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Biography of David Spakes


This web site contains a scrapbook and condensed biography of David Spakes, Pastor of Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville and founder of Spirit and Truth Ministries. In most cases, you can click on pictures to see an enlarged photo in a separate window.

[1980s] [1990s] [2000s] [2010s] [All Years]
[1980] [1981] [1982] [1983] [1985] [1988] [1989]
[1990] [1991] [1992] [1993] [1994] [1995] [1996]
[1997] [1998] [1999] [2000] [2001] [2002] [2003]
[2004] [2005] [2006] [2007] [2008] [2009] [2010]
[2011] [2012]


1990

Preaching at the Free Pentecostal Church, Harriman, TN

"I returned from my trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida with news from my mother that a new church had opened right across the street from our house in Harriman. The very next day was Sunday, and she asked me to go with her to church there. She had told the pastor that I was called to preach, and that morning the pastor approached me with a question. His first words to me were, 'Are you going to preach this morning or tonight?' After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I told him at first, 'Tonight.' But then God brought to my remembrance the sermon He had given me during those nights of prayer in Florida. Quickly, I changed my mind and told the pastor, 'I will preach this morning!' So, the first time I ever stepped foot into the Free Pentecostal Church, I preached the Sunday morning service. Not long after this, I decided to join the Free Pentecostal Church, and during the next two years I had many more preaching opportunities. Here is a short clip from a sermon that I preached on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1990 called 'Who Hath Believed Our Report?' (based on Isaiah 53 and Matthew 28:11-15)."



April 15, 1990 (Easter)
Who Hath Believed Our Report?

MP3 Audio - 711 Kb
Click to Listen


Spirit and Truth Radio Broadcast

"For one of the two years that I attended the Free Pentecostal Church, the church sponsored a weekly live radio program for which I was the organizer and primary speaker. Below, you can see some advertisements for the radio program that appeared in a church publication and in a local newspaper called the Quin-County Advertiser. You can also listen to a few recorded sounds clips. I called the program the Spirit and Truth broadcast based on the scripture in John, chapter 4, verse 24."




Start of Broadcast
(Remastered)

MP3 Audio - 522 Kb
Click to Listen

Close of Broadcast
(Remastered)

MP3 Audio - 315 Kb
Click to Listen

Spirit and Truth Radio Broadcast Log (1990)
April
21
1990
11:15 AM
 In the Secret Place
15min
Live
 







April


21


1990


  6:00 PM

In the Secret Place (cont.)

15min


Live












April


28


1990


11:15 PM

The Kingdom of God

15min


Live











April


28


1990


  6:00 PM

The Kingdom of God (cont.)

15min


Live











May


5


1990


11:15 AM

Who Hath Believed Our Report

15min


Prerecorded











May


5


1990


  6:00 PM

Who Hath Believed Our Report (cont.)

15min


Prerecorded











May


12


1990


11:15 AM

What Is Believing?

15min


Live











May


12


1990


  6:00 PM

Hold Fast

15min


Live



No recording survives






May


19


1990


11:15 AM

Two Ways to Save

15min


Prerecorded











May


19


1990


  6:00 PM

The Great Commission

15min


Live











May


26


1990


11:15 AM

Peculiar People

15min


Live



Gertie Brown on-the-air "Hello"






May


26


1990


  6:00 PM

Unity of the Church

15min


Live



Interrupted fundraising program






June


2


1990


11:15 AM

Good Ground

15min


Live











June


2


1990


  6:00 PM

Do the Word

15min


Live











June


9


1990


11:15 AM

Idols

15min


Live











June


9


1990


  6:00 PM

Idols (cont.)

15min


Live



Portable recorder in the studio






June


16


1990


11:15 AM

Father's Day

15min


Live











June


16


1990


  6:00 PM

Abba Father

15min


Live











June


23


1990


11:15 AM

Obey God's Law

15min


Live











June


23


1990


  6:00 PM

Keep His Commandments

15min


Live











June


30


1990


11:15 AM

Do you Believe Enough to Do?

