Hillsong - "Mercy Ministries" child abuse

The Sydney Morning Herald

They sought help, but got exorcism and the Bible
Ruth Pollard
March 17, 2008

A SECRETIVE ministry with direct links to Gloria Jean's Coffees and the Hillsong Church has been deceiving troubled young women into signing over months of their lives to a program that offers scant medical or psychiatric care, instead using Bible studies and exorcisms to treat mental illness.
Government agencies such as Centrelink have also been drawn into the controversy, as residents are required to transfer their benefits to Mercy Ministries. There are also allegations that the group receives a carers payment to look after the young women.
Mercy Ministries says 96 young women have "graduated" from its program since its inception in 2001. But many have been expelled without warning and with no follow up or support.
Three former residents who have felt the full force of Mercy's questionable programs are blowing the whistle on its emotionally cruel and medically unproven techniques, detailing abuse including exorcisms, "separation contracts" between girls who became friends, and harsh discipline for those who broke the rules.
Naomi Johnson, Rhiannon Canham-Wright and Megan Smith (Megan asked to use an assumed name) went into Mercy Ministries independent young women, and came out broken and suicidal, believing, as Mercy staff had told them repeatedly, that they were possessed by demons and that Satan controlled them.
Only careful psychological and psychiatric care over several years brought them back from the edge.
Taking in girls and women aged 16 to 28, Mercy Ministries claims to offer residents support from "psychologists, general practitioners, dietitians, social workers, [and] career counsellers". These claims are made on its website, and the programs are promoted through Gloria Jean's cafes throughout Australia.
But these former residents say no medical or psychological services were provided - just an occasional, monitored trip to a GP, where the consultation takes place in the presence of a Mercy Ministries staff member or volunteer.
Instead, the program is focused on prayer, Christian counselling and expelling demons from in and around the young women, who say they begged Mercy Ministries to let them get medical help for the conditions they were suffering, which included bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and anorexia.
When the Herald asked Mercy Ministries representatives whether they told young women that the symptoms of their mental illness or eating disorders were due to demonic activity and that residents were forced into exorcisms, they offered no denial.
Throughout its website, decorated in hot pink tones with images of happy young women who have been "saved", Mercy claims to offer its residential programs free. Yet the services are not free - young women on unemployment benefits are "asked" to sign them over to Mercy, while others are asked to make a donation for expenses.
Mostly funded by Gloria Jean's Coffee - which said last night it did not plan to change its sponsorship arrangements - and supported by the Hillsong Foundation, Mercy Ministries says it has a 90 per cent success rate, but when asked to provide evidence of the program's outcomes, Ms Watson said that research was under way and not yet available.
Ms Johnson spent nine months in the Mercy Ministries house in Glenhaven before she was expelled. Close to committing suicide and her eating disorder worse than ever, she was admitted to a psychiatric unit and has spent three years trying to recover from her ordeal.
Ms Canham-Wright and Ms Smith tell similar stories from their time in the Sunshine Coast house, and all continue to suffer from the effects of Mercy Ministries' unconventional program.
They are concerned that as more houses are due to open, more women will be put at risk, partly because there is a desperate shortage of affordable services for people with mental illness.
"This could be really dangerous .. Mercy has the potential to be inundated with people ... [who will] fall for the advertising and out of desperation reach for Mercy," Ms Johnson said.
The federal Minister for Human Services, Joe Ludwig, said the Government would investigate. "I am very concerned about these serious allegations, and I have asked Centrelink to investigate its payment arrangement," he said.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission and the Queensland Office of Fair Trading have also indicated they will investigate if they receive complaints from the women.
"Both the federal Trade Practices Act and the relevant state fair trading acts would seem to apply to the situation since income is being received by Mercy Ministries. Both laws prohibit misleading and deceptive conduct."
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/03/16/1205602195048.html

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Hillsong
• church
• brian
• houston
• mercy
• ministries
• child
• abuse

[ShyGirlEiana]

Actually, in the US, they aren't given a handbook until they arrive either. I've read accounts from girls in both Australia and the US, and spent a month in the St. Louis home myself (I left "in rebellion," and I thank God I got out when I did!), and they sound pretty similar to me, unfortunately.

[dionysius33]

Profit making organizations under the guise of a "religious organization" will never have the expertise to deal with complex medical or behavioural issues. They should stick with what they know-- making money from needy, gullible or desparate people.

[jayc274]

@kimenriquez15 "I would be careful with i say".Dont worry im not worried in what you say...If you look at the title of her vid,its under child abuse..Nothing mentioned about child abuse.No beatings,No sexual abuse etc etc.And everyone has a opinion,Which means my opinion shouldnt matter to you.And yes things like this are possible.Unless you actually know of someone from Mercy ministries that had this happen,then your arguement is irrelevant.Name and shame,but not when its doing good.

[jayc274]

I bet that lady was paid to lie about them.I support the Mercy ministries.You dont need a degree in psycology to give people love.Thats all they do there.And to share gods word with those who are open to except it.Not forced upon.Shes definately working for someone whos against the will of God.

[christiangrrl24]

This must be all about Austrailia because I was at Mercy in Monroe. I did leave out of rebellion because I honestly don't think I was ready yet. It was the worst mistake of my life leaving that I did everything in my power to come back. It was completely free! God was there and I was never told that I had to do certain things to get free. It was all about God...going into the program you know it cause it's a Christian place!

[SleepEverlasting]

It's funny how some Mercy Survivors in the US have the same claims as Australia and others are left in the dark or they're brainwashed. I have seen too many girls get damaged by this place. Everyone gets scared when someone goes, because they know they will not even come back with the same personality.

[s1lverflames]

@mercygirl777 I'm sorry it was like that for you. I went to one of the homes in the US and it wasn't like that at all. There were professionals and they told us we could leave. They suggested we didn't because they knew God could help us but they didn't tell us that if we left we'd be out of the will of God. The home I went to was completely free. You know it must've only been the Australia home because it's not like that here in the US. I'm sorry you had a bad experience there.

[4EverDyingInMyDreams]

I know people think this is sick behavior, and some people are defending hillsong saying this is not true... I am an ex member, And I know, it gets worse than this. This story as sad as it is, really does not surprise me what so ever.

[DasTuppen]

i think hillsong is come from pit of hell, i honestly do, and i am christian because i try follow jesus. 

[silverrose72]

@popcorn0729 It wasn't free. Many girls did leave.

[silverrose72]

@tarabrady91 There are right ways and wrong ways to go about helping people. In Mercy Ministries' case in Australia, they were incorrectly claiming their staff had qualifications that they didn't have. They were also charging the girls, while claiming all the time that their program was free. Helping girls is a good thing to want to do, but ethics and professional practices must come into it, otherwise they cause more damage to already fragile girls, as unfortunatelly happened in this case.