What happened to the Wells Hall preacher?
How an MSU fixture made a name for himself elsewhereSparty Secrets Staff
Michael Venyah’s message remains the same; he’s just taking it to new locations.
Since his last visit to MSU in the spring of 2006, the fiery evangelist, known here as the Wells Hall preacher, has taken his controversial message to approximately 40 campuses in 30 states.
Venyah was a fixture at MSU since 2003, when, he says, God commanded him to preach on college campuses. His brand of direct, confrontational, and often loud sermonizing drew heavy criticism from students on campus.
(Click the picture above to see photographs of Venyah by Ryan McGeeney on University of Kansas campus and Brian Marshall at the University of Texas at San Antonio)
Venyah has strong ties to the East Lansing and MSU communities; both he and his wife went to school here, according to a March 1, 2006 article in the State News.
But for more than a year, Venyah has been noticeably absent from his Wells Hall soapbox. He’s hit the road on a modern-day, non-violent crusade; canvassing college campuses across the nation and taking his message to India, Ghana, Nigeria, the Bahamas, Canada, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.
Not your typical campus invasion tour
Controversy has followed Venyah along his 64-campus “Save our Students” tour. Driving across the country in a mini motor home dubbed “the Preaching Machine,” he has angered many, and converted few.
“The experience has been a Biblical one, in that tens of thousands have heard God’s Word,” he told Sparty Secrets. “Some have chosen to stop all sin, believe in Christ, and render to Him the complete Biblical, sin-free, obedient faith, that He deserves. Most, unfortunately, have chosen to continue in sin and self-gratification and, thereby, hasten their pace and progress on their path toward Hell.”
Blunt statements like that have not gone over well with many students.
A University of Kansas student responded to Venyah’s anti-homosexual message by throwing a condom onto his shoulder, according an Oct. 25, 2006 article on 6newslawrence.com.
Colleen Hermdon, a student at the University of Houston, is one of 302 members of the Facebook group Students against Soulwinners Ministries International.
Venyah has utilized the free-speech zone at her school to “harass” students over the last two years, Hermdon told Sparty Secrets.
“I watched Michael Venyah reduce three students to tears, call a girl a slut for holding her boyfriend’s hand in public, and claim that Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. are in Hell,” she wrote in an email. “Personally, I was called a sick Sodomite and a pervert, among other things.”
James Comas, now an Alumni of Mississippi State University, made a comedic video that features Venyah preaching on his campus.
“Since his main authority to condemn people seems to stem from his claim to not sin, someone here asked him when exactly he last sinned,” Comas said via email. “He apparently claimed ‘about a year and a half ago.’ When I heard this, I thought it was particularly interesting, since he was here two years ago preaching the same ‘I’m not a sinner’ message. But before I could ask him how he was choosing to disregard his own hypocrisy, he was gone.”
While Sparty Secrets was unable to speak directly with a student who enjoyed his preaching, Venyah writes about a positive experience in his upcoming book:
“One of the brothers informed us later that the student said, ‘When I walked by and heard the preaching, I was shocked. You guys were just giving them the Truth, and I had never seen nor heard people rage like that! When I first arrived, I wasn’t right with God. But as I listened, I was convicted, and I repented and recommitted my life to Christ.’”
The message not the mount
In 2004 Venyah founded Soulwinners Ministries International. Based in East Lansing, the ministry includes Venyah, his wife, his son, and convert-turned partner Chris Lemieux.
He summarized the group’s message in an email interview with Sparty Secrets: “OBEY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, OR BURN IN HELL! [sic],” and explained that it was based on Hebrews 5:5,8,9 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
On his campus tour, he’s taken to wearing a red t-shirt with yellow letters reading “No homos go to heaven” on the front and “All homos go to hell” on the back.
And while his rhetorical style is off-putting to many, he feels it is necessary.
“We preach to the sinful world as the prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles, preached,” he wrote in the email. “By way of blunt, direct, Biblical warnings, such as ‘REPENT, OR YE WILL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH!’ (courtesy of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Luke 13:3,5).”
