. A woman is not submissive in a pair of pants. This location included Believers Baptist Church, a school and staff houses. 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 documentary. 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. Schizophrenic Women should give you a good idea of how Hephzibah House was operated and how incarcerated girls were treated by the Williamses. Bruce Gerencser, who spent 25 years as an IFB pastor, recalls Lester Roloff visiting his Bible college to promote the homes. He said he wanted tomake sure he read them first to ensure that they weren't altered or censored once submitted to the secular media.GabriellaWww.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.com. For the first time ever, Ben, the founders son, speaks out. He served as Assistant Pastor in Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana for 11 years and since 1998, has been the Senior Pastor.He also has served as an assistant to the director of Hephzibah House since 1987. We had pants, shorts, bathing suits, immodest clothing, television, movies, dancing lessons, circuses etc. You may now be thinking or wondering what she is getting at? Good thing his wife isnt alive. "Nothing's changed in the belief structure. Would you want us to not do that [give pelvic exams] ? Police normally returned runaways to the home, but the severity of the boys injuries led state officials to investigate. One-time donations can be made through PayPal. As a small child I desired to be a beautiful movie star and practiced the role by prancing and dancing all around the house. Perhaps you are wondering how you can have freedom of movement in a dress. My dear Sister in Christ, look around our daughters are no longer pure. But dozens of. ?No problems whatsoever. She's not the only one who says she suffered at Hephzibah House. I could not believe myself. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. For several years, Brother Halyaman worked in the broadcasting industry as an announcer, television anchor, and News Director of several small market radio and television stations. 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. For the past thirty years, Dave Halyaman has served the assistant director of Hephzibah House and assistant pastor at Believers Baptist. Hephzibah Children's Association Reviews - Glassdoor 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.. But back at the hive, Roloffs wards were often subjected to days in locked isolation rooms where his sermons played in an endless loop. 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. 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. I dressed for men, I desired to be beautiful for men. Authorities in the state are barred from inspecting the homes or even keeping track of them. Mothers and single adult women, you are responsible for the molding of young girls and children. She wanted to know how Id turned out, Word recalls. Hephzibah House Permanently Closed, When And Why Not Answered The call dissolved into a shouting match between Jeannie Marie and McNamarawho finally declared that he would only discuss the matter with her husband. 'Do Not Send Your Daughter To Hephzibah House,' Says Son - Dr. Phil I think now that girls, children, aren't there right now is bigI mean its huge. Over the next two decades, both the girls and boys branches would close and reopen several times moreswelling at times to hundreds of students. 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. Hephzibah House Response to Allegations | Dr. Phil 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 . 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. Just getting a girl out of pants changes their personality and they are not even aware of the change. Photos: New Bethany Alumni; Barbed Wire: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images. Authorities and watchdog groups are familiar with the patternsthe state-hopping, the frequent openings and closingsbut people forget, says Deputy Rush. JavaScript is disabled. 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. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. NEW BETHANY FINALLY shut down its remaining Louisiana compound after years of police raids and legal battles. I do not want him to be embarrassed at how his wife looks but to be proud of me. "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. They accompanied her to the shower and toilet, and introduced her to a life of communal isolation and rigid discipline. Around 1984, the girls were moved to the current facility at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, Warsaw. The home relocated to Missouri three years later, returning to Texas in 1998 after then-Gov. Lenee Rider stayed drunk for a year. Angela, her old watch, died of complications from cirrhosis in 2008. Search 5 Single Family Homes For Rent in Hephzibah, Georgia. Oh how I pray some will stand for Jesus! This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! It is interesting to note that as far as I can tell, we have never had a girl or woman come into our program at Hephzibah House that did not wear pants. Hephzibah, GA Foreclosures Listings - Foreclosures | Foreclosure Listings 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. 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. Then your deity is perfectly evil. ]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. The position we have taken is hated not necessarily by the world as much as it is by fellow Christians. However, common sense is laid aside for the sake of style! According to Assistant Director Pastor Dave Halyaman, the boarding school at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, right outside of Winona Lake, is closed. Shut down Hephzibah house. We were not saved until we were in our late twenties. 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. Teresa Frye did my body weight in drugs after her stint at New Bethany.