Category: United Pentecostal Church | Page 2

Former United Pentecostal Minister Kelsey Cook CSA Conviction

This is a brief initial post on the CSA charge against former United Pentecostal Church minister Kelsey Carlen-St-Clair Cook, born March 22, 1992, of Michigan. This is case 2024-0000001014-FC in the 37th Circuit Court of Calhoun County, MI. Her parents are Gary and Carol Cook, and Gary is pastor of the Apostolic Church of Flat Rock, Michigan, a legally affiliated UPCI church.

Kelsey Cook was very involved in the Apostolic Church of Flat Rock, as well as in mission trips in the UPCI through the Apostolic Youth Corps. Her mission trips go back to at least 2012. She gained notoriety by raising thousands of dollars for their Sheaves For Christ program. She also participated in Bible quizzing and has attended NAYC events.

Kelsey first appeared in the 2021 UPCI Directory with a local license, which is indicative of being licensed in 2020. It then showed her holding general license in the 2022 edition and is last seen in the 2023 UPCI Directory, still with a general license.

The crime she was charged with happened prior to her becoming licensed. (The court record gives a date of on or about June 2017.) Unfortunately, the wording in the question that was asked on the application was, “Have you ever been convicted of or pleaded guilty to child abuse or a crime involving actual or attempted sexual molestation of a minor? If yes, please explain.” As she had not yet been charged with or convicted of her crime, she could honestly answer no.

I have been watching this case since I first learned of it back in late April 2024. I made a brief mention of it in a post from April of last year. Since that time, several people have inquired as to the status of the case and I am happy to report that on the morning of March 6, 2026, on the fourth day of trial, Kelsey Cook was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13 (750.520B2B).

A previous trial was held back in December 2025, but ended in a mistrial before its conclusion.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 27, 2026, where she should at least receive the mandatory sentence of 25 years, with lifetime monitoring and a tier III sex offender registration requirement.

Kelsey Cook’s $1,000 surety bond, posted on April 8, 2024, was revoked and she was taken into custody after the verdict. She is being held at the Calhoun County Correctional Facility. Attached is the notice on Vinelink.

More will be shared in a subsequent post. Our hearts go out to the survivor and her family.

See also Part 2 and Part 3, two posts with UPCI pastor Austin Hopper’s statement.

I originally posted about this on March 6, 2026 on our Facebook Page.

ADDED May 15, 2026: Sentencing scheduled for for April 27 was rescheduled for May 11, 2026 at the request of Kelsey’s attorney. She was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison, with a maximum of 60 years, and was credited with 70 days spent in jail. She owes $198.00 in costs and fees. On May 15, 2026, Kelsey Cook was transferred from the Calhoun County Correctional Facility to the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. This is the only facility in Michigan which houses females. She also now appears in the sex offender registry.

You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.

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Apostolic Pentecostal Church Of Pickering and Donald Newton Mason

More controversy has been brewing at a United Pentecostal Church in Ontario, Canada.

You may want to read our posts on United Pentecostal Pastor Audley Castro Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

In December 2025, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) revoked the license of Donald Newton Mason, an insurance agent who allegedly misappropriated more than $700,000 from two seniors.

The seniors were members of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church (APC) Of Pickering in Ontario, with one of them having been the church secretary for many years. The two church members gave Mason $307,000 and $400,000. One was in the early stages of dementia. A GFM for one of the seniors has so far raised $3,760.

A media release stated Donald Mason “persuaded two vulnerable consumers to provide him with funds, allegedly for investment and failed to repay or account for the money they loaned him. This conduct affords reasonable grounds to believe that Mason is not suitable to be licensed.” In addition, he failed to respond to the FRSA’s inquiries.

Donald Newton Mason volunteered at APC as a lay minister. Attached is a screenshot showing two old sermons he preached at the church. It has been alleged that he is still active in the church, helping with Bible quizzing, and there are people who are upset that nothing has been done to call him out. It is also alleged that Samuel Ofe-Brobe, the interim leader of Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Pickering, has said he would handle it and yet nothing has happened.

