Lewisham councillor works at controversial church that ‘made kids perform exorcisms’

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A senior Lewisham councillor works at a church that allegedly showed teenagers videos of dead bodies to scare them from leaving, according to a report.

Labour’s councillor Kim Powell is a community outreach manager at the controversial Universal Church Kingdom of God (UCKG), a Lewisham council register of interests notes.

An exclusive South London Press investigation found former UCKG members claimed people as young as 13 were being brainwashed and made to perform exorcisms.

Former members of the evangelical church have claimed the church group blamed mental illness on demon possession, encouraged them to drop friends and family and showed them images of corpses as a warning as to what would happen if they left, according to The Guardian.

The church’s UK branch said it took allegations very seriously but said none of the people in reports by South London Press, or more recently The Guardian, had complained to the church itself.

It said prayers were never promoted as a replacement for medical help and added that it didn’t practice or believe in exorcism.

The church added that it could only respond to the allegations in “general terms” because it had no details. It said the police hadn’t been in touch regarding any complaints.

Cllr Powell, cabinet member for businesses, jobs and skills, was first elected in 2019.

The local Labour Party branch stood by her as a candidate when Cllr Powell’s links to the UCKG were revealed in News Shopper at the time.

Cllr Powell has been contacted for her reaction to the allegations made against the church in The Guardian‘s article.

Pictured top: Cllr Kim Powell (Picture: Lewisham council)