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In tiny Neche, North Dakota, a ‘cult’ rules

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In tiny Neche, North Dakota, a ‘cult’ rules


Editor’s note: This story is part one of a five-part series examining the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, its beliefs, practices and its role in the North Dakota town of Neche, population 344.

NECHE, N.D. — In 1979, Rob McLean’s life felt full of promise. He was 22 years old, engaged, and eager to start a business. Before he began the rest of his life, however, he had to make a pilgrimage from his New Zealand home to tiny Neche, North Dakota.

McLean was born into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, a little-known religious sect — one he calls a cult. He was making the 8,000-mile trip to Neche (rhymes with itchy) because it was a holy site for the Brethren, headquarters and home to its “universal leader” at the time, James H. Symington. The trip was “just one of the things we had to do. And I didn’t want to,” McLean said.

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Rob McLean, a former member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in New Zealand, brought white envelopes of cash to Neche, North Dakota and to the leader of the religious sect in 1979. The delivery of white envelopes that has continued to present day, as members are encouraged to tithe 10% and are frequently asked to donate funds, according to former members.

Contributed / Rob McLean

Tucked away in McLean’s suitcase were several white envelopes filled with cash, which he guessed contained about $600 New Zealand dollars — tribute bound for Symington. McLean was fearful of a face-to-face meeting with Symington, which came sooner than he expected. Symington — the “elect vessel,” the “man of God,” and a Neche pig farmer — happened to be on the same flight in an economy seat.

“I wandered down the aisle and gave them to his wife, who thanked me, and I got out of there. I was scared of the guy because he had so much power,” said McLean. To him, Symington was more important than Jesus because he had a direct conduit to God.

“He was a scary person, just because of his presence, and also because he had the power to excommunicate anyone he wanted,” he said. “During his reign a lot of families and marriages got broken up and a lot of Brethren fathers and husbands got excommunicated. I likened him to Leonid Brezhnev, the communist in Russia.”

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080124.N.FF.PlymouthBrethren

A map of some of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church localities in relation to Forum News Service’s investigation.

Troy Becker / The Forum

McLean returned to his seat and continued his holy expedition to Neche and meetings filled with believers from around the world, all bringing similar white envelopes. The indoctrination went on from morning to night, over bottomless glasses of Johnny Walker Red Label Scotch whisky – according to McLean: “the cult drink of choice at the time.”

Neche — a town of 344 on North Dakota’s border with Canada — was improbably the seat of power for the Plymouth Brethren for nearly 17 years, from 1970 until 1987, and remains a historic site for the group, which has about 54,000 members worldwide. The organization has hidden in plain sight, rarely attracting attention until recently, when some of its operations were investigated and raided by tax agents in the United Kingdom and Australia.

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James H. Symington in front of his 100-year-old house in Neche, North Dakota, which was torn down after his death. .jpg

James H. Symington in front of his 100-year-old house in Neche, North Dakota during the 1970s to 1980s. His house was later torn down after his death in 1987.

Contributed / Carman Drever

Interviews that Forum News Service conducted with 25 people, including Brethren members and 13 former members from Neche and elsewhere, found that they consider the Plymouth Brethren not only a cult, but a “religious mafia” that rules by fear. According to former members, despite its worldwide charitable activities, the Brethren has left a legacy of broken families, abuse and a growing financial ecosystem that is being investigated across the world.

Despite multiple efforts, Forum News Service was denied face-to-face interviews with Brethren leaders or entry to its Neche meeting hall. A Brethren representative did respond to emailed questions.

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The Plymouth Brethren rejects former members’ claims it is a cult and says the organization is “guided by the truth of Holy Scriptures,” a spokesperson told Forum News Service.

“It is disappointing and can be quite difficult to hear when we are referred to like this (as a cult), we have families we care for, schools to go to and businesses to run just like everyone. In an increasingly secular world, we recognise that observance of faith is misunderstood and those with little experience or religious values are often afraid of the unknown,” the Brethren spokesperson told Forum News Service.

“While we [recognize] there will be misconceptions, to be referred by such terms as ‘cult’ or ‘sect’ is really intolerant and can be quite upsetting for the individuals and families in our church,” the spokesperson said.

