January 6th, 2010
Stacey Page
By Stacey Page
For the past couple summers, former students of the so-called home from troubled girls in Winona Lake have staged protests outside the Kosciusko County Courthouse trying to bring attention to a place they call “evil.”
Now, an audio documentary of the alleged practices and teachings of Ron and Pattil Williams of Hephzibah House has been created and made available to the world.
The documentary, called The Lambs of Hephzibah, features five audio segments. In each one, former students of the home speak of the deplorable acts they say they were subjected to. Most say it was the Williams’ mission to humiliate, degrade and improperly feed and care for the teenage girls as a means to make them Christians.
The documentary was created by Jeri Massi and is receiving high praises from former Hephzibah students who also call themselves victims and survivors.
To listen to the chilling words of those who lived the alleged abuse, click on this link Hephzibah House.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 10:28 pm and is filed under Featured News, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I have to say I am thankful for the audio documentary done by Jeri Massi. I still have to wonder why nothing is being done about all the abuse that previously went on and possibly still going on. If anyone had noticed, when you go by the building on Pierceton Road, how come you cannot see it anymore? I am a former student from 1980-1983. I did everything that Pastor Williams required of me..I graduated from HH, I went to a college he recommended, but because my parents requested me home 2 weeks before college started, I was condemned. I did not know I was going home and did not request it, my parents did. But because of that when I did show up at the college with others that were at HH, I was told they could not talk to me because I was of the devil and no longer godly since I went home before coming. Reminder that it was my parents idea and not mine. I was condemned for doing what my parents wanted me to do..When he came to a church in my town, I went to see him and was totally ignored..When he started talking about HH, he would not even mention that I was there..I do have alot of memories of being there and some are good, some are bad, and others are forgotten about or I don’t want to remember. But I do remember getting paddled for supposedly lying and I actually stopped counting after 30 wacks..Could not tell you how many after that..To me, that was not necessary and could be called a beating since my bottom was all purple, black, and blue and I could not sit down.
I think it is time for everyone to search there hearts..there are too many people that have similar stories against this place that if one phone call, nowadays, were to be made to Department of Child Services it would be at least checked in to..not ignored like these people are. It is a different time and date, but it is still child abuse and if it was now, it would be checked into with just one complaint and not taking 50+. I don’t care if you are of the same religion and agreeable, it should still be questioned..God would even tell you that!!
Stacey, thank you for giving these women one more voice on the internet. Reading the personal accounts of these named women has affected me profoundly and completely.
The court system in our country only asks for one eye witness to establish a matter, and in the case of Hepzibah House, there are quite literally dozens of women who have come forward to tell of their horrific time spent at the hands of Ron Williams and his family. They do not do this anonymously – they bravely state their name and dare the likes of the Jerry Ross’s and Michelle Dickey’s of the world to try and tarnish their testimony.
Again, thank you for giving them yet one more voice.
Evelyn Huckaby
Thank you for bringing awareness to this issue Stacy. I was honored to be apart of this podcast along with my other sisters of survival and I will state here and now, I did not exaggerate and I did not lie. I want everyone who hears the podcasts or reads these comments to know and understand that every horrific, abusive atrocity committed against us was done in the name of God. I and many of my fellow survivors serve as living proof that abusing a child in the name of God, only serves to drive that precious soul further away from her heavenly father. I pray that the people of Indiana will listen and will hear our voices, in the hopes that someday our pain will become Ron and Patti Williams’s public shame.
Must admit that when Michele shows up and starts slinging accusations around, she should expect to be rebutted and her outlandish accusations refuted.
Then again, if the bat has flown, we ought to get back to the topic that Stacey Page wrote about: the documentary and the plight of the current and former residents of Hephzibah House.
Readers can see that Ron Williams has the support of the “good ol’ boys” club of Fundamentalist preachers and their associated fanatics. If there ever was a plac ethat cried out to be investigated by the legal system, it is Hephzibah House.
Michele Dickey, Jerry Ross are staunch supporters of the doings of Ron Williams. They should be exposed as ones enabling him and his cruel ways.
