On May 17, 2024, Joseph ‘Kade’ Abbott plead guilty to three counts of sexual assault by an authority figure where criminal charges from two counties in Tennessee were combined (Blount & Sevier). He was sentenced on October 30, 2024 to six years in prison without parole for crimes against a 14 year old minor. He will register as a sex offender for life.
Kade Abbott was a Middle School teacher at the Apostolic Christian Academy, which is operated by the First Apostolic Church of Maryville in Tennessee. His crimes occurred while he was employed at the school. Kenneth Carpenter is the pastor of this ALJC church and academy and the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ (ALJC), a much smaller Oneness Pentecostal organization than the United Pentecostal Church.
Often in criminal cases, there will be an appeal for people to write character letters for the accused. These are public record and over a series of posts I am sharing screenshots of ones sent in support of Kade Abbott. This post includes four of these letters. I have made redactions of private information, such as addresses, phone numbers and emails, with the exception of one from the Director of Apostolic Russian Ministries, a division of the ALJC, as it is on official letterhead.
ALJC minister Mark Stumbo mentions Kade Abbott attending Bible College. He was a 2019 graduate of Indiana Bible College, which is UPCI endorsed, and was the website manager for IBC Perspectives. I have heard accusations against Kade Abbott going back to these college days, allegations including that of him requesting inappropriate photos of multiple females.
Note that Stumbo mentions that Kade is “an honest person and strives for excellence” and that “he is such an individual that can learn from his mistakes.” Sexual assault is hardly a “mistake.”
Then we have three letters from people in Mississippi with the last name of Trimm.
James claims he has “never heard a disrespectful word from him toward anyone, nor have I ever held him in any but the highest regard. To my knowledge everyone at our church felt the same way about him.”
Tammy wanted to help the court “see what kind of person Kade Abbott is, despite the accusations that have led us to this point.” She continued, “The accusations being brought against Kade should not be the only factor you look at in this matter. I hope you will also consider Kade’s efforts in his job, as well as his strong commitment to his church and family.”
Lauren knows Kade from the Aberdeen First Pentecostal Church in Mississippi and says, “I proudly refer to him as my brother.” She goes on to declare, “When I think of him, I think of integrity. I have never had to question anything he said. If he said it, I always knew I could rely on his word.” She also stated, “I would describe him as a ‘safe place’ because he encouraged me to become more confident in my ministry at the church.”
Kade Abbott has long-term ties to the United Pentecostal Church, being a graduate of Indiana Bible College and attending several of their churches, including Abundant Life UPC in Hamilton, MS and Aberdeen First Pentecostal Church in MS.
After leaving Kenneth Carpenter’s church, Abbott became involved at the Abundant Life Church in Matthews, North Carolina.
Besides the criminal convictions against Joseph Kade Abbott, there is a pending civil lawsuit against him, First Apostolic Church of Maryville and the Apostolic Christian Academy.
I originally posted about this on January 8, 2025 on our Facebook Page.
You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
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