Mailboxes in Neche, ND on June 25, 2024.jpg

Mailboxes in Neche, North Dakota on June 25, 2024.

C.S. Hagen / Forum News Service

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The word cult has been used in English for more than a century, and is defined as: “A socially deviant group that uses undue influence to create obedience and dependency,” according to Stephen Kent, a retired university professor from Alberta, Canada, who is considered an expert in alternative religions.

Simplified, a cult is a “group that exerts excessive control over members,” said Kent, who stopped short of labeling the Brethren as a cult, but added that the Brethren meet all the aspects of the definition of a cult.

“It is the case that groups that exercise excessive control over their members and have unusual beliefs are going to get called cults. It’s been an accepted term in the English language for 150 years or so,” Kent said.

The

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Brethren

traces its roots to the 1800s and to Plymouth, UK. Once called the Exclusive Brethren, it is a conservative, male dominated

religion

, which tightly controls and monitors members’ behavior. Practicing one of the

strictest forms

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of Christianity, they believe the

Bible

is the supreme authority for church doctrine, and that they must

keep themselves separate

from the outside world and non-members.

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Former members say most Brethren are born into the religion, and they’re told from childhood that they are special. And while the Brethren claim they have no clergy hierarchy, they have historically followed the directions of consecutive universal leaders whose word is law.

Breaking the rules can lead to harsh punishment, including being ostracized by family members. Anyone found to be varying from rules can face excommunication, which some say also means eternal damnation.

While the Brethren reject claims they are a cult, the group’s practices fit many categories outlined by another leading expert on the subject, Steven Hassan, in the

BITE Model

of Authoritarian Control. Hassan developed the model to describe cults’ methods to recruit and maintain control over people.

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Current Brethren practices, according to former members and the sect’s own statements, check off several boxes listed under Hassan’s BITE Model, including areas of behavior, information, thought and emotional control.

A photograph taken in secret from a television monitor during a meeting of the Plymouth Brethren in Westfield, New Jersey .jpg

A photograph taken in secret and leaked to Forum News Service through a current member who wished to remain anonymous. The photograph was taken from a television monitor during a meeting of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in Westfield, New Jersey on Feb. 28, 2024.

Contributed / anonymous

How the Brethren arrived in Neche isn’t known, although there are newspaper stories as early as 1895 that mention

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Brethren members

near the town. The Christian group began in the 1820s after growing dissatisfied with the Anglican Church in England. Wanting to focus on a person’s direct relationship with God, its members began meeting for what they call Lord’s Supper, or communion, and formed their first permanent meetings in 1829.

By the middle of the 19th century,

members began

immigrating to the Americas, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, according to the group’s website. They’ve always been discreet, choosing to remain outside the mainstream, and rarely recruit new members, according to former members.

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“I was one of God’s chosen people and so I was better than anyone else,” said Richard Marsh, a former Brethren member who said he’s living in hiding from the Brethren in Canada.

An exerpt from the so-called white book or ministries of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church universal leader Bruce D. Hales..jpg

An exerpt from the so-called white book or ministries of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’s universal leader Bruce D. Hales.

Contributed / Carman Drever

The Brethren has managed to stay out of the public spotlight despite scandals and splits, including the

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Aberdeen incident, a sex scandal

in 1970 involving former “universal leader”

James Taylor

Jr., who was accused of sexual assault. Taylor served as leader until his death in 1970, when leadership was turned over to James H. Symington.

Symington was worth more than $10 million when he died in 1987, the equivalent of $27,646,919 in 2024, according to his will, which was obtained by Forum News Service. During a tax investigation of the former universal leader in the 1970s, which did not result in any charges, he hid his cash in jars in the fruit cellar, according to a descendant.

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Some “universal leaders” like Symington, who ruled from 1970 until 1987, were considered tyrants who split families apart, several former members said. The former Brethren leader is dead, but he left a long-lasting legacy as well as many Symington family members — all related — in Neche, and who own

265 properties

across the county, according to Pembina County government records.

