This is a continuation of our coverage regarding character letters sent in support of a sex offender. See Part 1.
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.
In the first installment, I posted four character letters that were sent to the court in support of Kade Abbott. Today four others are being shared, all of which mention the Indiana Bible College (IBC), a UPCI endorsed college. As was previously done, redactions have been made of addresses, phone numbers and emails.
In a comment made on our Facebook post of Part One, Deanna Jo Norton wrote in part, “I wonder how many personal messages of support and encouragement the victim and her family got from UPCI and ALJC ministry/saints?”
This is an important issue to consider if one is attending any church where a member has been charged with such crimes. Are you quick to write character letters or otherwise support the accused, yet fail to reach out to victims and their families? It is so very important to not blindly believe whatever the alleged perpetrator or someone in church leadership may claim about the charges. Even those in church leadership have been known to lie about these cases.
In the previous post, a letter from ALJC minister Mark Stumbo was shared, where he mentioned his son attending Indiana Bible College (IBC) with Kade Abbott. Luke Stumbo also submitted a letter.
Luke Stumbo used to room with Kade Abbott and he and Kade had both been employed by the Apostolic Christian Academy in Maryville, Tennessee as Middle School teachers. Besides Kade and Luke both being teachers, they were also helpers for the school’s daycare after school program. They took care of the school age group. Luke Stumbo is currently the Administrative Assistant Instructor of the Worship Studies Department at IBC, having become employed there in mid 2022.
Luke writes in part, “I feel like this is an instance of a young man who tried to fix issues by himself without opening to to others for help. I don’t know the extent of this certain situation and wouldn’t begin to recommend what his consequences should be. Yet I ask for you to take into consideration a young man who has been dedicated to his work and family his whole life. Who being in a lonely season should have taken steps to reach out to others around him. If anything I think that should be taken into consideration.”
Caleb and Caitlyn Phillips addressed their letter to Abundant Life Church in Hamilton, Mississippi, which leads one to conclude that the church may have been actively collecting letters of support for Kade Abbott. The couple attends The Pentecostals of Gainesville, a legally affiliated UPCI church where Caitlyn’s father, Jimmy Toney, is pastor.
Due to their time at IBC and their three years of traveling together representing the school’s music program, they believe they “have a very reliable grasp on his character.”
They state that, “Kade’s character is nothing we ever questioned. He never gave us any reason to. He served as a spiritual and academic leader in our school the whole time we were there. As well as a mentor in our own personal lives.”
They ended with, “Kade’s character is nothing we question.”
I will insert here what was mentioned in the last article. I have heard accusations against Kade Abbott going back to these college days, allegations including that of him requesting inappropriate photos of multiple females.
According to LinkedIn, Candy Saylor is the music minister at The Pentecostal Church, a legally affiliated United Pentecostal church in Harvey, Illinois. She is also a Christian counselor at the church according to her Facebook profile.
Candy mentions that her daughter attended IBC with Kade and that he came to Candy’s church for a summer internship in 2019 and stayed with her and her husband. While there he “exemplified the utmost respect for authority.”
She went on to share that he has an “impeccable work ethic” and that “his character and integrity was an example to all.”
It was her “recommendation that Kade Abbott be granted grace and favor regarding any details surrounding any negative allegations of his personal character.”
The last is a lengthier letter from UPCI minister Horatio Lindsay, who holds a general license in South Carolina. He states it “is with great pleasure and prayerful thoughts that I offer some remarks on what I know about Kade.” They met at IBC and it appears they have continued to keep in touch since then.
What appeals to Horatio the most about Kade Abbott “is his desire to grow more and more in the likeness of Christ” and he states that Kade “is a good person, with a good heart.”
“The bumps in the road to success that Kade has encountered more recently are not sufficient to define his true character and value to society. I respectfully ask that the court reflect on these remarks made on his behalf, and consider that Kade is a good man, with good intentions and a good fit for society, he just needs mercy, forgiveness and the opportunity to try again.”
The show of support for perpetrators, and those who mishandle sexual abuse cases, by UPCI pastors and others is so disheartening.
As side notes, you may recall that Jimmy Toney represented the disgraceful UPCI pastor Randy Ensey in the judicial procedure filed against him. Kenneth Carpenter preached two messages at Toney’s church on January 26, 2025. In the evening service, Jimmy Toney told the church that he and the Carpenters are very close and that “Brother Carpenter can speak anything to me and I’d do it, no questions asked.” That’s a scary statement, especially considering the news reports of how Kenneth Carpenter mishandled numerous situations in his church.
Joshua Carson is the president of Indiana Bible College and he testified in support of UPCI pastor Randy Ensey in his judicial procedure.
In a sermon he delivered on August 30, 2023 at the Live the Movement Conference held at the First Apostolic Church of Maryville, Josh Carson expressed support for pastor Kenneth Carpenter. He said, “Brother Carpenter, I’m with you. We’re in this together. Come on, we ought to bow up and just recognize if you’re gonna fight one of us, you’re gonna fight all of us.” (Watch this part of the sermon on Reggie Love’s Facebook post.) That night there were people standing in front of the church in solidarity for the victims and Carson mentioned this in his sermon.
Kenneth Carpenter is the pastor of First Apostolic Church of Maryville in Tennessee where Kade Abbott worked in their Apostolic Christian Academy and this is when his crimes occurred. Besides the criminal convictions against Joseph Kade Abbott, there is a pending civil lawsuit against him, the church and the academy.
I originally posted about this on January 10, 2025 on our Facebook Page.
To be continued.
You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
********
Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.
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 
