Church a living hell
Sect 'beat the devil' out of congregants
SPINDALE, NC — From all over the world, they flocked to this tiny town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, lured by promises of inner peace and eternal life. What many found instead was years of terror — waged in the name of the lord.
Congregants of the Word of Faith Fellowship were regularly punched, smacked, choked, slammed to the floor or thrown through walls in a violent form of deliverance meant to “purify” sinners by beating out devils, 43 former members told The Associated Press in separate, exclusive interviews.
Victims of the violence included preteens and toddlers — even crying babies.
“I saw so many people beaten over the years. Little kids punched in the face, called Satanists,” said Katherine Fetachu, 27, who spent nearly 17 years in the church.
As part of its investigation, the AP reviewed hundreds of pages of law-enforcement, court and childwelfare documents, along with hours of conversations with Jane Whaley, the church’s leader, secretly recorded by followers.
Those interviewed say church officials waged a decades-long coverup to thwart investigations, including strong-arming victims.
Several former followers said some congregants were sexually abused, including minors.
They said they were speaking out because they fear for the safety of the children still in the church, believed to number about 100.
In the past, Whaley has denied that church leaders have ever abused members. She and attorney Josh Farmer turned down repeated requests for interviews.
The ex-members said the violence was ever-present: Minors were taken from their parents and placed in ministers’ homes, where they were beaten and cut off from their families for up to a decade.
“It wasn’t enough to yell and scream at the devils. You literally had to beat the devils out of people,” said Rick Cooper, 61, a Navy veteran who spent more than 20 years as a congregant and raised nine children in the church.
Word of Faith Fellowship was founded in 1979 by Whaley, 77, and grew to a 750-member sect, concentrated in a 35-acre complex.
Followers were encouraged to move to Spindale. It wasn’t until they sold their homes and settled in North Carolina that the church’s “dark side” gradually emerged, former members said.
By then, they were afraid to leave or speak out, they said.
Said Rick Cooper, “You’re cut off from everyone in the world. The church — and Jane — is the only thing you know. You believe she’s a prophet — she has a pipeline to God. So you stand by while she rips your family apart. I’m not sure how you ever get over that.”