The Soulwinners Web site includes religious tracts for download in document form, including Why Rap Music Will Send You to Hell and Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll.
Venyah’s first book, Journal of a Street Preacher, is undergoing its final round of gallery corrections and will be ready for distribution by the end of the year.
In it, he writes:
“At one particular point, as I was holding a sign and praying, between debating with some particularly heated homos, I noticed that the temperature of the crowd was growing seemingly as hot as the Hellfire they faced. Everywhere, homos raged, cursed, attempted to physically attack us, and had to be restrained. Watching everything and praying, I observed approximately 70–80 perverts crowded in a circle around us, surrounding us, pressing closer and closer.”
To contact Michael Venya with biblical questions, email him.
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This week, Sparty Secrets takes a look at “the Wells Hall preacher” who would regularly minister to students on campus. But at least one student thinks the preacher hasn’t been on campus as much this year. Is there truth to that claim? If so, what is he up to?
Do you:
- Have a story about an encounter with the minister on campus or at a rally?
- Have information about his ministry?
- Know what he’s up to?
Or know anyone who does? Let us know!
I found Michael Venyah’s (he’s “the Wells Hall preacher”) Web site and was able to ask him several questions via email. The responses were fairly interesting.
I was worried art for this story would be difficult to come by, but I found two people on flickr with Venyah photos, both of whom agreed to let us use them if credited. Very cool. Student journalists unite!
Another modern tool we’re employing is facebook. Great place to find sources. Last week we inquired with members of the Mayo Hall Ghost Hunting Squad facebook group, this week we found a group related to Venyah.
It’s also crazy to see all the articles written about Venyah from other student papers around the country. I’m thinking of doing a google maps mash up with a quote from and link to each story.
I haved heard from multiple sources that Michael Venyah was once a practicing Homosexual, that’s why he hates them so much.
Apparently Venyah is back on campus. Got pictures, video’s or first hand accounts? Let us know.
He was at Wells last week, preaching about homosexuals. I was so close to saying something to him, but I ended up just staring in disbelief, as did the rest of the crowd around him. He was wearing his red shirt, and not only did he proclaim that “all homos go to hell,” he also went on about how partying on weekends and drinking will earn you a ticket to hell. Apparently there were people who did protest later in the day and they had to call campus security. At least that’s what I heard.
I asked Venyah via email if he had returned to campus. He hasn’t. He told me “Others are preaching at MSU, but I have not been preaching there.” I’m guessing it could be one of his partners, area resident Chris Lemieux, who was/is back on campus.
I once watched a gay friend of mine slap him on the ass, and call him dirty.
I certainly don’t miss him, or the anti-abortionistas with the dead baby pictures for that matter.
I’ve known Venyah for almost 16 years and he was never a “practicing”, or any kind of homosexual, but he was a promiscuous heterosexual before giving his life to Christ. He has told his story before.
I just received the following email from Michael Venyah:
Mr. Oosting, or to Whom it may concern:
My name is Michael Venyah, founder of Soulwinners Ministries International (www.soul-winners.org). On October 22, 2007, you wrote an article entitled, “What happened to the Wells Hall preacher?”, in the Sparty Secrets newspaper, concerning our ministry’s preaching at Michigan State
University. Since then, students and faculty from your campus have informed us that both the preaching, and your article, generated interest, discussion, debate, and raised questions. I am writing to offer you information for a follow-up piece that can benefit both you and your readers.
On Tuesday, December 11, 2007, I received the first copy of my recently published book, “Journal of a Street Preacher”, from Authorhouse Publishers. As students, faculty, and newspaper reporters from universities around the nation – including your own - have contacted us requesting information about our ministry, national and international
preaching experiences, and Christian message, we refer you to the publication as a resource.
The narrative is a chronicle of our “confrontational” preaching on college campuses (including a chapter on our preaching at Michigan State University), and in the public sector, throughout the United States, and abroad. Our allegedly “controversial” method and message is examined.