15min


Live



No recording survives






June


30


1990


  6:00 PM

Where God Guides, He Provides

15min


Live











July


7


1990


11:15 AM

Don't Forget God

15min


Live











July


7


1990


  6:00 PM

God Is

15min


Live











July


14


1990


11:15 AM

The Way of a Transgressor

15min


Prerecorded











July


14


1990


  6:00 PM

The Way of a Transgressor

15min


Repeat











July


21


1990


11:15 AM

God Is No Liar

15min


Prerecorded



Never aired






July


21


1990


11:15 AM




15min


Live



Live from Florida






July


21


1990


  6:00 PM




15min


Live



Live from Florida






July


28


1990


11:15 AM

Favor in the Sight of God

15min


Prerecorded











July


28


1990


  6:00 PM

Righteousness

15min


Live



Live from Florida






August


4


1990


11:15 AM

Church Service: Guest Singers

15min


Prerecorded



Cornerstones (July 1, 1990)






August


4


1990


  6:00 PM

Church Service: Guest Singers

15min


Repeat



Cornerstones (July 1, 1990)






August


11


1990


11:15 AM

Testimony of Our Conscience

15min


Live



Back from Florida






August


11


1990


  6:00 PM

The Lord's Prayer

15min


Live











August


18


1990


11:15 AM

Speaking of Jesus

15min


Live











August


18


1990


  6:00 PM

Christ and Him Crucified

15min


Live











August


25


1990


11:15 AM

Fasting

15min


Live











August


25


1990


  6:00 PM

Effective Fasting

15min


Live











September


1


1990


11:15 AM

Speaking the Word

15min


Live











September


1


1990


  6:00 PM

Before We Can Speak the Word

15min


Live



Closed with song by Admirations






September


8


1990


11:15 AM

Law of the Heart

15min


Live











September


8


1990


  6:00 PM

Law of the Heart (cont.)

15min


Live











September


15


1990


11:15 AM

Don't Turn Back

15min


Live











September


15


1990


  6:00 PM

How Shall We Escape?

15min


Live











September


22


1990


11:15 AM

Day of Rejoicing

15min


Live











September


22


1990


  6:00 PM

Famine

15min


Live











September


29


1990


11:15 AM

Knowledge

15min


Live











September


29


1990


  6:00 PM

The God Equation

15min


Live











October


6


1990


11:15 AM

Growing Up in Christ

15min


Live











October


6


1990


  6:00 PM

The Comforter

15min


Live











October


13


1990


11:00 AM

Power of the Tongue

30min


Live



Recording is distorted






October


20


1990


11:00 AM

Purpose of the Preacher

30min


Live



Recording is distorted






October


27


1990


11:00 AM

The Body of Christ

30min


Live











November


3


1990


11:00 AM

After Death

30min


Live











November


10


1990


11:00 AM

The Will of God

30min


Live











November


17


1990


11:00 AM

Satan Desires You

30min


Live











November


24


1990


11:00 AM

The Hope

30min


Live



DJ made lots of mistakes






December


1


1990


11:00 AM

Living With Brethren

30min


Live











December


8


1990


11:00 AM

Walking With God

30min


Live











December


15


1990


11:00 AM

Bring Forth Fruit

30min


Live











December


22


1990


11:00 AM

Church Service: Guest Speaker

30min


Prerecorded



Aaron Armes








December


29


1990


11:00 AM

Entering the Kingdom

30min


Live











  

  


  
Singing at Piney Grove Baptist Church, Harriman, TN

  "I was attending Roane State Community College in 1990, and the
  leader of the Baptist Student Union, Jeff Nave, was also the pastor of
  Piney Grove Baptist Church in Midtown (an area of Harriman).
  He had heard me speaking on the radio and invited me to sing at
  his church on Sunday, May 20.
  


  I grew up attending another Southern Baptist Church in Harriman, so
  I was welcomed into the Piney Grove congregation.  However, on this
  day I became a little more aware of how some of my views on Christian
  doctrine had changed from my Baptist upbringing.  During the Sunday
  School lesson, Pastor Nave interpreted
  
  Jude 9 as saying that the
  archangel Michael didn't have power to combat the devil, so therefore
  Christians don't either.  I managed to hold my tongue and maintain my
  composure until Sunday School was over and the morning Worship Service
  had begun.  Pastor Nave introduced me, and finally it was my time to sing.
  I felt the Lord told me to say that Christians can stick their tongues
  out at the devil and say 'nya, nya, nya nya nya, you can't get me!'
  Becuase of Jeff's interpretation of Jude 9, I quoted
  
  1 John 4:4,
  'greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.'
  


  My singing and testimony were well received.  I sang the
  'We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise/Alive, Alive/You are a
  Chosen Generation' medley and 'Amazing Graze.'  The congregation
  joined me in clapping to the music (I quoted
  
  Psalms 47:1).  I lifted holy
  hands in worship of God during the singing just as I normally would.
  After it was over, Pastor Nave commented that they had a spark plug
  on their hands."
  

