Reform MS reveals controversial church prayed for her during candidate selection
Emily Price
A Reform MS has revealed that members of a controversial evangelical church prayed for her throughout the process of becoming a candidate for the party.
Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni MS Catherine Cullen discussed her faith in an interview with evangelical YouTuber Faith Jarvis on her podcast, Faith Speaks Louder.
Victory Church Cwmbran has faced controversy in the past, including allegations that vulnerable people were exploited through a rehabilitation programme and claims that people could be miraculously healed of serious illnesses.
The church was founded in 2009 by prominent far-right activist Richard Taylor, a self-confessed teenage criminal, burglar and drug user who said he found Jesus in a jail cell.
In 2010, he took over an industrial warehouse and established it as a branch of Victory Outreach UK, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity where he served as a director.
Whistleblowers later came forward to expose the conditions of the church’s rehabilitation programme, alleging they were forced into hard manual labour, working up to six days a week without pay in order to build a new church premises.
Taylor was also accused of orchestrating a large-scale hoax surrounding claims of miraculous healings at the church.
Rumours of life-changing encounters with God spread across social media in early 2014, drawing believers from around the world to Victory Church in Cwmbran after a local man was said to have walked out of his wheelchair during a sermon by Taylor.
In an interview with Premier Christianity magazine published in March 2014, senior church pastor Clyde Thomas claimed the man had been confined to a wheelchair for 10 years following a car accident, before suddenly getting to his feet, lifting the wheelchair above his head and walking away. Thomas also claimed that the man’s doctor had verified his healing.
The magazine article stated: “More reports of miracles followed as the church held meetings each night.
“A healing from leukaemia; a girl who had been sexually abused as a child was saved; ‘John’ from France, who threw his walking sticks away, and an addict on methadone was instantly delivered with no withdrawal.”
Taylor was removed from office in June 2014 following internal financial disputes and his admission that he had violated his ministerial vows for committing adultery against his wife.
Victory Church Cwmbran was then brought under the control of Elim Church Incorporated, giving the national denomination oversight of its theology, finances and legal affairs.
Pastor Clyde Thomas took over as leader of Victory Church Cwmbran following Taylor’s departure and remains at the helm today.
Healing events still take place at the church, with video footage from this year’s Easter celebrations showing guest preacher Suzette Hattingh speaking in tongues before inviting people with terminal illnesses or conditions which doctors had deemed incurable to line up in front of the stage, where she prayed for their healing.
During the event, members of the congregation were also instructed to perform a series of stretching exercises before further prayers were offered.
They were then invited onto the stage to describe alleged healings they said had occurred during the sermon, including a woman who said a haematoma had been healed, several people who reported improvements to shoulder problems, and another woman who said she had been healed of gallstones.
At the end of the event, Hattingh urged those who believed they had been healed to return to their doctors to be “properly tested” before coming back to church to “give glory to God”.
Hattingh also warned attendees not to stop taking medication prescribed by their healthcare professionals, telling them: “God is much bigger than your tablets.”
Nation.Cymru asked Ms Cullen whether she supports the practice of speaking in tongues by faith healers and whether she believes it can cure terminal illnesses.
We also asked whether she believed it was exploitative to suggest that serious illnesses can be cured through divine intervention or speaking in tongues.
Ms Cullen did not respond to the questions.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Get more trusted Welsh news
Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.
Fruitcake in my opinion
Church of the Latter Day Grifters
Another far right Wales hating lunatic thank god these idiots haven’t got any power in Cymru.
A church that party for evil.
Don’t ignore the far right religious elements investing in destabilising the UK.
Party of the Antichrist
I cannot trawl through this filth for a third time to compose a succint comment but i must first thank Emily Price for her diligent journalism. Ironocally and conversely, i must also thank Catherine Cullen for fully exposing (going religious now) the fraudulent anti Christ who is her leader by describing him as ‘honest’ whilst demonstrating perfectly what the ‘Hate Wales 34’ (she is one) are all about. This is a national infestation of Satanic evil. We remain a nation of human sanctuary. Cadwch y fydd. Save our children.
She must have the special anti people, love capitalist version of the bible. These far right really are the anti Christ literally. Not that I believe in Religion, it prevents peace. And to tell them to ignore doctors is medevil and barbaric.
It’s very disturbing that people in Cymru would support these types.
“She explained that, after years of voting Labour, she decided to stand for Reform UK in the May Senedd election, saying her Christian convictions were a key factor in her decision.”
I don’t recall the bible advising people to be nasty to forrins.
We have done a lot of nasty over the years because bible.
I think it swings both ways…
I just can’t see Radical Christendom ever taking hold here. Those hoping to import it from America forget that the whole point of America was as a home for sects and cults that weren’t treated fairly elsewhere. This island is largely descended from folks that didn’t flee for the freedom to practice their dogma.
Shame the Quakers went…
Ask a Catholic, Enery the 8th I am I am
No mention of human sacrifice, yet.
Consider the idea that the rise in Spiritualism and the acute austerity of the war and especially the years 45-51 were somehow connected? Add the millions who were keen to contact the War Dead. The Spiritualist ‘Harry Edwards’ and Billy Graham were doing tours…and then move forward to the present austerity and the Covid and Tory rule dead. The politics now may be standing on its head but the tides of civilization and all that…