Former Hephzibah Girls

Hephzibah Protesters Return To Courthouse

Daniel Riordan
Times-Union Staff Writer

Protesters of Hephzibah House once again descended upon Warsaw Monday.

Approximately 60 former students, citizens and family members were on hand to voice their concerns about the private boarding school for teenage girls in Winona Lake that is associated with Believer's Baptist Church.

In a handout given to passersby, the group calling themselves "survivors" of the school describe the program there as "abusive."

"My experience was pretty much like everyone else's," said protester Gabriella Fleury who detailed instances of abuse and forced physical exams.

Women from throughout the country were in Warsaw Monday.

"When asked about (the allegations of abuse) they claim they don't remember," said Jennifer Singleton about the staff of Hephzibah House. Singleton came from Virginia to join the protest.

While this isn't the first time the group has protested Hephzibah House, a law awaiting a vote on the U.S. Senate floor may help their cause.

The Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 will require both public and private programs to meet minimum standards in terms of student care.

A recent reunion of former Hephzibah House students saw 70 women attend. The students included those who attended the school in the 1980s, 1990s and one woman who attended as late as 2004.

"We call ourselves survivors," said Fleury. "We all shared the same experience. We were isolated, endoctrinated and cut off from the world and our families."

For more information on the group effort, visit www.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.com

(L to R) Brock Smith, 7, Timmy Grotte, 5, and Annie Grotte, 8, make signs for Hephzibah House protesters Monday in downtown Warsaw. Photo by Anthony Gadson, Times-Union

Former Hephzibah House Students Demonstrate, Advocate For Change

Tim Robertson
Staff Writer

Eight women sat in the lobby of a local hotel Friday morning, swapping stories of common experiences they say occurred when they were students at Hephzibah House, a Warsaw boarding school for girls.

The women come from several different states, and the stories they tell are stories of physical, emotional and mental abuse.

"They'd lay us on the floor with one staff woman on our legs and one at our head to hold us down," said Katrina Little, Ohio, who was a student at Hephzibah  House from March 1983 to July 1984. Little was describing spankings that others also have described as one of the physical forms of punishment at the school.

"I was terrified all the time, because you could get paddled for anything," said Renee Showers, Michigan, a Hephzibah House student for nine months between 1981 and 1982.

Showers said she was paddled several times per week for the first three or four months of her stay at the school, and she said she wasn't the only one punished that way.

"It was horrible hearing other girls down there screaming," she said, "and they come up crying and you couldn't even give them a hug or anything."

Hephzibah House officials did not return a phone call for comment Friday morning, but, in June released a statement that they would not grant any interviews. In the release, Hephzibah staff wrote, "Because of the nature of our work, which includes working with minors and the resulting needs for privacy of the girls and their parents, tours of the facility, interviews with staff members or students and other normal needs of the news media cannot be honored."

However, the school did provide letters from supporters, all denying that physical, emotional or mental abuse took place at the school.

Friday, in the hotel lobby, the women said they enjoyed the opportunity to talk together and affirm each other, but that wasn't the only reason they came to Warsaw Friday; they also came to demonstrate. The women stood in front of the Kosciusko Courthouse from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. holding signs and handing out flyers to boost community awareness of the abuse they say they survived at Hephzibah House. It was the third time in five months that former students from the school have demonstrated there. Some, like Gabriella Fleury, Michigan, and Susan Grotte, Minnesota, have attended the other demonstrations. For five of the former students, Friday's demonstration was the first time they've taken a stand against the alleged abuse.

"With all of us coming together, it has helped a lot," said Little. "Instead of keeping the experience and emotion in our heads, we can get it out."

The demonstrators were joined by several other supporters, including two former students of a similar institution headquartered in Indianapolis and members of a new local task force formed to pursue a change in state law that would allow private residential facilities for children to be monitored by the state.

Hephzibah House is a private, not-for-profit organization connected to Believers Baptist Church, Winona Lake. That means the school isn't under any government oversight with regard to activities that take place on the campus.

"They file a business entity report with the state; why can't they be regulated by the state?" said former student Connie Wagner, Lafayette. "I understand it's a religious base, but they still have an incorporation with the secretary of state."

"Even a prisoner has an advocate," said Grotte, "just someone the kid can tell if there's something bad going on."

Jo Faulkner, Warsaw, is a member of the local task force. Faulkner said she got involved because she sees the women's accusations as a community issue.