  


  
  
  

  



  
  
Nursing Home Visitation

  
  "I think it is so important to take time once in a while to minister
  to people who have no way to give back.  This picture was taken at
  Johnson Health Care Center in Harriman, Tennessee with Gertie Brown,
  a lady that I visited several times.
  Over the next five years, my mother Ruby Lea and I did occassional
  visitation at this and two other nursing homes in Algood, Tennessee
  and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee."

  
  

  

















Spirit and Truth Radio Broadcast

Gertie Brown on-the-air "Hello"



MP3 Audio - 248 Kb


Click to Listen









  

  



  
Became an Ordained Minister

  
  
  

  "Within a few months of my starting to attend Free Pentecostal
  Church, I asked the pastor about the process to become an ordained
  minister.  He said that he would help me, and his only question was
  whether I wanted to be ordained by the local church or by the
  denomination from which he had received his license.  Out of respect
  for him, I chose to be ordained by the local church.


  During the evening church service on October 21, 1990, I was given
  the charge of a minister by my Pastor, Reverend Arthur York, Jr.
  (pictured shaking my hand).  The elders of the church and some visiting
  ministers laid their hands on me and prayed for God's anointing.  After
  this service, I was on probation for five years.  I had to return
  to this church at the end of my first year, third year, and fifth year
  as a minister for review of my status.  When this process was complete,
  I received my permanent certificate of ordination (in 1995).
  


  Pictured sitting in one of the pews is the man who got me started playing
  the guitar, Brother Billy Gann.  Two dear friends from my former church,
  Danny and Becky Stimmie, came to be present for my ordination service,
  and she played the piano and sang some special songs."
  

  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  

  


  
  





1991




  
Spirit and Truth Radio Broadcast




  "Shortly after the turn of the year, a major world event happened.  The
  First Gulf War began when the United States and its coalition partners
  began to repel the nation of Iraq, which had invaded the nation of
  Kuwait.  Since these events were happening in close proximity to the
  nation of Israel, and since the Iraqi leader was threatening to retaliate
  against Israel, I felt that it was important to send out a daily message
  encouraging radio listeners to 
  pray for Jerusalem.
  I changed the format of the broadcast, reducing the length to fifteen
  minutes a week so that a commercial could run in its place."
  

  












Operation Desert Shield

Call to Prayer/Commercial



MP3 Audio - 535 Kb


Click to Listen










Free Pentecostal Church

Service Times/Commercial



MP3 Audio - 487 Kb


Click to Listen























Spirit and Truth Radio Broadcast Log (1991)







January


5


1991


11:00 AM

Worshipping God

30min


Live













January


12


1991


11:00 AM

Make Us One

30min


Live











January


19


1991


11:00 AM

Ezekiel 38

30min


Live











January


26


1991


11:00 AM

Homeland

15min


Live



First commercial begins airing






February


2


1991


11:00 AM

Favor in the Sight of God and Man

15min


Live











February


9


1991


11:00 AM

Righteous Judgement

15min


Live











February


16


1991


11:00 AM

Take My Yoke

15min


Live











February


23


1991


11:00 AM

Love Your Enemies

15min


Prerecorded











March


2


1991


11:00 AM

Weapons of Our Warfare

15min


Live











March


9


1991


11:00 AM

Restore the Joy

15min


Prerecorded











March


16


1991


11:00 AM

Peace

15min


Live











March


23


1991


11:00 AM

Righteousness

15min


Live











March


30


1991


11:00 AM

Moving On With God

15min


Live



Final broadcast





  

  



  
Preaching at the Church of God of Prophesy, Harriman, TN

  
  "I began to have opportunity to preach at other churches in the area,
  and one of the first was the Church of God of Prophesy in South
  Harriman, where Dean Yancey was pastor.  These pictures were taken
  on July 14, 1991
  in the early morning before we drove to church.  We were preparing to
  load into the trunk of the car a prop I had made to go along with
  the sermon that I preached during the evening service that day
  (I was allowed to keep the prop hidden in the back room of the church
  so no one would see it until time for the evening service).
  The topic of the sermon was:  What God sees when He looks at someone
  who is saved."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  