Recently, the Brethren has chosen to slowly emerge from the shadows. In 2019, the charitable arm of the Brethren called the Rapid Relief Team, or RRT, was featured in news articles after serving

lunches to federal employees

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during a government shutdown.

Australian Tax Office.jpg

Australian Tax Office logo.

Contributed / ATO’s Facebook page

Raid, investigation raise concern

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Neche — whose population is approximately half Brethren, half non-Brethren — may be in a remote rural North Dakota town, but is not isolated from the group’s problems that have recently made headlines across the world.

Brethren-linked companies make up a global organization with finances tied to Australia, where an ongoing investigation began in March this year after SWAT-like agents from the

Australian Tax Office

raided Sydney-based Universal Business Team, or UBT, which is a company that offers services to about 3,000 Brethren-linked businesses. Shortly afterward, UBT’s Australian accounting firm,

UBTA, announced

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to clients that it had closed.

Spokespeople for the Brethren told Forum News Service that “UBT is in full cooperation with all requests for information from the ATO and has not been advised of any principal changes that will be required of the entity” and that UBT North America is not affected by the ATO investigation.

Across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand, the Brethren — along with other faith-based institutions — have been under scrutiny for two years by a

Royal Commission of Inquiry

investigation. The commission, which is similar to a Senate hearing in the U.S., is exploring how

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people in care were abused

by institutions meant to protect them.

Since the current universal leader, Bruce D. Hales, replaced his father in the position in 2002, the

organization has acquired great wealth

: A total of about $65 billion, according to

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Damian Hastie, a researcher with Open & Candid – an organization focused

on investigating corruption in government contracts.

It is an age of prosperity for the Brethren. Reporting by Forum News Service and others indicates that decades of those white envelope donations have built an internal financial ecosystem that, according to former members, controls nearly all aspects of members’ lives. The Brethren also won more than $4 billion in competitive government PPE contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members after a meeting on Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Neche, North Dakota..JPG

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members after a meeting on Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Neche, North Dakota.

C.S. Hagen / Forum News Service

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‘I was told my dad is the devil’

When non-Brethren Neche residents are asked about the Brethren, an awkward silence usually follows. Then, they start by saying the group’s members are good neighbors.

Years ago, children in Neche called the Brethren “bings,” because families had so many children. “Bing, bing, bing,” said Neche resident Pam Gizinski, motioning to the different heights of multiple children.

Once a holy site attracting pilgrims, the town is quieter than it used to be. When Gizinski first moved to Neche in 1985, Brethren children would preach at a street corner along Main Street. “Worldly” children would respond by blaring rock ‘n roll music from boom boxes while on riding bikes, she said.

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While the international crowds in Neche are lacking today, the town hums with the sounds of renovation, large trucks and construction. The old school is closed, but offices like Bordertown Retail Systems in Neche are being remodeled to make room for more space, said Ian Symington, sales manager and a member of the Plymouth Brethren.

Kristi Sharp during interivew with Forum News Service and Click Content Studios on June 14, 2024.jpg

Kristi Sharp during an interivew with Forum News Service and Click Content Studios on June 14, 2024.

Contributed / Click Content Studios

Across the world in New Zealand, Craig Hoyle knows Neche as a historically important Brethren town. Hoyle is a former member of the Brethren who left in 2009. He told Forum News Service and Australian news outlet Fairfax Media that he was

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prescribed chemical castration

medication when priests and the current universal leader Bruce D. Hales learned he was gay.

“Huge numbers of Brethren were going through Neche at that point. Quite an impact on a North Dakota town,” said Hoyle, who spoke to Forum News Service through Google Chat.

At CVR Industries USA, Inc., a family-owned trailer remodeling company in Neche, Kristi Sharp, administrative manager, said many of her customers are Brethren members.

“I don’t have a problem and I don’t believe in their beliefs. They’re very willing to help us out. Always friendly, positive. They have been good for the town,” Sharp said.

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Carl Symington, a farmer and a member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in Pembina, North Dakota, came out of his house — glass of whiskey on ice in hand — when Forum News Service arrived at the Brethren’s Pembina Meeting Room on June 25.