"When I read this stuff and heard some of the stories, I thought, 'What a black eye for our community,'" Faulkner said. "Obviously, something has to be done. We're not anti-any church, we're anti-abuse. We want to make sure the abuse stops."

Becky Moreno, victim assistance advocate at the Warsaw Police Department, headed up the formation of the task force. Moreno said Thursday she had the opportunity to talk with some of the former Hephzibah House students and hear their stories. She said what impressed her most when listening to the women was that they weren't calling for personal vengeance on those they claimed abused them, but were more concerned with protecting others.

"Their attitudes are amazing," Moreno said. "They truly just want to make sure children in Indiana are protected. That's why it is so easy to support them."

Former Hephzibah House student Dannetta Fisher, Fort Wayne, said she is starting a Fort Wayne chapter of the task force and recently launched a Web site, www.freewebs.com/voicesofthepast

Rachel Greene, Chicago, a Grace College student, said she plans to join the task force as well. Greene and several of her classmates joined Friday's demonstration.

"Something at our school we've been talking about is awareness and the effect it can have," said Sarah Barkan, Ohio.

For more information about Hephzibah House, call the school's office at 574-269-2376 or 574-269-2375.

For more information about former students' accusations against the school, visit online at www.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.org or www.hephzibahhouse.com or www.hephzibah-girls.blogspot.com

Former Hephzibah House Students Begin Campaign to Change Law

Tim Robertson (staff writer)

They want to change the law.

Friday, four former students of Hephzibah House, a Warsaw boarding school for girls, hit the streets of Warsaw to gain support to fill what they say is a gap in Indiana's laws. That gap, they allege, allowed them to be abused while they were students at the school.

The women, Gabriella Fleury, Wisconsin; Jennifer Sengpiehl, Virginia; Andrianne McCree, Minnesota; and Katrina Bourdeau, Michigan; stood with supportive family and friends in front of the courthouse for about three hours handing out flyers outlining their accusations against Hephzibah House and collecting signatures for a petition to change the state's code regarding the duties of the Department of Child Services and child care institutions operated by religious institutions.

Hephzibah House is a private, not-for-profit organization connected to Believers Baptist Church, Winona Lake. That means the school isn't under any government oversight with regard to activities that take place on the campus. The demonstrators said, without that oversight, they underwent physical, mental and emotional abuse which included beatings, humiliation and isolation.

Bourdeau said, had there been a mandate that allowed she and other students more free communication with their parents, it would have made a difference. "Just open communication can make a difference," she said. "If we'd have had open communication with our parents, none of this would have happened, because we could have told them what was going on."

Fleury and Sengpiehl also met with Dist. 18 State Representative Dave Wolkins, Winona Lake; to try to enlist his support to begin an initiative to examine the state laws in Indianapolis. However, after the meeting, Wolkins said he doesn't support a change that would give the government more supervision of private religious organizations.

"I don't like government regulations," Wolkins said. "I think people are responsible for their own actions."

Hephzibah House staff provided a statement reporting that Wolkins toured their facilities July 10. The statement claimed Wolkins has toured the facility "several times over the last several years."

According to the statement, "Wolkins and others toured the educational and recreation areas, as well as the commercial kitchen, ministry property and maintenance shop."

Wolkins said during his tour of Hephzibah House he questioned the school's director Ron Williams about the accusations against the school staff. "I asked Dr. Williams about them, he says there's a grain of truth to all of them, depending on how you interpret it," Wolkins said.

As for the women's accusations against the school, Wolkins said, "I have no doubts that they are sincere. They felt intimidated, I have no doubt. But, that is all part of the program. Behavior modification we would call it."

He said the women's impression that what they underwent was abuse is just one interpretation. "They believe they were abused and I guarantee you Dr. Williams believes they were not abused," he said. "To me, abuse has to have some intent of some sort. I am convinced that everything they're doing out there, they're doing with the best intentions of changing the behavior of the girls who come there."

Wolkins said he was happy to meet with the women, but he is not ready to support their initiative, which he does not expect to gain steam in Indianapolis.

"This is a pretty conservative state," he said. "I think they would have a very hard time being successful in doing it."

Fleury and Sengpiehl said Wolkins' stance has not dulled their determination to pursue change. "We're just going to try a little harder now," Fleury said.