  
Started a Nonprofit Organization

  "During my first year as an ordained minister, I was presented with a
  sum of approximately two-thousand dollars.  The giver stated that they
  wanted me to use the money for God's work, but at first I greatly resisted
  the offer, saying that the money should be given to a church instead of me.
  The persistance of the giver was a burden to me, and I prayed a great deal
  regarding this matter.  One day as I was reading my Bible, these words
  from Acts chapter 4 leaped off the page at me and seemed to me to
  be the answer to my prayer: 'from time to time those who owned lands or
  houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the
  apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need'
  (Acts 4:32-36).  I determined
  to start a nonprofit organization and use part of the funds to provide
  financial assistance to needy individuals.  I was motivated by the desire
  to have the financials be in the public record that explained how this gift
  (and potentially other gifts in the future) would be used.  This money
  did not belong to me, but it belonged to God!

  
  To get started with the process of forming a nonprofit organization, I
  sought the help of the head librarian at Roane State Community College
  where I was a student.  Becky Brunton helped me locate the application
  procedure in the Tennessee Annotated Code, and within a few days I filed
  for incorporation.  Spirit and Truth Ministries became a legal entity
  on August 6, 1991.  Later I would file an application with the
  IRS for a Determination Letter recognizing Spirit and Truth Ministries
  as a 501(c)(3) organization.  These organizing documents can be found
  on Spirit and Truth Ministries corporate web site,
  
  http://www.spirit-and-truth.org."
  

  



  
  
Street Preaching, Harriman, TN

  
  "In the Fall of 1991, I transferred from Roane State Community
  College to Tennessee Technological University to complete my Bachelor's
  Degree.  The university required each incoming upperclassmen to be a
  dormitory resident for one year.  During this time, I commuted home to
  my mother's house almost every weekend, and on Friday nights through
  the Fall semester, I would literally get out of my car and immediately
  begin setting up a PA system in her front yard, which was located on
  the main street of town.  For a few hours, another preacher and I would
  preach and sing, and friends would give their testimony to anyone who
  would listen.  This location of downtown had few pedestrians in the
  evening, but across the street there was a restaurant and a car wash,
  and people would frequently park their cars in the parking lots there
  and listen to us.


  We tried to speak personally with some of the people who parked across
  the street and listened to the preaching, but we quickly learned that
  this was not very effective, because when approached they would usually
  drive away.  We wanted to have a tract to offer to our listeners so they
  could make a decision for Christ after they left.  I designed a tract
  called 'Introduce You To the Family', and Spirit and Truth Ministries
  paid the cost to make the copies.
  

  

  
  
  

  

  Here are some pictures of the location where we held the street
  preaching.  The first picture is the view of my mother's house from
  across the street.  The next few pictures show a 'Jesus Loves You'
  sign that we made (planning, the stencil, and the finished sign).
  Finally, the long picture is a collage of photographs that provide
  a panoramic view of Roane Street and the parking lots across the
  street where people would park and listen to the preaching.  The
  left side of the picture is the view towards South Harriman, and
  the right side of the picture is the view north towards Walnut Hill.
  The businesses in between are Jim's Burgers and the Robo Car Wash."
  

  


  
  
  
  
  
  

  








1992




  
Lead Music for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Cookeville, TN

  "During my fist week as a student at Tennessee Technological
  University in Cookeville, TN, I became involved with a campus Christian
  organization called Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, or IVCF.
  Every week during the 'Large Group' meeting when all of the students in
  this organization would gather, I played guitar and sang with the seniors
  who were leading the group at that time.  When they graduated, I became
  the music leader for a period of about eight months.  Here are two
  photos taken of me during this time period, probably late Spring, 1992.
  In the first picture, I am singing with a few other other students leading
  in the worship.  The second photo captured me walking through the
  hallways outside of where we met for Large Group."
  

  

  
  
  

  


  
Lead a Summertime Bible Study for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Cookeville, TN

  "After the Spring Semester at TTU ended, I agreed to teach a
  Bible study for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at the request of
  the sponsors, Tim and Lisa Dean.  The study began near the end of the
  Spring semster and continued through July 20, 1992."
  

  


  
Singing at Carr's Chapel Church of God, Cookeville, TN

  "On Saturday, July 18, my mother Ruby and I went to a
  singing service held at Carr's Chapel Church of God as volunteers
  for Spirit and Truth Ministries.  A group called the Gospel Messengers
  were the featured singers, and among them we met a man who said he wrote
  a song we liked called 'Coming Soon'.  I sang a song that I had written
  called 'These Signs Shall Follow Them That Believe', and
  then Ruby and I sang 'The Lighthouse' together."
  

