Sean the Blogonaut» Mercy

Mercy Ministries and Privacy Commissioner Investigations Update

Blogonaut — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:19:46 +0000

In the post we learnt that the Privacy Commissioner had decided to carry out a preliminary investigation of the situation surrounding the refusal of Mercy Ministries Australia to hand over client files to past clients.

In a letter received by one of the complainants, a few days ago, the Assistant Privacy Commissioner has advised:

So Mercy Ministries Australia is undergoing investigation by the Privacy commissioner and has until March 23rd to answer claims made by the complainants. Three weeks for Mercy to cobble together a cogent argument as to why they shouldn’t hand back files containing personal information.

Did Mercy have a privacy policy?

Or does that not come under biblically based management practices?

Privacy Commissioner to make inquiries into Mercy Ministries refusal

Blogonaut — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:49:37 +0000

This email was forwarded to me, by an ex-mercy member who has lodged a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner. This followers from the refusal by Mercy to release client information on request to previous residents. It is reproduced with permission and names and contact details removed.

Dear

PRIVACY COMPLAINT AGAINST MERCY MINISTRIES

Thank you for your email received on 12 February 2010. We have treated it as a complaint under section 36 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

We have decided to make immediate preliminary inquiries into your allegations. For information about our complaints handling process, please visit our website atwww.privacy.gov.au/complaints

I note from your email that you have requested, and been refused access to, your files under Freedom of Information. While the Freedom of Information Acts do not apply to Mercy Ministries, the Privacy Act 1988 (the Act) does.

The National Privacy Principles (NPPs) in the Act regulate the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information, give individuals a right to know what information an organisation holds about them, and the right to have that information corrected if it is wrong.

Under NPP 6, unless an exception applies, if an organisation holds personal information about an individual, it must provide the individual with access to the information. If an organisation denies an individual access to their personal information, the organisation must provide a reason that is consistent with one of the exceptions under NPP 6.

I will be making inquiries of Mercy Ministries about this matter. If you would like to discuss the matter with me at any time, please contact me on ————— or (————– during business hours, by fax on ——————— or e‑mail —————–

Yours sincerely

Assistant Compliance Officer

What is this Mercy Ministries Click here to view more details

Mercy Ministries Australia to destroy client files

Blogonaut — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:36:34 +0000

I received this letter from a ex-Mercy client yesterday. It was sent out to all clients that had requested that their personal files be released to them:

Now as they have been advised they are operating within the law and they will be destroying the requested documents. To break the letter down

We have received you request to have your file
We understand you want to get your hands on what we have written about you
Our lawyers have informed us that you can’t file an FOI request to get said files
Our lawyers have said that we can dispose of it as per our licensing and or rules under which Mercy was set up
So we are destroying them.

So my questions are what rules/licensing were Mercy ministries operating under? Did they have a records management, or client information policy?

What is this Mercy Ministries Click here to view more details

Skeptic Zone #66 featuring Sean the Blogonaut

Blogonaut — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:51:48 +0000

I have been immortalised in Episode 66 of the Skeptic Zone Podcast. Download it now so that you can listen to my melodious voice(okay that might not be strictly true). This episode features Michael Marshall, Co-founder of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, Presenter of ‘Righteous Indignation’ & ‘Skeptics with a K’ and Me.

I talk about Mercy Ministries, Hillsong, Religion,Politics and blog promotion.

Many Thanks to Skeptic Zone Interviewer Kylie Sturgess for making me sound well good.

Disappointed with Darlene

Blogonaut — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:10:38 +0000

I was overjoyed and somewhat surprised when I heard the outcome of the ACCC investigation into Mercy Ministries – compensation (token though it may be) and a formal apology from the directors was more than any of the Mercy Survivors thought they would ever get.

Here’s the apology letter .