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church Pembina Meeting Room in Pembina, North Dakota as of June 30, 2024.jpg

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church Pembina Meeting Room in Pembina, North Dakota as of June 30, 2024.

C.S. Hagen / Forum News Service

At first, he hesitated to answer questions, but eventually agreed. When asked about the importance of Neche as a historically sacred site, he replied that the town wasn’t important.

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“We don’t place a lot of value on locations here because we’re looking for a heavenly city. We live our lives here and some people call us the Exclusive Brethren, but we believe in being separate from the world so we can maintain the values our forefathers taught us,” Carl Symington said.

Stuart Symington wears many hats: mayor, fire chief and president of CVR Industries USA, Inc. He took his family out of the Brethren in 2001 because “We felt that we were looking for something different,” he said.

He works hard to stay impartial as mayor of Neche.

“It’s got its challenges, definitely. In the main, the Brethren help out a lot. There are some Brethren in the fire department, and during floods they definitely do their part to help us,” he said.

“On the other side of things I know there are people who are bitter against them and that’s hard to deal with because at times they look at me like I’m giving them a break or whatever, but I’m simply just trying to do the right thing for the town,” Stuart Symington said. “Everyone as a citizen should be treated equally and I don’t try to let my past affect my job as mayor.”

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Much of the town’s success is due to Brethren members, Stuart Symington said. With about half the population belonging to the Brethren, members control most of the businesses in the town, he said.

“Per capita this is one of the most industrious towns in North Dakota. A fair bit of it would be the Brethren, they often stick together, they work together and it helps produce that industriousness, right?” Stuart Symington said.

Two mansions, called 'McMansions' by residents in Neche, North Dakota, owned by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.JPG

Two newly-built large houses, called McMansions by residents in Neche, North Dakota, owned by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

C.S. Hagen / Forum News Service

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Today, massive $800,000 houses, called “McMansions” by local residents, are being constructed by the Brethren alongside houses that are little more than $20,000, according to data from Pembina County Assessor Zelda Hartje.

Gizinski lives across the street from two of the newly-constructed homes and has mixed feelings about the Brethren.

“They’re very nice people and they keep to themselves. When we had the big flood in ’97, they made all the food and laid sandbags,” said Gizinski.

Gizinski said she’s annoyed that Brethren members have their own grocery and liquor store called Campus & Co. nearby, where she isn’t allowed to shop. Instead, Neche residents must travel to Cavalier, Pembina or Grand Forks, North Dakota, about 100 miles away, for groceries.

“The thing that bothers me is they have that shop here. It’s not right,” Gizinski said.

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Gizinski and other non-Brethren residents in Neche are upset about a recent $5 million dike proposal that the town’s mayor said the Brethren supports. Others don’t like the possibility their property taxes might rise with the recent additions of the large homes.

The downtown area of Neche, small as it is in June 2024, is an example of the disparity in housing in Neche, ND.jpg

The downtown area of Neche, North Dakota, small as it is in June 2024, is an example of the disparity in housing in the town of 344 people.

C.S. Hagen / Forum News Service

Another Neche resident scratched his head when asked about the Plymouth Brethren, saying he knew them only as Symingtons, and kept his distance.

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Damian Symington, the mayor’s son, was a child when the family left the Brethren.

“I was born in it. When I was little I would get picked on by some of the Brethren kids because of who I was and because we left,” Damian said.

“I was told my dad was the devil, so I went home and told my mom that my dad was the devil,” said Damian, chuckling. “Now I understand that it was all just the hurt that they would have felt for someone willing to leave their church.”

But not everyone in Neche believes the Brethren are that harmless, or their presence in the town is not a concern.

Once, shortly after Gizinski moved to Neche, a little Brethren girl came up to her and told her she was going to hell because she was wearing shorts. Gizinski laughed as she recalled the memory, but grew more serious when she talked about Brethren who want to leave.

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“They put the fear in them and they’re afraid to leave,” Gizinski said. “That makes me wonder, what are they trying to hide?”





