In Australia, the Mercy Ministries saga continues. As regular readers of this blog will remember, several angry former young female clients of Mercy Ministries Australia, a fundamentalist ‘residential counselling service’ for young women, were led to believe that they would obtain professional assistance for issues like eating disorders, depression, past sexual abuse, substance abuse and same-sex attractions. Yes, that’s right- some of its clients were young lesbian and bisexual women.
They didn’t obtain such services. According to one young woman, “Zoey Browne” (not her real name) she was met with this response when she tried to obtain objective counselling. Zoey is not attracted to the same sex, but several other Mercy Survivors are:
Mercy Ministries claims to treat girls with qualified psychologists, social workers, dieticians and career counsellors.
I was not treated by any of the professionals listed the whole time I was at Mercy Ministries. What’s more, the ‘counsellor’ who I saw once a week for about 40 minutes, did not have qualifications to treat people with mental illness either.
I was treated with exorcisms, and these materials:
‘Restoring The Foundations’ (RTF)
Info on RTF can be found here
http://www.phw.org/phwrtfm.htm
http://www.issuefocused.org/
Here is a power point presentation example of their teaching:
http://www.phw.org/downloadspublic/Jeaulousy-KylstrasToPIH070919.ppt#295,9,Genesis 3:6-11
I was told that I was not ill and that all the ‘professionals’ in the world could not help me. I was told the symptoms I was displaying were signs that I had demons, and that they needed to be cast out.
After they forced me to have the exorcism, I was given the document ’scriptures that demons hate’ (below) and told that I needed to read it out loud to keep the demons away. After the exorcism, the next time I was suffering from symptoms of the illness I was told in a “frustrated tone” that they had already cast the demons out, so therefore I had obviously chosen to let them back in, and it was my fault. 
Craig:Horrified at this, I decided to hop over to the “Restoring the Foundations” website, courtesy of the links that “Zoey” and Sean so kindly provided. What I found was this:The programme was created by a Pentecostal couple, the Kylstras, who describe their background on their website (http://www.pwhm.org/phwrtfm.html):
Chester and Elizabeth Kylstra were aerospace IT specialists, as well as involved in ‘mental health ministry’, although there is no mention of what that involved onsite. At Liberty Bible College, they began to provide a couples counselling service, and established an organisation called “Proclaiming His Word Ministries” in 1992. They appear to also be involved with a Pentecostal megachurch in Santa Rosa Florida, entitled “Christ International Apostolic Ministries.” In 2004, they relocated to North America, and opened a Restoring the Foundations Training Centre in Henderson, North Carolina.
Their website makes no mention of any formal training in psychotherapy or counselling, any accredited qualifications, or any membership of a recognised professional counselling or psychotherapeutic service. It is possible, however, that they may have previously obtained one while involved in prior “mental health ministry” or at their time at Liberty Bible College. However, the site does not cite recognised professional counselling or psychotherapeutic texts, and appears to be a Pentecostal faith-driven service that relies heavily on exorcism. Witness the citation below from the same website:
____________________________________________________
It is one of the ways that God brings Sanctification into the lives of His children. It is a foundational ministry, bringing healing and freedom to the four problem areas that each one of us struggles with, through the Integrated Approach to Ministry. What are the Four Problem Areas?
They are:
|
| Latest Schedule |
| Latest Newsletter |
| Resources |
| RTF Defined |
| Ministry |
| Training |
| Seminars |
| Church Programs |
| Newsletters |
| Ministers |
| Teachings |
| Contact Us |
What What is the Integrated Approach to Ministry?
The Holy Spirit has shown us that if we minister to the four foundational problem areas in the same general time period, with an understanding of their interdependence, intertwined nature, that we will see a much deeper and a much more permanent healing and freedom come to the ministry receiver. This is because much, if not all, of the legal ground that has given a place for the oppression is recovered (redeemed). This is the Integrated Approach to Ministry.
When we complete the Integrated Approach to Ministry to the four foundational problem areas, this brings the integrated healing into the ministry receiver’s life.
What are the Key Characteristics of Restoring the Foundations Ministry?
RTF ministry is characterized by being:
- Christian: Everything we do is Christ Centered. Jesus the Christ, through His sacrifice on the Cross and His resurrection from the grave, has made a way for every promise of God to be “Yea and Amen” (II Cor 1:20). We help others appropriate His finished work into their life, so that they can be further set free and made whole.
- Prophetic: (Prophetic simply means that we listen to and hear the Voice of the Lord, as the Holy Spirit speaks to us (John 10:4).) This form of ministry is prophetic for two reasons.
- One, the basis for RTFM is the Holy Bible, as it is illuminated by the accumulation of revelation, particularly since the time of the Reformation. This revelation comes through the Rhema Word of God, as He breaths Life into the Scriptures. As we minister and train RTF ministers, we teach present truth understandings of the four problem/ministry areas, and how to minister to them in an integrated manner.
- Two, we depend heavily on the Voice of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us during the actual RTF ministry sessions.
- Prayerful: Everything we do is bathed in prayer. God is given total access to direct us according to His Will, so that His freedom and healing can come into the ministry receiver’s life.