The ACCC found that Mercy had been

Misleading in promoting their services as free
Misleading about having qualified professionals on staff

But here is the specific acknowledgement in the apology letter:

Each of the former directors acknowledge that they were ultimately responsible for the conduct of Mercy Ministries. The former directors each admit Mercy Ministries conduct was misleading, and they wish to offer to you their sincere apology for any hurt
or inconvenience arising from these matters.

Contrast this with Darlene Zschech’s(one of the early directors) comments on her own website to her fans

Statement regarding Mercy Ministries

Hey friends…. I really felt that due to some confusion over the last few months, I needed to write and put a few things on record regarding Mark’s and my involvement in Mercy Ministries.

As of July 2007, Mark and I ceased all involvement with Mercy Ministries. As hard as it was, we knew it was the right choice for us and for our family. Since that time, due to a culmination of decisions completely outside of our control, Mercy Ministries has now unfortunately ceased to exist in Australia. And that is probably what brings us the most personal sadness of all.

We are SO very thankful to all of the girls who did come through the program and we celebrate those who are flourishing in life. We pray for and encourage any girls still overcoming personal challenges to work hard and continue to seek help. We will be ever grateful to a staff who did over and above the call of duty every single day to ensure the girls’ well being. The staff that started with us at Mercy have become lifelong friends and for that we are truly grateful.

More than two years have passed since we stood down from all involvement in Mercy Ministries. During that time we have worked hard to transition well, even in the midst of a less than ideal situation. But again, we see the faithfulness of God extended toward us, just as His faithfulness is toward you.

We have learned SO, SO much during this period. I have certainly learned again to SING through a storm. In life, I believe that one of the great ‘growing up’ lessons is about praising our way through any circumstance. Yes it would be amazing if life was just sweet days every day, but life is all about our growth and development, our faith journey, the cementing and fine-tuning of our core beliefs, and learning to trust God through it all.

I personally do not regret a moment of our Mercy journey. Mark and I gave our best in time and resources to pioneer a place in Australia for girls needing a helping hand to overcome their personal challenges. This is still much needed in our nation. We will continue on every day with helping people, praising our God through it all.

Mark and I both feel, however, that it is important to publicly note that we have not been involved with Mercy Ministries in Australia or internationally at all since July 2007, and since then we should not have been represented as ambassadors for Mercy Ministries or in any of their marketing or public relations documents.
Love you,

Darlene Zschech.

How does one reconcile?

they wish to offer to you their sincere apology for any hurt
or inconvenience arising from these matters.

with

I personally do not regret a moment of our Mercy journey.

How is it ok to state one thing legally and publically, sign your name to it (to avoid further legal action perhaps?) and then to your insiders, your church followers another? Darlene has a position of leadership and here she is saying its ok to lie. It’s okay to sign an apology that you don’t really believe in just so you can avoid other consequences.

What do my readers think of that?

Particularly interested in hearing from any Christian lurkers.

What is this Mercy Ministries? Click here to view more details

A covert attempt to minimise uptake of Mercy Compensation?

Blogonaut — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 08:53:51 +0000

There are days when I wish this sordid tale of Mercy Ministries would end, not because I am tired of helping survivors, but because the actions of ex-mercy staff erode away that hope I have for humanity.

A concerned reader sent me a link to a former Mercy Residents blog, a girl obviously still suffering despite having graduated Mercy successfully. In a post discussing the undertaking by Ex-Mercy Directors she quotes an email sent to her by Chelle, who is by all accounts a former resident and Deb Malcolm who appears to be the former Mercy Ministries Advocacy Manager. That specific email referenced in the post is below:

Hi Girls,

I’m not too sure if you girls have all received the letter in the mail about Mercy from the ACCC or not, but when i got it i thought i so needed to email all girls i knew from mercy to tell you some stuff i know.

I know we all had different experiences from our time at Mercy, some good, some a lot better than others, but i guess we know that a lot was given for us to be there, and a lot of incredible people made a lot of sacrifices for us to be there.