About 25 passers-by showed their support for the demonstrators by signing their petition. Veronica Hanes, Etna Green, said she signed the petition after reading the flyer the demonstrators handed her. "I was reading the flyer to my husband and I just started bawling," Hanes said. "I have two little girls, and I couldn't imagine my daughters going through that."

Kim Clark, Warsaw; said she has been following the accusations surfacing against Hephzibah House over the past month and she supports the demonstrators' efforts to pursue more accountability for the school. "If there's any truth to it at all, we certainly want it to stop," she said.

The petition can also be viewed at www.gopetition.com/petitions/indiana-law.html

Hephzibah House did not return calls seeking comment, however, the school staff released a statement in June, when former students were demonstrating in Warsaw, stating that they would not grant any interviews.In the release, Hephzibah staff wrote, "Because of the nature of our work, which includes working with minors and the resulting needs for privacy of the girls and their parents, tours of the facility, interviews with staff members or students and other normal needs of the news media cannot be honored. While all of us at Hephzibah House certainly embrace and support a free press, we hope you can understand that the nature of our work here demands such a position."

According to the release, fire and health department officials regularly tour and inspect the school's facilities.

The demonstrators said they see Friday's efforts as the beginning of a long campaign. "We're not going anywhere," said Bourdeau.

"We'll definitely be back," said Fleury.

For more information about Hephzibah House, call the school's office at 574-269-2376 or 574-269-2375.

For more information about former students' accusations against the school, visit www.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.org or www.hephzibahhouse.com or www.hephzibah-girls.blogspot.com

Former Hephzibah House Students File Complaints With County Prosecutor's Office

Tim Robertson
Staff Writer

Former students of Hephzibah House, a local boarding school for girls, returned to Kosciusko County Thursday and officially filed complaints against the school with the county prosecutor.

The four women, all from different states, each allege they were abused at Hephzibah House. They brought accusations of physical, mental and emotional abuse, including beatings, isolation, strip searches, humiliation and forced vaginal exams.

Two of the women, Gabriella Fleury, Wisconsin; and Jennifer Sengpiehl, Virginia; came to Warsaw last month and demonstrated against the school outside the Kosciusko County Courthouse. On this visit they were joined by two other former Hephzibah House students, Andrianne McCree, Minnesota; and Katrina Bourdeau, Michigan.

Bourdeau said it wasn't easy to come back to Warsaw and see the place where she said she was abused during her time as a Hephzibah House student from 1988 to 1991.

"I wanted to turn around when I got into town," she said.

Bourdeau, who is now a police officer, said sharing her story Thursday with other law enforcement officers wasn't comfortable. She said the details of her time at the school are hard to talk about even 17 years after she left the school.

"It was very humiliating what we went through there," Bourdeau said. "To open up to people on a personal level, to be vulnerable was very difficult."

McCree also said she wanted to put her story on the record in hopes of helping current and future students of Hephzibah House.

"It was easier to go in there knowing I was going to help them," she said.

Staff at Hephzibah House, 2277 E. Pierceton Road, Warsaw, did not answer phone calls seeking comment on the accusations, but did provide a packet of letters from former students and parents of students in support of the school.

Though the Times-Union has archived stories of allegations of abuse at the school dating back more than 20 years, local authorities report they have no open investigations concerning the school, which is a not-for-profit organization connected with Believers Baptist Church, Winona Lake.

Today, Fleury, Sengpiehl, Bourdeau and McCree plan to demonstrate at the courthouse from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fleury said the demonstration in June was about bringing awareness to the community of hers and others' accusations against the school.

"Today is accountability," she said.

The demonstrators will again hand out flyers detailing the abuses they say they suffered at Hephzibah House, but they'll also offer passers-by the chance to sign a petition to change Indiana law. Fleury said current law does not provide oversight of the activities at private institutions like Hephzibah House.

"Where the department of education leaves off, there's a gap between where the department of child services takes up," she said. "Hephzibah House falls in that gap."

The women said the lack of accountability makes it difficult for allegations of abuse to be followed up on.

"Even if we had gone two days after Andrianne got out, it's just a matter of who is responsible," Fleury said.

Sengpiehl said the signed petitions will be sent to Indiana state and federal legislators.

The women said they anticipate a long process to make the changes in the law they say are needed. But, they said, the effort is worthwhile.

"We want to protect the girls who are at the school now and who will be in the future," McCree said.

For more information, see Saturday's Times-Union.

