Brent Edwards And His Night Club for Teens
33 year-old Brent Gabriel Edwards, of Greenacres, is the president of Extreme Revolution Youth Ministries. His wife, Christy, is the vice-president. The tax-exempt organization runs the Oasis Teen Center, whose mission is stated as the following:
To provide a fun-filled, free, & safe environment where teens can meet Christ Jesus & grow in their relationship with Him through music, recreation, & God’s Word.
The Oasis Teen Center is ran at the Community Life Center on 3812 Jog Road in Lake Worth, Florida. The Community Life Center is owned by the Church of the Palms. The church claims they are not affiliated with Extreme Revolution, other than renting them the facilities from which Oasis is operated.
The organization’s website advertises the activities provided and explains their goals. There is even a message from Brent Edwards himself, in which he describes his dream of a "night club" for teens. A few excerpts are presented below:
"In 1995, I moved to Florida with a dream to open a night club for teenagers to keep them away from drugs, alcohol, and other bad decisions."
"Within days of hearing the voice of God calling me in to ministry and a fuller relationship with Him, I knew and understood my passive dream of a teen club was to be a Christ centered ministry to provide teenagers with an environment to meet with God, grow in life, and have a great time God’s way. "
"God has provided training, experience, & a pattern of walking faithfully with Jesus. Also, He’s provided my wife as the balance and completeness the man of God needs for effective ministry and living."
So, Brent Edwards took it upon himself to create a place to draw teens to him –a place that he promised would be safe and built around Christian beliefs. It is obvious from reading the website that Edwards intended to attract children from troubled backgrounds. His stated plans were to offer hope and help the teens get control of their lives. He knew that some of the teens had some very serious problems to deal with.
"We have teens who come each week who are just starting to get their lives under control. A few students are former gang members. Many have experienced very difficult situations. Some have tried self-injury to cope. Some have tried other negative things…"
What Edwards came to do, however, was both immoral and illegal. He used his trust for his own gain. He wasn’t looking for spiritual fulfillment, but sexual gratification.
For over a year, Edwards has been involved in a relationship with a sixteen year-old girl. The girl was one of the teenagers he was supposed to be counseling. The child had been cutting herself, and her family came to Edwards for help.
Instead of helping the teenager with spiritual guidance, Edwards ended up having sex with her two or three times a week. The encounters occurred before and after she went to school. They also happened after functions held by Christian youth groups. From July 2007 until last August, Brent Edwards was involved in unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl that was placed in his trust.
Edwards had sex with the girl in his own home –while his wife was in the house. He had sex with the teen in his vehicle. The girl even had a room in Edwards house. Just to make sure God was alright with the abuse, Edwards gave the girl a ring so they could carry on as if they were married.
On the Extreme Revolution website, Brent Edwards described his dream of a "night club" for teens. He referred to it as a passive dream, and expressed how God was making him wait. But Edwards recently had another dream, and he didn’t wait to fulfill it.
At one point, the teen thought she may have become pregnant. Edwards assisted the girl in testing for pregnancy. He started thinking of what to do just in case the girl became pregnant. The girl would just say that she went to a party and became drunk –unable to remember what happened to her. Edwards and his wife, Christy, could then adopt the child and the girl could then move in and they could all be one "big happy family." Edwards says his wife only learned of his illicit behavior just recently.
Brent Gabriel Edwards is being held in the Palm Beach County jail on a $100,000 bond. He is charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor and sexual assault by someone 24 or older with someone age 16 or 17.
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