I read the ACCC letter about receiving money from the money that we paid for centrelink, and to be honest i thought about how much it would help. What i didnt know was that the money we are all able to get paid isnt from Mercy Ministries, it isnt from the sale of the Sydney or the QLD home, it isn’t from Nancy Alcorn, the money we are being offered is from the own pockets of 7 of the board of directors.

I know these people did only what they thought was best for each one of us girls and the running of the program, and yet they are the ones having to pay from their own pockets for us girls. some of the board who are paying were only on the board of mercy for a short time.

I dunno if this changes anything for any of you about whether you will be accepting the money or not, but i know for me it definitely did. I know we are all so on our own journey and i know that we have all had our own experiences, good or bad, but maybe i guess i just wanted you to think about the fact that this is the 7 board members paying a huge amount for doing what they thought was right, and it isn’t money from the sale of either of the homes…. just thought once i found this out that maybe i should let others know too who we are taking money from.
here is a link for the article that told me about the ACCC rulings if you want to read it.

Please dont take this the wrong way, im so not judging whatever you decide, just thought i would inform you of what i found out.

Deb Malcom said she is happy for anyone to facebook her with any questions anyone has about this. Also, i dunno if anyone wants to, but it would be great to send letters of support to Mark and Darlene if anyone wants too, its been pretty rough on them all that has gone on. you can fb them to me or Debs and we will make sure they get passed on. Thanks so much guys.

Hope you’ve all had a great christmas and the best year yet is ahead of you.

From Chelle.

The rest of the post can be read here.

Some serious and disturbing questions surface in my mind:

Is Chelle acting of her own accord, through some misguided notion of loyalty?

Is Chelle being manipulated by a former Mercy Ministires Advocacy Manager (Deb Malcolm)?

Are the directors covertly trying to influence the take up of compensation?

I simply shudder to think that any of the scenarios outlined above might have some currency. In examining the email I can see it as heartfelt email written by a desperately loyal Graduate or some of the best written manipulative prose I have come across( in that it looks genuine but hits all the right buttons). Breaking it down by paragraphs it’s essentially:

Para 1 – You don’t have the whole truth

Para 2 – Lots of people made lots of sacrifices for you to be at mercy

Para 3 – I thought about the money but didn’t now it was coming out of the pockets of directors

Para 4 – They(directors) were only trying to help, and some of them weren’t even there that long

Para 5 – It changed my mind about taking the money, its coming out of the pockets of directors (2nd mention)

Para 6 – I am not trying to influence you (really?)

Para 7 – You can contact Deb. Malcolm and Mark and Darlene could do with your support

Another question:

Why is Deb Malcolm, who hasn’t worked for Mercy for some time and who now as I understand it works for Compassion Australia, involved in this?

The directors of Mercy have signed an undertaking, they have admitted responsibility for wrong doing they have publically copped it on the chin. When you become the director of a company you accept certain responsibilities, Peter Irvine as a “successful businessman” would surely have known his legal responsibilities having served on two boards. These are not lambs led to the slaughter( maybe some were patsies – a discussion for another post), these are not innocent victims. They are adults who took the responsibility along with the power and the pay.

There is a 4 month window of opportunity for the compensation to be taken up, after this point it will be returned to the Kennedy Lawyers and presumably to the directors . So every Mercy resident that can be influenced not to take up the monies, or to delay decision till the time has run out means less money out of the pocket of the directors.

We are not talking sheep stations here either – each director is required to provide roughly 17 000 dollars each(hardly a lot of money for directors, even those poorly paid by the church).

To my knowledge all the directors are currently working and well supported.

To campaign on the behalf of the directors as if they are some unfortunate victim to be taken pity on makes me sad, as it’s a failure to understand the massive power that people in that position exert over the residents. That mentally and financially robust people could call on the women who struggled at Mercy to show some sort of leniency displays such gross insensitivity that the thought of it makes me ill.

To consider that something more sinister maybe afoot has me wondering about the morals of people claiming to be committed Christians and what level they might stoop to?

