Action call by MP over London "Christ" cult

Evening Standard (UK)/October 23, 1997
By Sandra Laville

A member of a Commons commitee on cults is calling for an investigation into a religious sect which targets young London professionals. Labour MP Alan meale, who sits on the all-party parliamentary cults committee, has serious concerns about the London Church of Christ.

The sect, which first started recruiting in a London suburb in 1982, is now banned from 34 university campuses across Britain. With 1,100 members in Britain, the LCC, also known as the UK or International Church of Christ, is a branch of a movement which started in Boston in 1979.

Mr Meale said: "We had reports that the church was using young girls to recruit people in and around railway stations. There were reports of them using sex as a way of recruiting."

Members are usually middle class and well educated. Wimbledon striker Marcus Gayle is a recent convert.