Former Students Demonstrate Against Local Boarding School  

Tim Robertson (staff writer)

The three women came from different states. They hadn't met in person before, but they stood together Wednesday in front of the Kosciusko County Courthouse to raise awareness of the abuse they allege they and other girls suffered when they were students at Hephzibah House, a boarding school for girls in Warsaw.

"The first day I was there, I was brutally beaten," said Jennifer Sengpiehl, of Virginia.

Sengpiehl said she was a student at Hephzibah House when she was a teenager, from 1996 to 1997. She said her first day at Hephzibah House was one of the worst.

"They made me lie face down on the floor," said Sengpiehl. "A lady sat on my arms, and another lady sat on my legs, and someone else beat me with a big piece of board. They were quoting Bible verses and beating me."

Other hardships the women said they and other students experienced at Hephzibah House included verbal bullying by staff, being forbidden to talk to or look at any other students for months at a time, students being forced to eat their own vomit, and shaming punishments such as making teenage girls wear diapers.

Despite the claims of the former students, there are no open investigations regarding abuse at Hephzibah House, according to Susan Tielking, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Child Services.

A spokesman for Kosciusko County Prosecutor Steve Hearn said his office is not investigating.

Hephzibah House officials, while refusing to comment, did provide a number of testimonial letters from former students who found their programs to be a positive experience. All the students' letters denied that physical, emotional or mental abuse took place at the school.

A couple of hours before their demonstration at the courthouse, Sengpiehl; Gabriella Fleury, of Wisconsin; and Susan Grotte, of Minnesota; sat down in the lobby of a local hotel to tell their stories.

Fleury said she was a student at Hephzibah House from August 1989 to November 1990. Grotte said she was a student at the school from February 1981 to July 1983.

The women said Hephzibah House was an environment completely controlled by the school's staff and director Pastor Ronald Williams. They said the little communication they were allowed with the outside world came in the form of censored letters to and from their families and brief telephone calls with family in which a school staff member listened in. The women said their daily activities were scheduled and structured all the way down to their bathroom activities.

"Every time we went to the bathroom, we had to record it," said Grotte, "and not just that we went to the bathroom, but whether we had a bowl movement and the amount."

"We didn't record it in a private file either," said Sengpiehl. "It was on a public board. We called it the 'BM board.'"

The women said their days at Hephzibah House were spent doing chores in and around the school campus at 2277 E. Pierceton Road, memorizing Bible verses and doing school work. They said all their activities were closely monitored by school staff.

"There were alarms on the windows and doors so we couldn't get out," Fleury said.

Fleury said she and Grotte and Sengpiehl met through several Web sites run by former Hephzibah students. She said, on the sites, students share their stories and support each other.

Grotte said she found the Web sites ironically through contact with Williams. "Williams called me and asked me to write him a letter to say I was never abused at Hephzibah House and that I hadn't seen anyone else abused there," Grotte said. "He told me some former students had started an evil Web site against Hephzibah House."

Wednesday, the women held signs with slogans like "Help Stop Abuse" and "Hephzibah: Abusing girls since 1974", and handed out fliers detailing the abuses they said they and others suffered at Hephzibah House.

"I feel like we're campaigning for awareness," said Fleury. "We know it will be hard to close it, but we want to bring awareness of what's going on in this locked-up facility. Most people who live here probably don't know that place exists."

Fleury said Wednesday's demonstration was aimed at bringing change.

"Our demonstration is in protest of the abuse that has been taking place at Hephzibah House for the past 30 years," she said. "We want to bring attention to the fact that this facility has been operating over 30 years and it has yet to be held accountable to anyone. This facility is not licensed and it has never been regulated by the state of Indiana. There needs to be a change in state law, and hopefully our demonstration can draw attention to that fact."

The women weren't standing alone Wednesday. Fleury's mother, Marie Fleury, and Kevin Smith, of Florida, whose niece was recently a student at Hephzibah House, also took part in the demonstration.

"We didn't realize the home was like that," Marie Fleury said. "We didn't do our homework."

Marie Fleury said, looking back, she and her husband can see hints that something was wrong when their daughter was at the school.

"There was an extreme lack of communication," she said. "We would ask her questions and her answers would be evasive."

Marie Fleury said, after her daughter returned from Hephzibah House, it took a while before she began to talk about her experience.

"When she got home, she was very quiet and much more 'quote' obedient," Marie Fleury said. "It really took a few years before she was able to tell us. It was devastating to us as a family to find out what had happened. That's why I'm here, because I don't want other parents to make the same mistakes."