In any case I have forwarded the information on to the ACCC and would suggest that any ex-Mercy Residents who receive an email similar to the one above do likewise.

What is this Mercy Ministries? Click here to view more details

Winning the Monty Miller Award

Blogonaut — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:31:54 +0000

Yesterday I received the official announcement that I was the winner of the Inaugural Monty Miller Award presented to me by Atheist Nexus I must say that I am somewhat humbled by the experience. I didn’t set out to win any awards with my blogging (some readers may even raise an eyebrow, having had my inconsistent editing thrust at them), how many bloggers really do? It is, however, a wonderful experience to have the praise of your peers.

I have won the award for a number of reasons – campaigning against the Australian Vaccination Network, working to try and get Australian and New Zealand bloggers together and for my commitment to the Mercy Ministries Fiasco.

I am required to write a short essay or blog post upon winning the award (this is not it) but I wanted to to get in early with some thanks to some very special people, without whose help the Mercy Ministries Fiasco, may never have reached the conclusion that it did.

So thanks to

The Mercy Survivors, especially those that had the wherewithal to break the story
Ruth Pollard – who I have never met, but who had restored my hope for investigative journalism
The Mercy Insiders all around the world that continue to pass on what information they can
Tanya Levin – for her advice and humour.
Cynic Sage, a Christian blogger with a conscience, who lost his YouTube account as a result of his support
John Weaver at Against Biblical Counselling, for sending me the Restoring the Foundations manual, and his astute observations and support
The American Mercy Survivors, Vicky, Anna who tried without success to get the American media to expose Mercy where it has been causing hurt for 25 years
Thanks to my readers and to those who having being informed about Mercy’s behavior, did something
And to those who I have missed and to those who still live in fear

Here’s to hoping that 2010 will bring better things for all of us.

Want to run your own cult treatment centre? Mercy Ministries home up for sale

Blogonaut — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:19:38 +0000

With Mercy Ministries Australia folding after

scandal
reduced sponsorship/funding
a damning ACCC report

it appears that they will be selling the Sydney home.

If you have a cool 2.2 million dollars you too can run your own day spa or cult treatment facility. Nice home though, from memory it was just recently renovated with donations from the faithful.

I wonder once the $100,000 is taken out of the sale (to pay back the misappropriated Centrelink money) what will happen with the rest of the money – staff entitlements? Charity? Donations to other likeminded treatment facilities?

I am sure though that they will be governed by some sort of process…aren’t you?

What is this Mercy Ministries? Click here to view more details

Mercy Ministries engaged in misleading conduct, directors forced to pay $118,154

Blogonaut — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:47:41 +0000

The ACCC (The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has released its findings on Mercy Ministries and Mercy Ministries Executives have admitted that have engaged in false and misleading conduct. I can understand now why Pastor Bryan Huston could not back on the door fast enough, if he got wind of this early. Hillsong overcame revelations of Pastor Frank Houston’s sexual abuse of young men and boys, but financial misconduct be a number of high profile members might be a bit hard to stomach.

Nah, who am I kidding. They have already been forgiven haven’t they.

Here, take a gander the release itself:

UNDERTAKINGS REMEDY MERCY MINISTRIES MISLEADING CONDUCT

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has obtained court enforceable undertakings, which includes payment, from seven former directors of Mercy Ministries Incorporated and/or Mercy Ministries Limited in relation to misrepresentations by those entities.

The undertakings include an apology and a voluntary payment of $1050 to those people affected by the conduct. These are made by former directors Mark Zschech,Peter Irvine, Mark Caldwell, Stephen Crouch, Young Pil (Phil) Sohn, Darlene Zschech and Clark Pearson.

Mercy Ministries is a not-for-profit Christian based charitable organisation which offered a residential counselling program to young women affected by issues such as eating disorders, depression, self harm, unplanned pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and the effects of sexual or physical abuse. The program was offered whilst the young women resided in a Mercy Ministries home.