There has been a fair amount of controversy over how Samuel Ofe-Brobe has handled situations since the former pastor, Audley Castro, resigned amidst amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. I have not had time to report on that, but hope to sometime in the future.

I originally posted about this on February 16, 2026 on our Facebook Page.

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United Pentecostal Pastor Michael Delgado Has CSA Offender Brad Spacek in a Leadership Role

We have another instance of a registered sex offender being used in a leadership position at a United Pentecostal Church.

Bradford “Brad” William Spacek, born October 6, 1966, was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and the 2014 charge involved one victim and was due to at least three incidents between 1999 and 2002 according to a news report. At the time of his charges, Brad Spacek was a freshman teacher at Chavez High School in California.

It has been shared that he used to attend Christian Life Center years back, but presently is involved at another United Pentecostal Church, Lighthouse of the Valley, also in Stockton, where Michael Delgado is pastor. There may be many attending this church who are unaware of his past criminal record.

According to the church’s website, Brad Spacek is part of the single adult leadership team and has spoken at their annual single adult conferences, the last being held in August 2025. He has also preached at the church at least once, on October 30, 2024. Attached are screenshots showing some of his involvement.

It is always concerning when any church uses a convicted sex offender in any type of leadership role or preaching capacity. A pastor is unwise to allow this. Has Spacek been permitted to be around children at the church? Have members and visitors been made aware of him being on the registry? If you are a parent of a minor and are a member or are visiting this church, you need to be aware of this situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v580dJHuMD4

I originally posted about this on February 22, 2026 on our Facebook Page.

You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.

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Former United Pentecostal Pastor Robert Anthony “Tony” Langston Arrested on CSA Charges Part 5

Tony Langston instagram 8-16-21 This is a continuation of our coverage on former United Pentecostal Church pastor and presbyter, Robert Anthony “Tony” Langston, born November 9, 1964, who had been charged with sexual crimes against a minor in Colorado. Langston also had been the Colorado District Youth Secretary and the District Youth President. This is case number 25CR03894 in Denver County.

Anthony Langston is the founder and former pastor of Tapestry Church, which in June 2025 became Freedom Church Jersey City, when Tony resigned and turned it over to former UPCI minister Wade Haskins.

You may want to read Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 and Part 4 of our prior posts.

Our hearts go out to survivors as we share that on February 7, 2026, the criminal case against Tony Langston was dismissed without prejudice and closed. This means that he can be charged again in the future as it is not indicative of a final end to the matter. This is neither a pronouncement of innocence or guilt.

On January 30, 2026, the State submitted a motion to dismiss in which it was stated, “After further review and investigation, the People are unable to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt at this time.”In the judge’s order it is mentioned about the potential future sealing of the case. The DA is to advise the alleged victim by February 18 that it will be sealed but there could be an objection to it. Should that happen, they have until March 12, when the victim could appear before the court to object. Tony Langston would not be required to appear.If it is sealed, that means that the case will no longer be available to the general public or appear in public background checks. However, it is not sealed to everyone.

According to a document on an official Colorado government website, “The record is NOT destroyed and remains available to criminal justice agencies, the court, and the District Attorney. If your record is sealed and you are convicted again, your previous record may be unsealed by the court and/or available to the court, probation, and the District Attorney in sentencing.” In other words, prosecutors do not have to “start all over” if they proceed at a later date as has been erroneously mentioned online.

There is a great deal more I could say about this case and it is our hope that it will be reopened in the future. We encourage any other alleged victims to contact law enforcement if they have not already done so.

There was a prior case in Montgomery County, Texas in 2005

Our readers should be reminded that 2025 was not the first time CSA charges were filed against Robert Anthony Langston. In 2005 in Montgomery County, Texas, there was an indecency with a child case, Statute 21.11(a)(1) a 2nd degree felony, against Anthony Langston which was filed on August 2, 2005. This is case 05-08-06814.

