School's Out for sinister London cult

The Mirror (UK)/June 24, 1997

You are loved, nurtured and offered a first-class ticket to heaven. All the London Church of Christ asks in return is that you cut off all family ties, recruit a quota of new members and give at least 10 per cent of your earnings to the "church".

Decide you want to leave and you'll be shamed, bombarded with phone calls and, according to devotees, suffer eternal damnation for the rest of your life. It's no wonder the LCC has been labelled a cult and former members are lining up to warn others against joining. But despite this, Hampstead School in North London, which has 1,300 pupils, allows the LCC to hold meetings in its classrooms. Each Sunday members of the LCC gather at the school which also lets them use tennis courts in the grounds.

Anti-LCC campaigner Brian Chamberlain has taken a keen interest in the American-born cult for years. He says: "Everyone knows the LCC is keen to recruit - school children are ideal. I have tried to put a stop to it but no-one will listen."

Headteacher Tasmin Imison told Sorted: "We knew they were some sort of evangelical church. They haven't caused us any problems but we will now be talking to the Governors and our legal department about what we should do."

Later a spokesman for Camden Council said: "A Governors' meeting is planned to review our letting arrangements for the LCC."