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. Dr. Williams is also Pastor Emeritus of Believers Baptist Church, an independent, fundamental, separated church fellowship under which Hephzibah House operates. A traveling chorus from New Bethany. In 1989, Fairhaven Baptist College, Chesterton, Indiana, presented the Fighting Fundamentalist of the Year award to Pastor Williams. 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. 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. Your children need to obey; you and your husband need to let these groups know where you stand on this issue. This comes after a 16 news now investigation just over a month ago. Religious reform school closes after former students allege abuse & neglect, At least 5 sent to hospital in downtown Elkhart house fire. 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. Then they wanted to talk to the girls. Available on A&E now, the documentary on Hephzibah House (Living in Sin). Copyright 2023 The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser Powered by Flywheel. ]My attempts to track down Larry Rapier proved fruitless. (A criminal background check came back clean, and the teacher, who denied abusing any children, remains at Amelia.). Its no wonder rape victims are blamed in fundamentalist Christianity. But Maj. Durward Bennett, the former chief deputy of the local sheriffs department, told me they didnt see fit to investigate Kings new home because, Bennett erroneously insisted, King was never convicted, and North Carolina has never deemed him unfit to operate a home. etc. Dear lady, you are then gross in a bathing suit! He has 41 living grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. 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. Then your holy book is evil. Around 1984, the girls were moved to the current facility at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, Warsaw. 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. ]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. Schizophrenic Women was tl:dr. Why cant The Religious be succinct? But dozens of. CPS with Winona Lakes police officer Joe Bumbaugh. It is a Netflix Original, meaning that the streamer has global rights, including in Korea. Learn More Intact Family Services Joined Feb 2, 2012 Messages 6,901 Reaction score 1,100 Points 113. I'm still going to do my best, and as a group we're going to keep holding each other up. But are they cultish? He worked as a Public Health Advisor with the National Venereal Disease Control Program of the United States Public Health Service for seven years. That includes issues he says the school has with the quality of food being served. Hephzibah House tells 16 News Now there are currently four girls enrolled at the reform school. In 2 Kings 21:1, Hephzibah is the name of King Hezekiah's wife. I saw that with a lot of other students. Hephzibah [H] [S] my delight is in her. I can only imagine . Ford operated a separate New Bethany home for boys in Longstreet, Louisiana. Violence was the norm, Word says, and students were expected to enforce discipline. 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. We have our critics, but also people who think very well of us, he said. I have huge bulges, varicose veins, fat pockets. ]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. Some of these very critics were there when I was here, and I counseled them. Williams died several years ago, but her husband still continues to operate Hephzibah House. Over the next two decades, both the girls and boys branches would close and reopen several times moreswelling at times to hundreds of students. Standing Strong against ignorance, preconceptions, labels and excessive housework. 2,384 Sq Ft. 3474 Stockport Dr, Hephzibah, GA 30815. Local courts promote the homes as an alternative to juvenile detention, and facilities can collect a variety of state and federal grants. 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. Thank you both so much for taking time to read this and comment. The only times we really got good food were holidays, Friday nights (sometimes) and whenever a girl recieved treat money. Instead, Roxy found herself on the receiving end of brutal punishments. You may say, Well I am too old to make any difference. Mary Kumar is a survivor of a lockdown reform school for the wayward. I reached him at home on three occasions, and he hung up on me twice. "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. 39% of employees would recommend working at Hephzibah Children's Association to a friend and 23% have a positive outlook for the business. But Williams and her ilk are destroyers, packs of velociraptors in human disguise. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. Oh, this is all part of some deitys Perfect Plan? I think you have made a very wise observation. A good society limits the behaviors of its members only as much as is necessary for the health and well-being of the group. Even then I wanted to be beautiful. They would have these horrible illnesses or sicknesses and they would be made fun of or treated like garbage, but for things like that we were given forced pelvic exams or forced anal exams and that doesn't make any sense to me.". I know there are a few pastors just like him who would not change even if Jesus himself came down and told them Ron Williams was wrong but I honestly have more faith in some of their supporters that they are deceived. Kumar also says she didn't get proper medical care while staying at Hephzibah House. They are our fruits. She becomes either bold or sloppy perhaps slobby. I would say that's going too far. She had posted her phone number for anyone wanting to talk, drawing a cautious but earnest call from Word. The average household income in the Highway 88 area is $57,996. One of the greatest shocks our girls go through is to have their pants taken away! 