Tony was living in Jersey City, New Jersey and was pastor of Tapestry Church, now Freedom Church Jersey City, which was called the International Christian Center at the time. The following year he was voted in as a presbyter of the New Jersey Metro District of the UPCI.

It never went to trial as on January 12, 2006, a motion to dismiss was filed and marked “in the interest of justice.” Just below that, the reason given was that “The victim is Deceased.”

You may read more about the Texas case, including court documents, in Part 4 of this series.

I originally posted about the dismissal of the Colorado case on February 10, 2026 on our Facebook Page.

You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.

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Giveaway- The God I Was Given by Scot Loyd

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter. (Be sure to read to the bottom of this post to discover seven other books we are giving away this year.)

This is your chance to receive a new copy of the memoir, The God I Was Given: Looking for Faith After Losing My Religion by former United Pentecostal Church minister Scot Loyd. This copy was donated to us by Scot and is signed by him.

Below is an exert from the prologue:

Now imagine that you also had a talent for cooking. You were able to prepare and present these dishes in ways that made your family proud. They were all convinced you were destined for greatness in the culinary arts.

Then, one day you discovered something about these recipes.. something not so wonderful.

You discovered that the recipes you’d spent your entire life learning, preparing, and perfecting were actually recipes that were used to abuse, poison, and, in some instances, kill others. You learned that generations of people grew up in homes where they were force-fed these dishes, the same dishes that were the signature dishes of your family kitchen.

For so long, you and your family believed these dishes to be good, but in reality, so many others suffered because of them. After learning all this overwhelming information, you decided that you no longer wanted to cook these meals, nor eat any of the food that was produced by your traditional family recipes.

So you just stopped.

Your family and friends were, of course, concerned. They protested, insisting that you were turning your back on your calling and talents, and on the traditional recipes that nourished your family for generations. They dismissed the information you obtained as “lies.”

They suggested that those who were hurt by the dishes prepared by your family simply didn’t follow the original recipe, or that they never actually even tasted any of the food. Then, when you presented plenty of evidence showing that many were harmed by eating the food, they’d say, “Nonsense! The food isn’t the problem. There must have been something wrong with how they ate it!”

Or, “They should have tried harder at preparing their palette to be worthy of such delicacies. Obviously, their systems weren’t ready for such delights. There isn’t anything wrong with the food… others have eaten it and haven’t died!”

Now, what if this wasn’t actually about a family of chefs sticking closely to generational recipes? Imagine this was really about religion and a family of well-intentioned people who truly believed they had the equivalent of a recipe that would send people to heaven in the afterlife. That this recipe for religion, if followed closely, would help them avoid the literal burning lake of fire for all of eternity.

These good people were so convinced of their faith in the recipe given to them that they lived every aspect of their lives by this refined recipe. Any deviation from the instructions was frowned upon, with the person who deviated shamed and often ostracized by their community.

This is the challenge faced by so many of us who have come to recognize the dangers of rigid religious systems. Yet many of us still have an appetite for the sacred and spiritual.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on January 9, 2026 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner.

Be sure to check back to see if you have won as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder. If I know your Facebook profile, I will message you there.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

You may want to subscribe to the email notifications of new blog posts in order to not miss these. While we try to share about our giveaways on social media, those platforms often do not show the posts to many people.

In 2026, we’ll be giving away one copy of each of Thomas Fudge’s books on the UPCI/Oneness Pentecostalism (Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism, Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC and C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism), plus Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians and Unveiling Paul’s Women: Making Sense of 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 by Lucy Peppiatt, as well as Speaking in Tongues: A Critical Historical Examination: Volume 1: The Modern Redefinition of Tongues and Speaking in Tongues: A Critical Historical Examination, Volume 2: Tongues through Church History by Philip E. Blosser & Charles A. Sullivan.

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