The information posted about Michele Dickey is public information and readily available on the internet through public access. If she is so afraid of stalkers then she should not place her information on the internet.
the issue is ron williams, the accusations against him, and his teachings that give credence to those accusations.
the people who defend him like to side track the issue, and put the focus away from him and his group home by launching personal attacks on others.
sadly some respond to them on kind, then the debae is no longer about ron williams, his group home, and the treatment the girls there are recieving, it is about everyone else.
it is one thing to give the personal background of a poster and thier history behind this subject, it is quite anouther to give out real names and workplace informtion.
this person doed it many times to others, so i understand bob doing it back to her.
i have jumped the one poster when she does it on her hez.. helped website, and i will also jump others when they do it back to her. two wrongs dont make a right.
please delete or edit her personal info out of this thread, in the age of stalkers, that is a very dangerous thing.
because she want to throw lies and put others in danger in her defence of ron williams, does not mean others need to do the same back to her.
lets keep the focus on ron williams, his writings and the accusations against his home and how the authorities have done little about them.
one time years ago he did recieve a suprice inspection, that he was told of in advance, many former women there tell of this, and how they were moved some where else before the inspection took place.
there seems to be a good old boys network of protection around ron williams in his town.
Thank you Stacey.
There are girls locked up there right now. They did not commit a crime, they had no trial. They have been incarcerated and their most basic civil liberties denied.
I know first hand the atrocities that Ron Williams is capable of. I will speak out as long as he has access to children and as long as the state permits monsters to lock children up with no over site or accountability.
As a former student I know that my account is accurate and after 20+ years I still have vivid nightmares of trying to escape the abuse.
If the Williams were innocent I think they would gladly talk to the press, but they dont. They hide because the words we spoke in Jeri Massi’s documentary are the truth. A huge thank you to Jeri for listening and giving freely of her time and for caring enough to help.
I have seen no evidence of any death threats or threats of any kind. Can you produce any evidence that we can take to the legal authorities? Death threats are taken very serious these days.
Thanks so much for providing yet another place online where people can hear the voices of the former Hephzibah girls. I am also a former student, and each day I am amazed that this “home” is still in operation.
Michele Dickey (aka “Concerned”) brandishes accusations, but in the documentary, I recorded *eight* witnesses and read aloud from Mr Williams’ own writings. Nobody has to like me, and nobody has to agree with my choices, but I don’t beat children bloody, and I don’t starve them or enslave them. Nor do I call them whores and sluts.
As I wrote previously, I welcome an open church court with documented proceedings in which both the survivors and the Williamses get to tell their sides of the story, and evidence is taken and recorded, and elders produce a decision about whether Williams has behaved well or badly. But until then, and while he rules a bully pulpit, I will keep these witness statements and his own writings in front of as many people as is possible.
Jeri Massi
” Concerned says:
January 7, 2010 at 10:36 pm
To those would would like to see the lies that have been told about Hephzibah House, please visit this site which exposes not only Jeri Massi for who she is, but also exposes the lies and deceit that have been told by many of these former students.”
Hi Michele,
Never let a chance to bad mouth the abused go by will you. I understand that you have sold your soul to ron williams, but you should not be in the business of selling young minors into the house of abuse to make yourself feel accepted by the culture of abuse that you advocate. You have been lying about these victims long enough, long enough to be kicked off a Christian Forum three times. Now you are bearing false witness on a public forum. Shouldn’t you be trying to be a light for Jesus instead of advocating for the darkness that is Hephzibah House?
What kind of demented animal recommends (in writing even) the physical abuse of infants??!!
Any pastors or parents considering this place now are without excuse. A simple Google search should cast enough doubt that they should never even consider sending any girl there.
I pray this “den of torture” gets shut down!
Jerry Ross, you sound like another Ron Williams. If you are supporting that so called group home knowing what this man has done and is still doing, then Jeri is right, shame on you. I know I am not a liar and I was one of the girls who experienced his mysogynistic teachings and beliefs. I experienced his hateful torture. One day Ron Williams will stand before God and give an account of what he did to each one of these girls. As a pastor, he will be held at a higher level of accountability. I would not want to be in his shoes when he faces Heavenly Father. If you are expounding his teachings then you are just as liable before Heavenly Father for these great evils. I hope you wake up before that happens.