Moral issues pertinent to college life – indulgence in pre-marital sex, abortion, alcohol, homosexuality, lesbianism, masturbation, rock and roll, rap music, among others – are addressed with candor and political
incorrectness.
Most importantly, “Journal of a Street Preacher” confronts readers – collegian and non-collegian, alike – both with the Biblical Requirements of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe and the Judge of all moral agents, and the Biblical Consequences of obedience or disobedience
to them: spending eternity in Heaven, or in the Lake of Fire. If you are interested in affording the constituents of your campus and city access to eternally important information, I invite you to visit our website, read
the book, and write an article/review concerning its content.
Sincerely,
Michael Venyah, Founder
Soulwinners Ministries International
www.soul-winners.org
I never heard this particular fellow on campus, but I’ve heard ones like him.
I have mixed feelings about these guys for whole lot of reasons. Basically, however, I think that it’s a mercy from God that he sends them to give warning to all the outrageous sinners on this campus.
You-all may be fine to defy even nature itself now, but when this country goes down in flames, don’t think it’s you against that guy or you against God. Unlike this particular fellow, I believe we all have lots of problems with sins and we need eachother’s help and love to turn to Christ and live a right life.
That and 3 words: The Catholic Church. And 4 more: But not St. John’s.
And whoever posted the distaste for guys with pictures of the chopped-up babies we’re all responsible for killing—well, it’s murder on our hands.
If you don’t think we’ll all eventually have to face the crimes we’ve committed, the world is so illogical that you shouldn’t exist. But you do. And so do murdered Americans -50 million and counting. And that’s the honest truth about what “freedom” our lusts are granting us -the license to kill thousands every day and then coldly look the other way.
Thanks for the comments, Lawrence. Abortion is definitely one of Venyah’s core issues, and I think this thread so far demonstrates the reason people find him to be an interesting subject.
I think the street preachers are hilarious. I wish they’d come back. Really, how can I take offense to something as ridiculous as these men, who claim to be sinless (the bible tells us that jesus was the only one without sin… that’s why he was the lamb who was sacrificed and whose blood was the only blood clean enough to cover our sins, immunitizing us from the wrath of god(ha), and which is why we need him). If Mr. Venyah is actually sinless, why don’t we make him our new savior of the millenium?
Really people, turn away from the ridiculous books written by men like you and me and turn into yourself and find your own salvation.
I think what makes Venyah such an interesting subject to people are his practices. He has a way of getting people to notice his message through hyperbole. What do you think?
I actually got to know Michael Venyah civilly, and he eventually invited me to his house for dinner! I’m not religious by any means, if anything I’m agnostic, but I realized his intention when “spewing hate” as he actually opted to save people in a way he thought appropriate. I think he told me his rationale for his methods of saving people was to leave an impact and a memory of his words, due to the harshness of them, so if and when people had a revelation and submitted themselves to God, they would thus know how to live righteously under God. He’s a very nice and civil person if you get to know him personally, but his fundamental interpretation of the bible has left him deluded, yet I can’t deny that maybe he’s right!
Here’s Biblical ammo to fight against the Michael Venyah show:
http://parablesoftoday.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/misconceptions-of-the-wells-hall-preachers/
I was once Mike Venya’s girlfriend when we were both in college. I think I was his last girlfriend (or was in the last group of women he dated at the same time) before he found religion. He used to be an amazing guitar player in an alternative band and he wrote beautiful poetry. I still have the poem he gave me for my birthday about our incredible physical encounters. He drank and smoked and did other recreational drugs. I am sad to hear that he has gone so far off the spectrum of normalcy–but not surprised. He was always an egotistical, self delusional, child of a man. He once told me, “I’m jealous of you, because you’ve been allowed to spend time with me.”
He used to go by Mike. Knew him back in his college days. Michael was gay, no doubt about it. Eye witnesses saw him holding hands in front of the Taco Bell with another big time gay.