(cache)CONVERSION PROGRAM PROGRESS REPORT: Meridell Achievement Center in TX By Rev. Minister Angela Smith of COPE (https://www.cope.ch

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CONVERSION PROGRAM PROGRESS REPORT: Meridell Achievement Center in

By Rev. Minister Angela Smith of COPE (https://www.cope.church ) Dated: 2/16/22

The HEAL Mission of COPE has received 32 separate complaints from individuals and

families alleging forced unlawful involuntary sterilization of a minor, abuse, physical

abuse, improper/excessive restraint resulting in injury, beatings, one extended family

member of a victim/survivor reported to the HEAL Mission via e-mail “I think this place

is worse than being in Hell. They should not be allowed to get by with doing children the

way they do”, fraud, deceptive marketing/misleading advertising, mistreatment, one

survivor reported via e-mail to HEAL Mission “I was admitted to Meridell almost five

years ago now. I appreciate the fact that the loved ones in my life were willing to help

get the help I needed, by my stay there only prolonged my treatment experience because

of how horribly they treated their patients. I would not recommend anyone to send their

children there,” coercive thought reform, another survivor reported via e-mail to the

HEAL Mission “I would like to elaborate on how when abusive action might be taken by

a single staff member only, co-workers - agreeing with the action or not - would make an

effort to aid that staff member in his justification of events and things would quickly

progress from a single mental health techs abusive behaviour to the collective guilt of

entire branches of the facility. I would like to elaborate on consistent taunting and

attempting to provoke reactions from patients with the intention of then applying a

corrective response. I would also like to note that the abuse I witnessed was usually not

life threatening however extensive psychological abuse happened daily. I still dream of

the place and people regularly,” religious discrimination/abuse, another survivor reported

via e-mail to the HEAL Mission “While there they also denied me what I considered to

be my religious material, and critisized my belife system since its "unusual". Not sure i

can prove it but i can pretty much guarantee my beliefs are what kept me in there so long.

They wouldent alow me any of my religious clothing or reading materials,”

isolation/solitary confinement (i.e. 13-year old for over 2 months), residents held

incommunicado (communication blackouts/restrictions/censored/monitored), and sexual

abuse at Meridell Achievement Center (Meridell). Some of these complaints are

referenced online and others remain confidential and on file with the church. With the

intention of providing an opportunity for closure, clarification, and potentially peace, on

2/8/22 Rev. Angela Smith invited Meridell victims (families and survivors) as well as

staff whistleblowers to provide a guest sermon. That invitation read thus:

"Dear Meridell Achievement Center (Meridell) Survivors and Families,

Meridell is on the HEAL Mission watch-list (of fraudulent and abusive programs) and

enrolled in the COPE Conversion Program based on your reports to the HEAL Mission

alleging fraud, abuse, and/or other violations. You can learn more or refresh your

memory at https://www.heal-online.org/thelist.htm and/or https://www.heal-

online.org/meri.htm .

The HEAL Mission and COPE Conversion Program (for Conversion Programs) has

updated our protocols to provide entities populating the watch-list and/or enrolled in the

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COPE Conversion Program three ways off the watch-list or out of the program. Death

and/or closure remains one way after which they will be buried at

http://www.beyondbusiness.net/youarenext.htm with the others who didn't make it off the

list or reform in time. Programs enrolled in the COPE Conversion Program/placed on the

watch-list are also eligible for graduation if they meet the minimum Honesty In

Marketing Standards described and/or provided via hypertext link at

https://www.cope.church/standards.htm . The third option is merciful release. Merciful

releases are determined by date of last directly reported to the HEAL Mission complaint

(date of incident(s) of abuse), whether those incidents occurred prior to when by custom

or law the requirement to retain such records has expired, and whether Sponsors (you) are

actively participating or maintaining interest in holding your program accountable.

The most recent complaint the mission received on Meridell Achievement Center

(Meridell) occurred in 2018 (if you were abused later than that then you did not include

the dates of your enrollment when you contacted the HEAL Mission). The custom is to

retain such records for 10 years in Texas. So, the requirements for merciful release have

not been met. This is an invitation for you to provide a guest sermon no later than

Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 8pm Pacific if you believe Meridell should remain on

the watch-list beyond December 31st, 2028 (a progress report will be posted in lieu of a

guest sermon beginning February 16th, 2022 through December 31st, 2028 if a guest

sermon is not provided by the deadline). For sermons (including guest sermons), see

https://www.cope.church/sermons.htm (including sermon archives for 2020 and 2021)

and for progress reports see https://www.heal-online.org . Here's how to participate:

1. In the body of an e-mail message write out your complete sermon and include answers

to the following questions:

Did you report fraud or other unlawful actions to the proper authorities? If not, why? If

so, what happened with the reports? (So, 2 part question)

Why do you believe Meridell should remain enrolled in the COPE Conversion Program?

2. Send that guest sermon to me at rev@cope.church with your first and last name (full)

and notify me if you wish for your contact information to be included or for all feedback

to be handled by the mission and/or church. Your full first and last name will be shared

along with your sermon as written and provided by you. It will be posted as a Guest

Sermon at https://www.heal-online.org , https://www.heal-online.org/meri.htm , and

https://www.cope.church/sermons.htm .

If no one provides a guest sermon and there are no new complaints received by the

HEAL Mission of COPE by December 31st, 2028, Meridell will be mercifully released.

Thank you in advance for participating. And, please learn more about how to value your

contributions at https://www.cope.church/givetoday.pdf.

In Solidarity,

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Rev. Angela Smith

HEAL Mission National Coordinator/Founding Mother of COPE"

Now, there was a vote on whether Meridell should remain on the watch-list initiated on

April 7th, 2020 where all Sponsors of that program's placement in the COPE Conversion

Program were invited to participate. The majority voted against merciful release or the

equivalent at that time. HEAL Mission and the COPE Conversion Program recognize

participation in the vote in April as recent enough participation even if Sponsors prefer

more time to consider, write, and/or provide any guest sermon. While we understand this

may be disappointing for Meridell, it is the hope that this progress report helps explain

the reasons for the continued enrollment/placement in the COPE Conversion Program.

Additional or continued participation by Sponsors, including providing guest sermons or

participating in future votes will impact whether or not the program qualifies for merciful

release or remains enrolled. Lack of participation by Sponsors where all other criteria for

merciful release are met, will result in merciful release of the program.

Similar invitations will be going out to all survivor/victim/whistleblower e-mail lists and

their respective programs placed on the watch-list. It may take some time to get through

the entire list especially if enrollments pick up. But, we are working on it and everyone

can submit Feedback at https://www.cope.church/feedback.htm at any time regardless of

position regarding program placement or enrollment.

To close, I remind everyone that there are remedies at law. Labor trafficking, rape, fraud

(misleading marketing/false advertising), false imprisonment, kidnapping, battery,

assault, and any crime or tort you could name are actionable at law. The HEAL Mission

of COPE is prepared to assist all victims by providing reporting resources and

information for the sake of justice and we appreciate all Sponsors who selflessly

contribute content for the sake of informing the public to help those exercising due

diligence avoid becoming a victim. Reporting Guide Available at: https://www.heal-

online.org/report.htm and https://www.heal-online.org/meri.htm .