The ACCC was concerned that in a period between January 2005 and June 2008, Mercy Ministries misrepresented in brochures and on its website that its services were provided for free, when the majority of residents were required to assign their Centrelink payments to Mercy Ministries for the duration of their stay.

The ACCC was also concerned that during this period, Mercy Ministries misrepresented that it offered professional support from psychologists, dieticians, general practitioners, social workers and counsellors, when the level of professional support was not available as represented. Mercy Ministries did not employ this range of professionals. It did facilitate access to external professionals upon request from residents.

To address these concerns, as part of the undertaking, the former directors:

acknowledge that they were persons ultimately responsible for the conduct of
Mercy Ministries, and admit its conduct was false, misleading and deceptive,
and likely to contravene sections 52, 53(aa) and 53(e) of the Trade Practices
Act 1974

signed a joint letter of apology to past residents in the relevant period

offer a payment of $1050 to each of the past residents in the relevant period, and

undertake to attend annual trade practices compliance training for three
years.

Mercy Ministries operated its program in two homes, one located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and the other in Sydney. Both of these homes have now closed. Mercy Ministries has ceased trading and has advised the ACCC it is in the process of being wound up.

ACCC Media Releases

The media release from the ACCC is quite damning, not that this will have any effect on Nancy Alcorn’s true believers, despite that fact that several of the directors named in the court enforceable proceedings were heavily involved in Mercy Ministries on an international level and were close friends and confidantes of Nancy herself. It is also interesting to note that 4 out of the 7 directors have strong ties to Hillsong.

Mark Zschech – High profile Hillsong member, previous director of Mercy Ministries International, current director of Compassion Australia, close friend of Nancy Alcorn.

It was actually while we were at GMA that we heard about Mercy and we asked whether we could go and visit. So we went, and Mark and I met Nancy Alcorn in the foyer and it was as if we had known each other all our lives. Within 12 months Mercy was born in Australia, and we have two homes there now. Actually, Mark is now heading up Mercy International. And we have a home opening in the U.K., and one in New Zealand, and other homes in Australia. It’s very, very exciting.

Darelene Zschech being interviewed by FaithTalks.com

Darlene Zschech – High Profile Hillsong worship leader and as you see above quite cosy with Nancy.

Peter Irvine – High profile Hillsong Member, director of both Gloria Jeans and Mercy Ministries

Stephen Crouch – Mercy’s accountant and Public Officer of LMI (Leadership Ministries Incorporated)

LMI is a separate entity from Hillsong Church through which the Houstons carry out their national and international ministry and make donations to the Hillsong Foundation and other charities.

Religion News Blog

So, not just church members but thise in positions of power and influence.

Ruth Pollard, Investigations Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and the journalist who first reported the stories of three brave Mercy Survivors penned this short article :

FORMER directors of Mercy Ministries yesterday admitted the evangelical Christian organisation had engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct by wrongly claiming their residential care programs were free and included support from psychologists, dietitians, general practitioners and counsellors.

The admission is part of an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruling, after an 18-month investigation into complaints from former residents who were forced to undergo exorcisms and use prayer to treat serious health problems such as bipolar disorder and anorexia.

Targeting girls and women aged 16 to 28, Mercy Ministries also claimed – on its website and in advertising material distributed in Gloria Jeans cafes around the country – that its program was free, yet a Herald investigation revealed residents had to sign over their Centrelink benefits during their stay.

The ACCC ordered the former directors to pay $1050 to each of the 110 young women who took part in their programs from January 2005 to June last year, the total being $118,154. They have also agreed to attend annual trade practices compliance training for three years.

Read more

What is interesting to note is that figure that Ruth quotes – 110 women from 2005 to 2008. Far less than women than Mercy would have led you to believe and far below the thousands of women Mercy claim are saved by their program.

Mercy Ministries UK, the same broken record.