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North Dakota

Obituary for Grace Mary Kegler at Gregory J. Norman Funeral Chapel

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Obituary for Grace Mary Kegler at Gregory J. Norman Funeral Chapel


Grace M. Kegler, 94, of Grand Forks, ND passed away Monday, December 23, 2024, at Edgewood Vista in East Grand Forks, MN. Memorial Liturgy 1100 a.m. Saturday, December 28, 2024, with a 1030 a.m. Rosary Service in the Historic Norman Funeral Home Chapel. Family Greeting 1000 a.m. to 1100 a.m.



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Alabama's AP Poll ranking revealed after wins vs. North Dakota, Kent State

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Alabama's AP Poll ranking revealed after wins vs. North Dakota, Kent State


Coming out of a difficult non-conference span of games, this past week was likely a step down in competition for the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team.

Beginning on Wednesday night, the Crimson Tide did what most programs do not often do, traveling across the country mid-week for a true road game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Alabama would however win that contest in a closer game than most expected, 97-90, and then returned home Sunday for a showdown with the Kent State Golden Flashes in which they were victorious, 81-54.

Because of these results, Alabama now sits at 10-2 overall for the 2024-25 season with the Crimson Tide’s non-conference schedule winding down, and the start of SEC play looming in early-January.

However, just how much did these results affect Alabama’s AP Poll Top 25 ranking, if at all?

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After carrying a ranking of No. 6 last week, Alabama rose one spot up to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll released Monday afternoon. The Crimson Tide were also the third highest-ranked SEC team, trailing only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Auburn.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Crimson Tide will officially be back in action this upcoming Sunday, Dec. 29 at home against South Dakota State, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. ET on either SEC Network+ or ESPN+.



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WATCH: 'The Masked Man' for North Dakota State Basketball

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WATCH: 'The Masked Man' for North Dakota State Basketball


It has been a year of adjusting for North Dakota State Junior Guard Brennan Watkins, who has found a new home in Fargo after two seasons at VMI.

“It’s different in the stand point that I get to just focus on basketball more. At VMI there was military, a lot of academics and then basketball was kind of an after thought. Obviously there is time for academics but I have more time to be in the gym and get more shots up,” said Watkins looking back at his time out east.

As the Missouri native navigates his first season with the green and gold, Watkins also has to adjust to some new headgear after a gruesome injury in the game against Weber State earlier this season.

“I didn’t even know where I got hit. I just knew there was pain radiating around my face. My reaction was to just put my hands to my face. I kind of took my hands away and my hands were just completely filled with blood and I was like oh no that’s not good” he said.

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Watkins suffered a compound fracture breaking his nose in two places.

“When I was at the game the team doctor readjusted it partially there and they said it was too swollen to completely adjust it. I think once I go back to the doctor they are going to adjust it a second time too. There is not pain but it is difficult to breathe. I’m not really getting as much airflow through my nose as I am used to” said Watkins describing his challenges with the broken nose.

Despite the injury, Watkins hasn’t missed a game or a beat becoming the “Masked Man” for the Bison.

“It’s completely different. I can’t really see out of my peripherals. Once I start to sweat the clear mask starts to fog up so that creates another problem. It’s truly difficult. I don’t think people understand how much of a difference it makes,” he said.

“Brennan has always been a really talented basketball player. Gifted offensive player and we have challenged him on the little things, the winning plays and he is starting to understand those and execute those things and that’s the next step for him,” said NDSU Head Coach, Dave Richman.

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A warrior, Watkins is determined to stay on the floor and make those winning plays for North Dakota State.

“Just do anything for my team and help them win that is just kind of the player I am. It doesn’t matter if I have a broken nose. If I am able to play I’m going to be out there,” said Watkins.

The Bison Men’s Basketball Team has one more non-conference match up against CSU-Bakersfield on Monday night before conference play begins on January, 2nd.

Sam Goetzinger joined WDAY News as a reporter and anchor in 2022 after graduating from St. Cloud State University. Sam worked alongside his Dad in the radio industry for 10 years in his hometown of New Prague, Minnesota before heading off to college. Along with his news responsibilities, Sam also handles play-by-play duties for North Dakota and Minnesota high school athletics.
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Reach Sam at sgoetzinger@wday.com or follow him on X.





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