- Ministry: The Wonderful Counselor is one of the Names of the Christ. We do not attempt to give good advice (counsel), as a doctor or lawyer might, but rather to bring God’s Word into each individual’s life through the ministry of the life and spirit of the Word.
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Mercy Survivors are hopeful about complaints filed to the ACCC that allege that the young women were subject to misleading advertising which misrepresented the scope and accessibility of their professionals, and the apparent absence of any professional accreditation for its ‘counselling and therapeutic’ programmes. One can only admire these young women’s courage and determination.
Strongly recommended:
Mercy Survivors
Sean, intrepid ally of Mercy Survivors
For future reference:
http://www.mercyministries.com.au
http://www.mercyministries.org.nz
Mercy Ministries Australia and New Zealand
5 responses so far ↓
1 Sean the Blogonaut // Jun 20, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Thanks for the hat tip.
2 Craig Young // Jun 22, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Added to which, here’s a blast from the past, archived at a Mercy Ministries website:
Unplanned pregnancy
Unplanned pregnancy is met with an in-depth program designed to meet the needs of any young women, regardless of age. Group classes educate girls about options available to them, and explore the pros and cons of single parenting versus adoption. Each girl is allowed to make her own decision about her baby.
Life controlling problems
Life controlling problems such as eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, suicidal tendencies, depression, problems relating to past abortions, lesbianism, and physical abuse - all are met with an in-depth program. The length of stay is determined case-by-case according to the severity of the problems, with the average stay about six months.
One in every 50 girls suffers
from an eating disorder.*
One in every 4 pregnancies is terminated.*
* Source: Aust. Bureau of Statistics
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3 hannah // Jun 24, 2008 at 4:06 am
I’ve just recently graduated the mercy ministries program and can hand on heart say I was treated with nothing but respect and care the whole time I was there on my 7 months stay.
It seems to me there is a whole lot of speculation and down right lies coming from these so called survivers…mercy is a voluntry program - no one is forsed to stay.
It sadens me that the media are giving attention to girls who are nothing but lost, confused and bitter. It’s a shame that in the world we live in the bad guys are let away with their crime and the good guys are persecuted for tring to help.
There is no false advertisment from mercy…you are told right from the off set all that will be included and required of you while there…and I can promise you there is nothing spooky or twisted involved at all.
When it comes down to it…change is a choice. you either want to move on from the problems of your past or you’d rather stay a victim…seems to me the girls who are causing all this mess have made their choice and it’s not change they have chosen.
Mercy ministries has my full support and respect for reaching to people who are broken and hopeless and offering them the chance to get back on their feet…which is much more than most government programes will offer…you only need to look at the statistics to see that.
I would just encourage you to not believe every word that comes from people who are clearly hurting and in a mess. what kind of judgement call would that be?
4 Mel // Jun 26, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hi Hannah. I was at Mercy Ministries and I don’t know which house you were in, (if you even were really at Mercy Ministries!) but I was there in Australia and I’m telling you that what the media has been reporting was very much what I saw and experienced during my time there.
There was very false advertising. First they said it was free, when it was not. They used this claim to try and get more donations from the public.
Next they also said the staff were qualified, when they were not. I didn’t see a person who was medically qualified the whole time I was there, except for a GP to get medication (even then I had to have a staff member with me.) Mercy Ministries wouldn’t let me see any counsellor except for their counsellor, and she wasn’t qualified or registered or anything.
I think it is very immature and speculative for you to say that the abuse at Mercy Ministries didn’t happen. Have you ever been to Mercy Ministries Australia? Do you know any of the girls who were abused there? I don’t think you should make judgements unless you know the facts - and it sounds like you don’t know any of the facts.
I know one of the girls who spoke with the media. She was nothing but totally honest and her motives nothing but pure, in trying to protect other girls from abuse. I personally take offence at you calling my friend lost, confused and bitter. You do not know the sort of person she is, how giving she is, and what she has come through to get to where she is now. Sorry, but your attitude is extremely immature. I don’t know if you’re a Christian, but it doesn’t sound like it.
The girls who have been through all of the abuse at Mercy Ministries are not victims. By their own choosing they are not victims. They are survivors. They have come through bad situations in life, abuse at Mercy Ministries, and are now working towards helping other young women so that they don’t have to go through it too.
It is curious that you would blame those who were abused for causing the trouble. The blame lies with the purpetrator, and nobody else. The girls who spoke out about the abuse didn’t cause any mess. It is obvious here that Mercy Ministries caused the mess.
I find it interesting that you would claim that anyone speaking about the abuse that takes place at Mercy Ministries is “broken and a mess.” They are anything but! They are survivors and have my full support.
5 mercy survivor // Oct 8, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Well I was there not very long ago and I can tell you there was no Hannah in the Australian house!!!
There is more info about Restoring The Foundations here http://mercysurvivors.com/?p=48 and it just goes to show you can’t trust Mercy Ministries or their staff (or the people posting on here saying Mercy don’t do weird and twisted things to the girls.) A family member of a Mercy staff member was caught saying things that weren’t true about Mercy (like Hannah did above) but I’m glad people are not stupid and know the truth when they hear it!
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