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. Andy Kopsa, who covers abusive homes in her blog, Off the Record, noted that GOP members whose districts host tough-love schools rallied against the act. My pets? Thats the backdoor channel that Donna, a military wife and mother of eight in the Northeast, ended up taking. So I dug out my pants and wore them for one entire day. One of the students Martin contacted was Teresa Frye, now a 43-year-old mother of four. Search 5 Single Family Homes For Rent in Hephzibah, Georgia. Many times I warned my husband about this woman and could not understand why Godly men across this nation followed her. One day last November, a group of teenage girls dressed in long khaki skirts and modest blouses stepped onto the stage at an Independent Fundamental Baptist church in Maryland where Jeannie Marie (a military spouse who asked that her last name not be used) attended services with her family. 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! I was only there for three months, Roxy said, but because we werent allowed to keep track of time, it felt like six., Desperate for a way out, shed attempted suicidemany of the girls did, she added nonchalantly, if only for the chance to get taken to a hospital and beg for outside help. She will suffer all the rest of her life. I want to please the Lord not man. The mission headquarters has been located in Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1971, the year of its organization. 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. The home was originally at 508 School Street in Winona Lake. New Bethany founder Mack Ford proved even less talkative. Just the way a woman reacts to the whole subject of pants, modesty and dress reveals to me the seriousness of the situation. Our students are taught to be productive and responsible members of society. In 2007, a spate of deaths at teen residential programs prompted a nationwide investigation by the Government Accountability Office. I really admire the dress of the Amish and Mennonite women who live relatively close to our mission. If you are a first-time commenter, please read the commenting policy before wowing readers with your words. The Faith Community has been prominent in our county since 1894, the beginning of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.. 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. Authorities in the state are barred from inspecting the homes or even keeping track of them. I too am a former Hephzibah student and so appreciate those who are helping get the word out! That guy Ron Williams is totally warped. He and his wife have six grown children and twelve grandchildren. After a while, I was so brainwashed I didnt even want to run, she told me. This beating babies thing is so prevalent among these fringe-y church groups and Fundie churches in general ! We must repent of what we have done. No. This Williams woman was seriously misguided at best, possibly had mental health issues, or far, far, worse. 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. Thats sick. Petition Closed. As I listen to their questions, handle their problems and study the Word for answers, I see that the Bible holds us responsible as mothers for our part in helping or harming our children. Hephzibah, GA Real Estate and Homes for Sale 3D Tour Newly Listed 1057 FOX DEN RD, Hephzibah, GA 30815 $275,000 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,034 Sq Ft Listing by Meybohm Real Estate -North Augusta Newly Listed 2420 BOYKIN RD, Hephzibah, GA 30815 $135,000 3 Beds 2 Baths 1,215 Sq Ft Listing by Re/max True Advantage Newly Listed Since then, the landscape of "victim advocacy" has changed a lot. Mother, you can avoid this by rearing her properly, or perhaps cleaning up your own life first and then cleaning hers up. In 1982, they sent her to New Bethany, and her 10-year-old sister followed soon after. Bruce Gerencser, 65, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 44 years. (Key fundraisers for Mitt Romneys 2008 and 2012 campaigns hail from Utahs teen-home sector.) In 1984, police were tipped off by escapees about a rope chain gang working the gardens, and beatings with PVC pipewhich, the boys darkly joked, stood for pound victims cruelly., Officers raided the compound and discovered Doug Word bound, in his underwear, on the floor of a dark and padlocked isolation cell. Lesbianism among teenagers is common and routine. Click here for the CNN report on abuse at Hephzibah House. Relies uponn sermon clips, interviewes with victims, and interviews with adult members of the congregation. Select an address below to search who owns that property on Highway 88 and uncover many additional details. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. [MORE: See photos of life at New Bethany. What can you say about my husband? I recently noticed a website that is somewhat of a memorial to the recently deceased Patti Williams. Help these children now The healing and long journey of recovery begins the moment a child comes through our doors. Our only authority is through the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, which would include concerns like false advertising, she says. If you would like to contact Bruce directly, please use the contact form to do so. Photos: New Bethany Alumni; Barbed Wire: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images. Hephzibah House follows the state requirements for a General and or College prep diploma. Peer pressure forces us to allow our girls to wear them. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Terms of Service apply. 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". For more information about Bruce, please read the About page. You have this sense of total isolation: Theres no way out of it, youre there for the rest of your life.. That Hephzibah House remains open till this day is nothing short of scandalous.