Blogonaut — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:59:48 +0000

Lucy Bannerman from the times has written a piece on the proposed changes to the counselling industry in the UK. Mercy Ministries gets a mention:

Shona Fleming, 24, from Doncaster, who underwent therapy offered by an organisation with extreme religious views, underscores some of the difficulties[. Three years ago, she was struggling with bulimia, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Then she heard through her church about a free counselling service that promised to help. Mercy Ministries UK — motto: “Lives transformed, hope restored” — describes itself as a “distinctly Christian organisation dedicated to helping girls and young women — ages 18 to 28 — who specifically seek our care for a variety of addictions and hurts”.

Fleming checked into its residential counselling programme at a house in the village of Oxenhope, Yorkshire. Minimum stay is six months and contact with friends and family is limited. She found the experience so distressing, she calls it “Mercy Miseries”.

The group, founded by Nancy Alcorn, an American Christian evangelist who blames psychiatric illnesses and homosexuality on “demonic activity”, has homes in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It claims it has helped more than 2,500 girls worldwide to overcome depression, eating disorders, addiction and other “life-controlling issues”. It is believed that about 20 young women are now in care in the UK home, which opened in 2006.

Fleming claims that her nine-month treatment — involving intense study of “demonic oppression” — left her deeply disturbed. And she also says the in-house solution to bulimia was 45 minutes of “couch time” after every meal, during which girls were forbidden to go to the lavatory unaccompanied. Group counselling revolved around study of a bizarre “hellfire and brimstone”-style self-help manual, Restoring the Foundations, seen by The Times. Exercises include “Sins of their Fathers”, which links patients’ conditions to any “iniquities” in their family history, such as abortion or homosexuality. The final chapter, “Demonic Oppression”, instructs how to “cast out demons” through “deliverance” and include charts linking demons to everything from cancer, anorexia, Aids and rock‘n’roll.

During her one-to-one counselling, Fleming claims that her counsellor blamed a “little girl demon” for her depression and eating disorder. “If sessions got too intense, she would break out in prayer or start speaking in tongues.” She was encouraged to stay in the programme by her family, who are committed members of Abundant Life, an US-style “charismatic” church in Bradford, with strong links to Mercy Ministries. Feeling confused and increasingly introverted, Fleming recalls being called into the main office by three senior members of staff.

“They said I wasn’t moving on with my issues and had to confront the ‘little girl demon’ inside me. They told me to walk around the room, and started walking around me, praying, speaking in tongues. It was getting louder and louder. They were saying, ‘Talk to the little girl, tell her she’s got to go. Tell her she’s got to leave’. I was freaked out.”

She believes that what took place was an exorcism. “I look back on it now and it seems crazy. I should have worked it out, but I felt vulnerable.” Now a confident woman, Fleming feels that she has overcome her problems — despite counselling, not because of it. “I really did come out worse than when I went in,” she says.

and the response from Mercy UK is so familiar I swear it was good old Peter Irvine throwing his voice:

Walker says: “Unfortunately, as with any organisation dedicated to helping those in need, there are occasionally those who express frustration with some aspect of the care they have received. MMUK takes such complaints very seriously.” She denies exorcisms are performed, and says that study of “Restoring the Foundations” was discontinued in June 2008: “Our emphasis is on the power of God’s grace and unconditional love to help hurting young women overcome addictions and past hurts.”

She adds that, although the charity supported proposals for government regulation, the Tennessee-based organisation will be changing the title of its staff from “counsellors” to “facilitators”, once new legislation comes into place — “so that our approach to supporting young women is more accurately described according to UK terminology, instead of American.”

Times Online

And that’s the way Mercy operates, by filing off the serial number and using innocuous but coded speech. They don’t have Restoring the Foundations anymore but they do host speakers that promote the same rubbish. I have not seen a copy of their “Choices that Bring Change” yet, maybe a Mercy Grad would like to scan and send me a copy so that we can compare the two?

Another question left hanging is why, when Mercy had an alleged success rate of 93% for the past 25 years did they seek to abandon there main study tool and replace it? It is a suspicious coincidence that this occurred shortly after they were exposed in Australia.