My conscience and confirmation from others has led me to write this post, to speak out to protect the children and families at Seed of Abraham Fellowship. This one is by far the hardest I’ve had to write as it involves children and a church that is failing to protect them from the possibility of being harmed.
It is our duty as believers to expose sin and protect others, and while I have been attacked by leadership and board members at Seed of Abraham Ministries, in Merritt Island, FL, who are quick to misquote scripture, I will continue to do so. Especially to protect children and those who are vulnerable.
If you have read my rejected apology letter to Seed of Abraham Fellowship (SOAF), or my Truth, you are already aware that I went to Michigan with Gary's daughter and her family. However I haven't told you of what I was informed by her before we left, about her brother Gary "Doc" Lambert and child pornography. But let me give you the back story first.
A few years back, Gary's daughter came to the Friday night fellowship and told everyone that earlier in the week, the local authorities had come to her house and put her husband in the back of a squad car. They left him in the back of the car for hours according to her, and wouldn't let him go to the bathroom. Her kids and the foster care kids were terrified. Why? Because someone was downloading child pornography! She was clearly upset because she knew her husband was innocent. And he was.
You see, the family lived in what was jokingly called the Lambert compound. It was a duplex, and each unit had three bedrooms. Because it was one roof, They only paid for internet on one side and both units shared it. Gary Lambert, his wife, and his son, Gary "Doc" Lambert lived on one side in Unit A. Gary’s daughter Elisabeth, her husband, two children and as many as six foster kids lived in the other side. Someone had used the shared internet to access child pornography.
At the next Friday night fellowship, when people asked what was going on with the investigation, Elisabeth "Eah" would tell people that it turned out to be her pre adolescent son looking at pre adolescent girls. I always thought that was weird because most young boys who do access pornography are looking for women's breasts and a pre adolescent girl wouldn't have anything a boy would be looking for. It turned out later that it was all a lie to cover up the child pornography addiction of a grown man.
Shortly after this incident, Eah and her family moved into a house in a rougher part of town, borrowing money from another church member to get into it, and paying a higher monthly payment than what they were paying at the duplex. The house was older, and had smaller rooms. It didn't make sense, but who was I to judge?
Shortly before we left for Michigan, Eah told me she needed to talk to me, I said OK, and she shared with me that her son wasn't the one who accessed the child pornography, but that had in fact been her 30 something year old brother Gary "Doc" Lambert. She explained that they told everyone it was her son to cover up for her brothers sin. She warned me that Doc would probably come and visit at some point at the farm and I needed to know so I could protect my daughter. She also stated that her brother in law, John, might beat him up before he steps foot on the farm because he deserves it. It also turned out that they bought the other house and moved out of the duplex because they couldn’t continue doing foster care living next to Doc. She said they had to agree with the foster care program to not allow Doc near the kids or access to them until they found a new place.
I was upset by this information and I went to Gary. I asked him why he hadn’t told me this before? Why had he kept it from me? He said it was to protect Doc and that he had it all under control. Doc was seeing Dr. Bob Lehton, Phd (a member of the Seed of Abraham church board) and was on medication. He said that when he asked Doc why he did it, Doc said he was only looking at child pornography because he wanted to “catch bad guy.” Seriously? That’s what the police and FBI are for.
In early 2021 I reported this to someone in church leadership. Doc is still there today. He is still running computers, cameras, audio, and media. I don’t feel that that is an appropriate position for a child pornographer. I do hope Doc is still seeking treatment, because this is a lifelong battle that he will have to fight. I also don't think a church should put someone with this type of addiction in such a vulnerable position of temptation. Many child pornographers if left untreated, later harm children. I do not think it is wise, nor is it fair to Doc, or families with children to keep him in this roll. It creates the potential for danger.
My questions are this:
Why did Gary give Tom Bradford Doc’s resume after they let the previous computer and media guy go, knowing about his adult sons child pornography addiction?
Why did Tom Bradford hire Doc? Did he know about the child pornography?
Did Bob Lehton, Phd as a board member vote to hire Doc ? I know that HIPPA would violate him from telling the other board members or Tom Bradford that he was treating him, but he could have voted against it.
When I reported it to church leadership, why wasn’t it addressed? Why are safe guards not in place to protect children? Interesting that their children ministry failed, while they hide sexual sin regarding pornography and children.
I feel that people in the church have the right to know, that way they can make the best decision for their families, and I for one as a mother would be furious if a church was hiding all of this from me about a staff member.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog in regards to Gary "Doc" Lambert, was given to me directly from Elisabeth "Eah" Desmond and Gary K. Lambert Phd. I have not confronted Doc personally, and due to safety concerns I can't.
Comments