NAMES IN THE NEWS : No Cult, Turner’s Pastor Says

Miss America’s church is not a cult, her pastor says. The Fox Television program “A Current Affair” had a report that said Maranatha Christian Ministries of Columbia, Mo., which has Miss America Debbye Turner as the most prominent member of its flock, practices brain-washing and mind control.

But David Hawes, pastor of the ministry, says the report was just a cheap shot at Turner, who lived for a year in a dormitory owned by the church and has been a member of the church for two or three years.

“They’re not going to find any dirt on her, so they criticize her faith in God,” Hawes said. “It was just an outrageous joke. I didn’t take note of it. The most obvious thing to me is (Turner) is a black Miss America who is one of the most beautiful, secure and confident and personable Miss Americas in the history of the pageant.”