Hephzibah House Director Ron Williams and other school staff declined to be interviewed Wednesday, but provided a press release and 15 letters from parents and former Hephzibah House students voicing support for the school.

According to the press release, Hephzibah House was founded in 1971 and is a 501(c)3 Christian boarding school affiliated with Believers Baptist Church, located on the same property as Hephzibah House and headquartered at 508 School St., Winona Lake.

In the release, Hephzibah staff wrote, "Because of the nature of our work, which includes working with minors and the resulting needs for privacy of the girls and their parents, tours of the facility, interviews with staff members or students and other normal needs of the news media cannot be honored. While all of us at Hephzibah House certainly embrace and support a free press, we hope you can understand that the nature of our work here demands such a position."

According to the release, Hephzibah House is routinely inspected for safety by fire and health department officials, students are involved in regular schooling, and parents and pastors may make regular phone calls and personal visits during their girls' stay there.

"Over the years, we have taken in troubled teenaged girls who were brought to us by anxious parents and guardians who were concerned about the spiritual direction in which their daughters were going," Hephzibah staff wrote in the release. "Through separation from bad influences and through the Word of God, we have seen many young hearts turn around and become sweet respectful young ladies as well as productive citizens."

All the letters denied that physical, emotional or mental abuse took place at the school.

One letter is signed by Mary R. Speckels, of Alaska, who claims to have been a student at the school from June 1997 to October 1998.

Speckels wrote, "After my experience at Hephzibah House as a student, I would highly recommend it to parents for their struggling teenage girls. The effect it had on my life was very dramatic and completely positive."

In a letter from Smith's niece's parents, Joseph and Karen Oberle, the Oberles wrote, "The results we have seen from Caitlin's stay at Hephzibah House are higher moral standard, respect for authority, self-confidence, self-motivation to complete her education, very high moral standards of cleanliness, appreciation for her family and an undeniable cheerful attitude."

Several of the letters expressed disapproval of the accusations being brought against the school.

"I think some of you just need to grow up and stop complaining about the past," wrote Betty Good, parent of a former Hephzibah House student, "and start being thankful you're still alive and well and not into what you were saved from."

Fleury, Grotte and Sengpiehl each said the trip to Warsaw was worthwhile.

"It's been totally a positive response," Fleury said. "If I felt that it would do more good to show up next weekend, I would."

For more information about Hephzibah House, call the school's office at 574-269-2376 or 574-269-2375.

For more information about former students' accusations against the school, visit www.formerhephzibahgirls.webs.org or www.hephzibahhouse.com or www.hephzibah-girls.blogspot.com

Hephzibah House
Editor, Times-Union:

Your recent front-page article regarding alleged abuse at the Hephzibah House was very disturbing in many ways.

Not only was I troubled by the stories of the former students, but I was appalled that there are no investigations. I want to know why. Maybe I should call Dateline NBC or a similar show and ask them if they would do an investigation.

I urge the community to go to the Web sites and read the testimonials of the former students.

Lea Derbyshire

Warsaw, via e-mail

Hephzibah
Editor, Times-Union:

I was part of the recent Hephzibah House protest in front of the courthouse in Warsaw. As a former student, the reason that I participated in the protest was to bring awareness to the community. I wanted the people of Warsaw/Winona Lake to know, first of all, that this facility existed. And secondly, I wanted people to know that even though Hephzibah House is run under the guise of Christianity, it is in actuality an abusive facility.

I wanted to thank all of the people I met on June 10-11, while I was in Indiana. So many kind people talked to me and offered their support, and their own stories of dealings with the people from Hephzibah House. >From those stopping to help us hand out fliers, to the one who dropped off a case of cold water, I could not have asked for a better reception and reaction. So, thank you to the people of Warsaw/Winona Lake for your support! The response I have gotten since the protest has been overwhelming. I've received numerous e mails and blog postings online, and I feel confident that you will all help us in our continued efforts to bring about truth and change!

Thank you.

Gabriella Fleury

Oconomowoc, WI

Hephzibah Protest
Editor, Times-Union:

I am writing in regards to the protest that I was a part of regarding Hephzibah House June 10.

This was my very first trip to Indiana, and it was an excellent trip. I look forward to returning with more personal time to spend with my son and visit the beautiful areas around Warsaw.

I read about an article that was reported in this paper from a 1985 inquiry about Hephzibah House, and can not remember the outcome of that investigation. I would like to thank the local community for the support that we received during our protest. There was not a single negative response from the citizens who we spoke to on the street during our protest.