To those would would like to see the lies that have been told about Hephzibah House, please visit this site which exposes not only Jeri Massi for who she is, but also exposes the lies and deceit that have been told by many of these former students. http://hephzibahhelped.blogspot.com/
This is unbelievable, on both ends. I know one of these girls and she is anything but a hate-filled woman. SHe is one of the most kind loyal and loving people I know. A fabrication like this would completely contradict her as a person. Unfortunately, from my own experience, men like Ron Williams and Jerry Ross will not alter their views because they are part of cultish and misguided leadership rings. I pray that this all can be stopped as a result of these girls’ unfortunate experiences and voices. However, if it is not, I pray that enough “BAD” press about the school has been publicized and parents automatically question the what-ifs before considering this school. I fear, however, for the daughters of the ‘Ron Williams’ and ‘Jerry Rosses’ of the world who agree with HH methods based on this press. But, God is bigger and I love and applaud these very brave and strong girls! May God lead you every step of the way!
Thank you so much, Stacey, for looking into this very serious matter. I, personally, think all the residents of Winona Lake deserve to know what exactly is and has been going on in their town. I hope and pray that the good people there will raise their own concerns before their local officials and demand answers.
This is so awesome! it gives me goosebumps! FINALLY, the public aren’t going to just be able to read the stories, but they will also be able to hear the voices of the girls!!! Thank you so so much!!!!
Stacey -
Thank you so much for blogging about us and sharing our story. May your endeavor to assist our cause be blessed by the Lord.
Andri (former HH student)
Jerry Ross (one who posted above) is a Pastor who whole heatedly supports the abuse of Ron Williams through moral and financial support and has continually denied these abused girls and women a voice. Jerry Ross constantly criticizes, calls them horrible names, and calls them liars even when the evidence they have presented cannot be refuted. Jerry Ross is a man that should be marked and dealt with in the same manner as Ron Williams, simply because he enables and supports Ron Williams abuses.
Jerry Ross, more shame on you, then, and on all Fundamental Baptist ministers who have left the duty of protecting the innocent and vulnerable to women. Why don’t you pastors do your duty and investigate the witness statements in an open, documented procedure, so that all Christendom can reach a valid conclusion? I have no objection to letting Ron and Patti Williams answer with their own account in open church court proceedings, but the Williams’ just delete their written and audio materials when challenged, and preachers like you support their secrecy. Shame on you, and shame on the indifferent preachers of Christian Fundamentalism.
Jeri Massi
It seems to me that someone using the terms “biased, liberal” and “hate-filled women” is the type of person who is either hiding something or doesn’t want something uncovered. Also, speaking as a Christian WOMAN I know for a fact that God wants us to protect our children, not subject them to demoralization, humiliation, starvation or any other type of abuse. So, thank you Mrs. Page for bringing this documentary to the attention of not only the Kosciusko community, but others as well and for speaking out for these young women.
here is a paper written by ron williams wife, after reading this, ask yourself, is this the kind of people who need to be running a group home for girls without any kind of goverment oversite, or accountablity.
http://doctrine.landmarkbiblebaptist.net/SchizoWomen.html
jerry before you accuse the woman as hate filled with a vendettea, there are more than her talking on that podcast, and if you read the writings of ron williams who runs the group home, you will find a very sadistic, mysogonistic man who resembles more the marque de sade than the bible.
his paper on dicipline, where he calls infants selfish little beasts who need to be beaten with objects to have thier will broken by age 1, is chilling to read.
on the same paper he mentiones how he got pleasure from hearing about a teen girl getting severe beatings from her mom at his advice.
here is the link to that paper
http://www.isaccorp.org/hephzibah/ronald-williams-spanking-infants.html
Jerry, you are an absolute, shining example of humanity. God must be so proud! Now we can all rest in peace knowing that the Jerry’s and the Mitch’s of this world have our backs when it comes to torturing and abusing little girls.
~Amy (Former Hephzibah House Survivor)
A biased, liberal reporter writes about a site created by a hate-filled woman with a vendetta chronicling exaggerated and false accusations.
Nice…
Thank you so much for taking notice in the plight of these girls. I do hope the word spread so that the truth will be made known and these girls vindicated.
Thank you so much.
This is a fine documentary and anyone seeking to learn about the secret abuse going on in their own community would do well to listen.