Source: New England Monthly/December 1984 By Barbara Grizzuti Harrison NOTES: Barbara Harrison went to Island Pond and saw this bizarre cult in its daily life, interviewing various members, and learning what it is like to face fiercely judgmental hatred. She was especially concerned for the welfare of viciously treated children. In 1971 a carnival barker…
The Globe and Mail (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Deborah Jones August 1984 Clark’s Harbor, N.S. –Since last fall, when a child reported missing in the United States by her father was found living here under a false name with a Bible-based cult, a storm has been brewing in this small, tightly knit fishing community. Local residents…
The Toronto Star Sandro Contenta June 24, 1984 Bruce Boutin peered from under his baseball cap and recalled “the good old days” before this “little paradise went to hell.” Those days – before 1978 – are growing hazy now for Boutin and other people in this scenic town just south of the Canadian border. But…
Father battles sect over custody of girl Source: Boston Globe article archived by Factnet and Xenu directory By Colin Nickerson Globe STaff ISLAND POND, Vt. – lt’s been a year now since Juan Mattatall last saw his youngest daughter, Lydia, 3 years old. He knows where she is: Europe. And he knows who she’s with:…
Source:Factnet archives via xenu directory 29 November 1982 MARK STARR with MARSHA ZABARSKY in Island Pond Folks in the tiny Vermont village of Island Pond (population: 1,542), nestled in rugged mountains near the Canadian border, like to say they live in “God’s country.” But lately residents have begun to fear that some of their neighbors…
Chattanooga Times Randy Arnold 1980 Four men, including the head of the Vine Christian Community Church, were ordered held under $5,000 bond each at the City Jail as state witnesses Monday, and a man charged with assaulting them was freed on his own recognizance. Joseph William Heflin, 55, of 1903 Bennett Ave. was charged with…
Chattanooga Times Bill Casteel January 9, 1980 Pastor W.C. Hunter, of the Words of Life Ministry and author of “How to Save Your Loved Ones from the Cults” said Tuesday that leaders of groups such as the Vine Christian Community Church “use the Scriptures to scare their followers to death.” “They twist the Scriptures, exalt…
Chattanooga Times Bill Casteel December 29, 1979 The Oakland, Calif., twins who spent four years in the Vine Christian Community here before being “rescued” and “deprogrammed” last week have a history of running away from home, Joyce Henrikson, a neighbor of the twins and the sister of church leader Gene Springs, told the Times Friday. Mrs….
April 1979 The organization’s name has changed, and so has the location, but the charges being leveled against former Chattanoogan Gene Spriggs and his following are no different than those 19 that were brought against the group a few years ago. Elbert Eugene Spriggs is the leader of the Chattanooga based Vine Community Church. Today,…
Carolyn Mitchell January 21, 1979 Stories about the People’s Temple in Guyana have sparked interest in religious cults and have increased the invitations Melinda Horton receives to address church groups and civic clubs. A member of the Vine Community Christian Church for 15 months, Melinda refers to the group, which operates the Yellow Deli restaurants,…
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