‘Overseeing shepherd’ of Gloriavale’s flock
HOPEFUL Christian, who founded the isolated religious community of Gloriavale in
1969, was its leader for more than 40 years.
Mr Christian died on Tuesday aged 92 at the West Coast community after a battle with cancer..
It is understood Mr Christian had been suffering from prostate cancer and that he nearly died in February after being admitted to Grey Base Hospital after a heart attack.
Mr Christian served 11 months in prison in 1995 on sexual abuse charges.
He retired from Gloriavale’s board of trustees in 2010 but was still the ‘‘overseeing shepherd’’. This gave him the power to appoint himself back on to the board and appoint new members.
The head of the Gloriavale trust is Fervent Stedfast.
In 2015 Yvette Olsen said Mr Christian sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 19 and called him a man of ‘‘unbridled lust’’, ‘‘lies’’ and ‘‘absolute power’’, and a ‘‘dirty old man’’.
Ms Olsen said she was inspired to speak after her niece, known only as Julia, spoke to Campbell Live about being the victim of a ‘‘wrong relationship’’ with an adult married man when she was a child.
Ms Olsen said Mr Christian had tried to break her spirit, forcing her to call herself a ‘‘harlot’’ after she became involved, aged 16, with a 14yearold boy at Gloriavale.
Mr Christian faced three charges of indecent assault from January 1984 at the Springbank Christian community when it was based at Cust, in North Canterbury.
A former member of Gloriavale said most of the families living in the secretive community had been unaware of their leader’s sexabuse conviction and believe he was jailed for 11 months in 1995 for preaching the gospel.
Gloriavale has around 550 members, with about 90 families living according to a strict interpretation of Christianity and working unpaid in community farming and aviation businesses. It has assets worth about $40 million.
Members of the church and community wear standardised modest dress and the women wear scarves over their hair.
Mr Christian began the Gloriavale community in Rangiora and it moved to Haupiri Valley, on the West Coast, in 1991.
Gloriavale has been featured in a series of documentaries and many news reports.
The Christian Church Community Trust, which governs the isolated West Coast community, was the subject of a Charities Services investigation.
The probe started in April 2015 after media reports about an increase in the number of people leaving Gloriavale and allegations of sexual and physical abuse, the Newsroom website reported.
Police said last year they were already investigating allegations of sexual assault within Gloriavale.
No charges have yet been laid. Police keep an eye on Gloriavale and regularly visit the isolated community.