I would like to see copies posted of the 15 letters of support that Hephzibah House provided and who they came from. Like myself, these pastors speak from what they hear of, and not the living truth that the protesters have experienced. Letters of support are great for show. Hitler had and still has supporters, Charles Manson was getting fan mail in prison. Of course, the pastors are writing letters showing support. Believers Baptist Church/Hephzibah House are a part of the network of Fundamentalist Churches and not showing support is looked down upon.

Why does HH have an application fee and also charge families yearly fees?

Why are there no signs for HH in Warsaw or Winona Lake?

Why has HH never grown, yet they keep purchasing land surrounding them?

Thank you, Indiana, see you all soon.

Kevin R. Smith

Spring Hill, Fla., via e-mail

Hephzibah House
Editor, Times-Union:

Thank you for writing a story about the dark secret in your community, Hephzibah House.

I am writing as a former student at Hephzibah House between 1989 and 1991. My name is Alicia Hamilton, and after being released from Hephzibah House, I eventually was adopted by my loving grandparents who allowed me to contact the South Bend Tribune when I noticed a small article about a girl in Hephzibah house and a custody battle in which her father was trying to have her removed from the place.

As a result, I released much information about my abuse there in 1993 to three different newspapers; I also called the Winona Lake Police department, left a "report" with an officer over the phone and was told "we will look into it, you do not need to do anything more, we will contact you if we need more information."

I thank you for re-visiting the matter of Hephzibah House by publishing in your paper about former students' stories. I also write out of concern that in the past, as a 14 year old, I did everything I could to make the abusive nature of the place known, and nothing was done.

Thank you for listening to me and hearing about my previous efforts as I think that my efforts in 1993 and the lack of response by the local police to do anything about this place, or to even call me back for more information, is something the community should know about. Sometimes I wonder if Ron Williams sends some of his donation money (1.5 million a year) to some people in the right positions to keep Hephzibah House away from investigation.

My testimony/survivor statement is here under the name "Alicia Cornish": http://formerhephzibahgirls.webs.com/survivorstatements.htm

Alicia Hamilton

Danbury, Conn., via e-mail

Investigate Hephzibah
Editor, Times-Union:

I have been reading with a heavy heart the stories about the young women who endured abuse at the Hephzibah House, located on Pierceton Road.

Back in the late '70s, up through the mid '80s, Ron Williams and his wife brought the young women to a church I once attended with my in-laws just off Fox Farm Road. (I don't want to mention the church name without their permission, but those in attendance during that time period will remember the young women attending Hephzibah House). If I remember correctly (and I may be wrong on this statement), the Williams were asked to leave the church and that's when the Williams started their own church. Some of the young women came to my in-laws' home on a few occasions with Ron Williams and his wife.

The thing that struck me most about the young women was that they did not speak and they made no eye contact with anyone. I thought at the time something was going on at the Hephzibah House, but was assured they were troubled young women and were being well cared for. I wish now I would have gone with my gut feeling and question what was actually happening under the care of Ron Williams and his wife. In fact, during the time period that I was around these young women, the Hephzibah House was located in Winona Lake proper, prior to their moving out on Pierceton Road.

I am sending e-mails to Governor Daniels and our local representatives asking that they do an intense investigation of the Hephzibah House, the staff and most importantly Mr. and Mrs. Ron Williams. I encourage everyone reading this letter to please do the same. Our community needs an independent, outside investigation done either by the state, or, as another e-mail mentioned, Dateline NBC - not an investigation by people and organizations in this county that most likely have been turning a blind eye due to influences of Mr. Williams or, God forbid, monies received to turn a blind eye.

If the accusations are unfounded, then the Williams should be allowed to continue with their ministry, but if the accusations are found to be true, then this house of torture needs to be shut down immediately and Mr. and Mrs. Williams held accountable for their actions. This is the least we can do for the former students, present students, and future students of Hephzibah House.

Peggy Biltz

Pierceton, via e-mail

 Hephzibah Allegations
Editor, Times-Union:

The stories recounted by the survivors of Hephzibah House are quite disturbing. Personally, I am appalled by the lack of investigation into the allegations made by Ms. Sengpiehl, Ms. Grotte and Ms. Fleury.

