Thursday, January 22, 2009
Hannan Mercy Ministries Update: Big Donor Loss?
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 1:05 PM
In the months since, Mercy has been fighting to preserve its reputation on two fronts; filing baseless copyright infringement suits against its internet detractors and watching as the backlash in Australia, where the allegations first gained widespread notice, continues to grow.
For Mercy, however, the controversy almost seemed like a blessing. After all, nothing fills the fundraising coffers faster than some perceived persecution (especially when your leader stands accused as having something of a Christ-complex). And it's also another benefit of believing in demonic oppression: It offers a simple explanation for everything.
Negative press? Must be Satan!
But it seems one Mercy supporter isn't buying that line of reasoning...
According to a former survivor, Mercy's partnership with suicide prevention non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) has ended. TWLOHA started as a blog post on MySpace in March of 2006, about founder Jamie Tworkowski's experience helping a 19-year-old addict named Renee make it through the five days before she entered treatment.
Tworkowski and friends decided to print t-shirts to help pay for Renee's time in rehab. Pop-rock acts like Anberlin, Switchfoot and Paramore (represented by lead singer Hayley Williams, pictured above) decided to wear said t-shirts and in no time TWLOHA was a global phenomenon, reaching thousands of kids in dozens of countries.
Mercy, as a fellow Jesus-lovin', young-woman helpin', Christian music-endorsin', non-profit was a natural ally. And up until recently, TWLOHA was reportedly donating a percentage of their t-shirt sales to Mercy.
But word is that TWLOHA, after being contacted by a Mercy survivor with her own horror-story, has quietly dissolved that relationship. TWLOHA has thus far not responded to any calls or e-mails, but the writing is on the wall, literally; Mercy is no longer one of TWLOHA's top friends on MySpace.
Comments (11)
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TWLOHA continue to amaze me with the great things they do. Good on them for holding mercy ministries to account! Most of the churches and sponsors in Australia have ditched them too.
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They are still listed on the "Ministry Partners" section of the Mercy Ministries site, so somebody from TWLOHA needs to contact Mercy to have them take it down.
I too am a former resident and I would not be alive if it were not for Mercy Ministries. There was never an "exorcism" and as far as medication is concerned, I was not on medicine when I arrived because I did not want to have to take it, but then encouraged me to go see a psychiatrist to see what was needed and I took that medicine until three months after I graduated. Maybe this place is not for everyone but I have been given my life back, as have other girls that I knew while I was there.
There were exorcisms, they did them to all the girls. The counselling book Restoring The Foundations talks about how to do them and that book was used when they were doing them. Maybe they told you it was a Deliverance Ministry or some other name, but casting demons out is an exorcism, and that's what they did. It was part of the counselling that everyone had.
I just graduated from Mercy Ministries and the whole 7 months I was there, there were not exorcisms. Not one. The program is a choice. You have a choice in what to or not to do. You can leave as you damn well please.
Oh and Nancy was never a lesbian. I personally know her and that is not one of her struggles. Mm thanks.
I was at Mercy Ministries and there were exorcisms done on all of us. I find it hard to believe the 'former resident' above didn't experience or see them too. It's what their whole program is based on.
Oh, and no you can't leave whenever you like. I tried and was told I wasn't allowed to because I had signed the 6 month contract. I also know other girls tried. One girl ran away because it was the only way she could leave.
Maybe you were in a different house, but I've heard from other residents they're all run the same.
I was at Mercy Ministries and there were exorcisms done on all of us. I find it hard to believe the 'former resident' above didn't experience or see them too. It's what their whole program is based on.
Oh, and no you can't leave whenever you like. I tried and was told I wasn't allowed to because I had signed the 6 month contract. I also know other girls tried. One girl ran away because it was the only way she could leave.
Maybe you were in a different house, but I've heard from other residents they're all run the same.
I was at Mercy also and I never once experience an exorcism and I also am alive today because of the program. I also had many friends in the program that were welcome to leave whenever they wanted to, and did. Which devastated me and the others because I know them now still and they are not where they want to be like I am (all because of God using Mercy.) The contract that you signed was a personal contract to yourself, not to Mercy. It's only something you commit to for yourself because they want to help you stay and get the healing you signed up to get. When you want to leave they never beg you to stay or force you to. Trust me I wanted to on a number of times when things got hard however they simply said, "look if you want to leave your more than welcome to, we have many girls on that waiting list that want and need the spot your filling now. If you want to leave and not join the in program then that would make us sad, but you can go if you want." however I chose to stay and I got healed. They prayed over girls but only when the girls wanted and asked for prayer, never an exorcism or anything like that! Also I personally know Nancy and that accusation is incredibly false! As far as the medications go I wanted to go off my meds also because I felt I was healed but they said I could only get off them with a doctor and only if he says I can. I stopped taking them and have been fine since. I have a lot of friends who graduated Mercy alongside me and have been completely healed and set free they are now married, and happier than ever.
Those of you that went through Mercy and did not experience or see any "exorcisms", are you aware that what they refer to as a "praying for deliverence", "deliverence session" and "praying deliverenc over a person" are one and the same as an "exorcism"? I do find it difficult to belive that you did not experience any of these and are considered a success story of Mercy. former staff
I am a former resident. While I did not experience any exorcisms, I was very unhappy with Mercy. I came into the program while 4 months pregnant with my now 8 year old daughter. I had a condition called "Hyperemisis" which means "extreme nausea and vomiting". I was unable to keep anything down and the staff accused me of having an eating disorder and forced me to eat more, which resulted in my vomiting more. I was denied medication for the nausea and passed out 2 times, which resulted in my being put in the hospital for dehydration. When I came back to the house, I was punished for it by being put on probation for "not taking care of myself". My daughter was born 10 weeks prematurely because of lack of proper nutrition. I have since had 3 more children with my husband and I had the same condition with them but because I was able to take medication to control the nausea, they were healthy. I was also told while there that I wasnt trying hard enough, that even though I did whatever I was told, i did it with an attitude (which was not true). After being put in the hospital the last time for dehydration after I passed out on the bus after church (even though I told the staff I was feeling very weak and wished to stay home and rest), I was sent home upon returning to the house. They told my parents that I was "choosing to leave", which I wasnt, although at that point I was very concerned with my childs health and well being. She was born 1 week after I left.
Unfortunately, we have lost a daughter (she’s now 19) due to having false memories of sexual abuse (initially by some schoolmates which eventually expanded to include her father) due to “recovered memory therapy” at Mercy Ministries, and has cut off all contact with us. We are not interested in suing (even though the therapists where she was treated sure deserve to be!), we just want our daughter back and pray that someday she comes to realize that these memories are false. Mercy seems to seems to be a cleverly-disguised cult…I corresponded recently with someone who was her roommate and that’s what she claims it was and they use “recovered memory therapy” as a way of control and an effective way of separating them from their "family of origin."
