LewishamNews

Councillor calls on local authority to distance itself from ‘cult’ church

A councillor slammed Lewisham’s local Labour leadership for not distancing itself from a ‘cult’ church during a meeting last week.

During a council meeting on January 22, independent councillor Hau-Yu Tam called on Mayor Brenda Dacres to make a public apology on behalf of the council over its dealings with the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG).

UCKG is a Christian denomination with five chapters in South London – Brixton, Peckham, Croydon, Woolwich and Catford.

Lewisham Labour councillor Kim Powell is employed by the UCKG as a community outreach manager in the Catford branch.

The institution has been described as a “cult” by former members after allegations of preying on vulnerable people, brainwashing them and performing exorcisms were made.

The UCKG denies these allegations and is subject to an ongoing inquiry from the Charity Commission.

Two months ago, the Diocese of Southwark – responsible for more than 100 Anglican churches – apologised for including the Catford branch of UCKG in an annual interfaith peace walk through Lewisham.

Cllr Kim Powell and protests against the UCKG by SUUK (Picture: Lewisham council, SUUK)

A spokesman said it “deeply regrets” the “distress” it caused “among those who’ve experienced abuse in UCKG congregations”.

At the council meeting last week, Cllr Tam called on Mayor Dacres to follow suit and “validate survivors” of the church.

In response, Mayor Dacres said the council had no relationship with the church and that the council “condemned” all forms of abuse. She urged those with concerns to speak with the council’s safeguarding team.

After the council meeting, Surviving Universal UK (SUUK) – a support group for ex-members – posted a statement which described the Mayor’s response as “callous” and rejected the offer to report safeguarding concerns to the authority.

Speaking to the South London Press, Cllr Tam said: “There have been ample allegations of exploitation made against UCKG, where one of our cabinet members is a senior staffer.

“I am in touch with survivors who say the Mayor has lost their confidence.”

A council spokeswoman said Cllr Powell’s roles within the church and the council are “completely separate”.

But Cllr Tam said: “The council is citing the policy, not the policy in practice.

“The UCKG has had numerous photo ops with the council over the years.

“I have also observed two separate occasions where a fellow councillor raised concerns about UCKG, and Cllr Powell defended her employer and personalised the issue.”

The South London Press has seen WhatsApp messages from a council group chat which show Cllr Powell defending the UCKG after concerns were raised by other councillors.

An email sent from Cllr Powel in response to a Labour councillor raising concerns over the UCKG’s involvement in the interfaith walk (Picture: South London Press)

The South London Press has also seen several complaints from a Labour councillor that were sent to all council colleagues protesting the church’s involvement in the interfaith walk. These were dismissed by the Mayor and Cllr Powell.

In a post on X earlier this month, Labour councillor Liam Shrivastava said: “The alleged practices of the UCKG are at a level of concern that it is not in the public interest for politicians to give them free publicity.

“Speaking out on this issue has been an isolating experience and I have been threatened with disciplinary action for sharing my views publicly.

“If elected representatives continue to remain silent, harmful practices will keep happening to vulnerable people.”

A Lewisham council spokeswoman said Mayor Dacres had met with SUUK to discuss safeguarding concerns and offer support.

She said: “We made a social worker available to facilitate that. No safeguarding concerns or referrals were made and we have not received any other reports from the public about the Catford branch. We encourage anyone with concerns to speak to our safeguarding team.”

A UCKG spokesman said: “The UCKG relies on the teachings of the Bible for its ethos and messages and exercises absolutely no control over anyone’s life. It also does not employ scare tactics to force people to remain in the church or otherwise.”

Pictured top: From left, independent councillor Hau-Yu Tam and Mayor Brenda Dacres discuss the UCKG at a council meeting on Janurary 22 (Picture: Lewisham council)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.