Member of L.A. Group Dies at Camp in Oregon

A 30-year-old Los Angeles member of the Ecclesia Athletic Assn., a controversial sports and religious group based in Los Angeles’ Watts area, collapsed and died Sunday at the organization’s rural training camp near Mt. Hood.

The death of Faith Hendrick was made public Wednesday by a spokesman for Ecclesia, who said the woman was epileptic but otherwise in good health and had apparently suffered a blood clot in one lung.

Clackamas County Deputy Medical Examiner George Coleman said his autopsy found that she died of natural causes unrelated to trauma, stress or athletic endeavors. He refused to specify the exact cause.

Ecclesia had intended to settle on an 18-acre farm here, but withdrew its application to house about 100 adults and children on the property last month after running into opposition from neighbors who said they feared another cult had invaded their state.

Members were forced to exercise for several hours each day and to work long days picking strawberries to support the group. They were not permitted contact with the outside world.

This month the group announced it might move to Washington state or the Free Zone of Equatorial New Guinea in Africa.

Ecclesia founder and former college basketball star Eldridge Broussard Jr. blamed Hendrick’s death on the stress of negative publicity surrounding the group, which says it is training young athletes for Olympic competition.

Funeral services for Hendrick will be held today at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Los Angeles.