Lower Swatara Township (Dauphin County) -—
It was meant to be a lesson in Christianity, but for one Dauphin County teen, the lesson may have gone too far.14-year-old Riley Noble* of Middletown, was one of a group of teens at Wednesday’s youth group at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church in Lower Swatara Township.
After a few minutes, Noble said, “We were playing games – the lights shut off – these guys came in with bandanas – eyes covered.”
At the same time, the men began screaming and yelling and waving fake guns, “Get to the ground – and put your hands behind your back.”
Unknowingly, Noble nor her parent knew she was part of a mock abduction lead by the church’s youth minister Andrew Jordan.
“She was bound, pillow cases over their head – thrown into a van,” said Noble’s mother, Jennifer.
Andrew Jordan and Senior Pastor John Lanza defend the lesson.
“We did a mock persecuted church environment,” said Lanza and was meant to teach their students what life is like as a Christian where freedom of religion is not honored.
Jordan said the mock environment had been in the works since the beginning of the year, “The majority of our students had a positive experience.”
While the church defends the lesson, “As challenging as that experience was our hope was it was to be a positive experience,” said Lanza.
Noble said it was too realistic, “Am I going to see my family again – am I going to die?”
Meanwhile, Noble did suffer some minor injuries during the mock abduction; her mother has threatened to report the incident to police.
*Per request of the family Noble is not the victim's real name