No person should have the right to emotionally, spiritually and/or physically abuse a child or teenager, and a victim who is courageous enough to come forward should be heard. I realize that there are statutes of limitations and Mr. Williams is entitled to a presumption of innocence under the legal system.

Amongst all these allegations, I find it interesting that suddenly the Hephzibah House Web site has deleted the links to many of the tracts by Mr. Williams. One of the more unsettling tracts is called "The Correction and Salvation of Children," in which Mr. Williams advocates severe hitting using a "rod of correction" on infants under 1 year of age. "The Correction and Salvation of Children" also describes a procedure for "Biblically beating" a child alarmingly close to the beating Ms. Sengpiehl describes in the Times-Union article on June 12. What Mr. Williams is advocating in his tract is not a simple spanking that many parents use as discipline, but rather "sessions of correction" or beating the child, potentially "lasting from one to two hours in length." The tract is available at www.isaccorp.org under the Hephzibah House documents on that site and all quotes come from it.

If acts of abuse are occurring at Hephzibah House, I hope the community will mobilize to stop this from happening to other girls. Ms. Sengpiehl, Ms. Grotte and Ms. Fleury have had the bravery to speak out. I hope we are willing to listen and take them seriously.

Renee L. Crim

Winona Lake, via e-mail

Disagrees With Wolkins
Editor, Times-Union:

I am disgusted by the opinion of Representative Wolkins presented in the article regarding Hephzibah House.

"I don't like government regulations," Wolkins said. "I think people are responsible for their own actions."

It seems rather obvious that people are responsible for their own actions, of course, but who is to hold them accountable when others are too afraid, or unable, to speak?

"There is a grain of truth to all of them, depending on how you interpret it."

No wonder we live in a world where violence and crime runs rampant, look at what people are doing to their own children. How the hell are you to interpret abuse? How are you to interpret forcing teenagers to wear diapers?

He says that sure, they probably felt intimidated. I wonder how many of you want your children to feel intimidated? It's all just part of the "behavior modification," which sounds like something from 1984.

Furthermore, I don't care what the good ol' doctor's intent is. You think having a good intent makes your horrible actions any better? A lot of bad people come to mind, who thought they had good intentions.

Wolkins is right about one thing though, this is a conservative state. It's sad that however far we have progressed technologically, people still want to put the "fear of God" in us all.

If your son or daughter has issues, why don't you decide to deal with it, rather than relinquishing your duties as a parent? Maybe try counseling? But whoever gives their children away to some Bible-swinging, rod-wielding fundamentalist does not deserve to even have children. I guess it's easier to just give up your responsibility as a parent, setting yet another great example for your children.

I hate government interference as much as the next person, but it's the government's job to protect its citizens, and that includes children. If you want to send your children away to some religious school, that is your choice. But such institutions should be inspected closer than public schools. At least in the public school systems the potential for abuse is greatly diminished.

James Crace

Winona Lake, via e-mail

Hephzibah House
Editor, Times-Union:

For 37 years, parents of hundreds and hundreds of girls have given up on trying to rear their rebellious teenagers, and have appealed to Dr. Ron Williams and Hephzibah House to bring about "behavior modification" in their daughters.

Isn't it safe to assume that initially most of the girls did not want to be at Hephzibah House, most did not want to cooperate with the program, and most were determined that Hephzibah House would not turn them away from lives of self-destructive and antisocial behavior? Should anyone be surprised if Hephzibah House has not been successful in the eyes of every girl they have tried to help?

No one, including Dr. Williams, would say they have been perfect. No doubt he has grieved over those who were released to their parents without the hoped-for changes. Perhaps he has felt that he failed with these, even as he has rejoiced and thanked God for successes in others.

But if it weren't for the fact that Dr. Williams and the Hephzibah staff have poured their love into these girls with great wisdom, wouldn't you think that there would have been a steady stream of parents protesting for almost 37 years?

Parents, especially those of you who have had problems with your teenagers, surely you can visualize some of the problems that Dr. Williams and his staff have encountered though the years as they have poured their lives into the lives of these precious girls. Even if you have had only a glimpse of the difficulties some other parents have had with their rebellious teenagers, thank God for the ministry of Dr. Williams and Hephzibah House. And pray for them.

I believe that we are fortunate to have the ministry of Hephzibah House in our community. If you appreciate this ministry, why not e-mail or call Dr. Williams and express your appreciation for his 37 years of ministry to parents and troubled teenage girls?

Wendell E. Miller

Warsaw, via e-mail