  


  
"Jesus Is Here"

  "During the Spring and Summer months of 1992, I did volunteer work
  for Spirit and Truth Ministries to create a tract that was distributed
  all around the campus of Tennessee Technological University during
  the Fall semester.  The purpose of this tract was to inform new students
  about Christian student organizations on campus (including Inter-Varsity
  Christian Fellowship) and to encourage students to attend one of the
  local area churches while they attended college.  I met individually
  with the leaders of each of the Christian student organizations in
  existence at that time to speak with them about the project that
  Spirit and Truth Ministries was engaged in, and I helped to distribute
  the tracts after they were printed.
  


  Before I graduated from the university in 1993, I had the
  great fortune of meeting a student who had come to know Jesus as his
  Savior as a result of reading one of these tracts and then joining one
  of the campus Christian organizations (he was unaware of my involvement
  in this project when he told me how he became a Christian)."
  

  

  
  
  

  



  
Renewed Ordination Status

  
  

  "During one of the weekends while I was in college, I made a trip
  back to Harriman to present myself before the pastor and elders of the
  Free Pentecostal Church.  I reported to them about my ministry activites
  since my ordination service.  With their acceptance of my testimony and
  renewed commitment for continued Christian ministry, my ordination was
  renewed for two more years.  I received this certificate some time later.
  

  


  
  

  







1993




  
Attended the Florida Evangelism Project, Daytona Beach, FL

  "The blizzard of the century occurred in March, 1993.  A few
  hours before the snow started falling in Cookeville, Tennessee, my
  friend Barry Winn and I started driving to Daytona Beach, Florida
  to attend FLEP (the Florida Evangelism Project), a mission of
  Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship to college students on Spring
  Break.  God was with us, because we narrowly made it through the State
  of Georgia as Interstate 75 closed at several points behind us
  just minutes after we passed through.  We made it, though, and joined
  about a hundred other IVCF students from other college campuses around
  the country.  The beach was quiet that week, because even though no
  snow fell in Daytona Beach, the skies were overcast and the temperature
  was about forty degrees all week.
  


  Several memorable things happened during FLEP that week, but I will
  share only one story that goes along with the picture below.  That is
  me in the picture with the long hair, but you must understand that
  the hair is fake and attached to the Ron Jon's souvenier hat that I
  bought in Florida and am wearing in the photograph.  Don't you agree
  that it matches the color of my beard very closely?  Well, one very 
  intoxicated young man thought so.  We passed him on the sidewalk as
  we were headed to a Large Group meeting with the other FLEP students.
  He stopped us, looked at me with the long hair and carrying my guitar,
  and asked what music I played.  When I told him we were Christians and
  that I played gospel music, he said (slowly and slurred) something
  like, 'Hey man, would you play Amazing Grace for me?'  I played it,
  the other students with me sang to the young man, and together we all
  witnessed to him.  This picture was taken after Barry and I returned
  to Cookeville and I was telling the students in our chapter of IVCF
  this story and about the other things that happened during our week
  in Florida."
  

  

  
  

  


  
Singing at the Church of God of Prophesy, Dyersburg, TN

  
  "For part of the time I was enrolled at Tennessee Technological
  University, I attended church services at the Church of God of Prophesy
  in Cookeville, Tennessee.  The pastor moved to Dyersburg, Tennessee, and
  on one weekend in 1993, Ruby Lea and I visited him at his new
  church.  We sang during the Sunday morning service.  On the same trip,
  we also found time to drive to Reelfoot Lake to spend part of the
  afternoon with the Pastor's family.  Pictured below is the church building,
  Pastor James Lawson and his wife, Brenda Lawson, and a scene
  from Reelfoot Lake."
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  



  
Preaching at the Algood Church of God, Algood, TN

  
  "I was introduced to the Algood Church of God by
  one of my college friends, Tara.  As part of my voluteer work with
  Spirit and Truth Ministries, I sang at this church and visited a
  nearby nursing home.  For part of the time I was enrolled at
  Tennessee Technological University, I attended church services at
  the Algood Church of God.  On a few occasions during that time, I
  preached the Sunday services at the church.  The second picture
  below was taken of the church members in attendance during one of
  the services in which I preached."
  

  

  
  
  

  



  
Officiating My First Wedding in Maryville, TN

  
  "Two of my college friends, Michael and Sonja, decided to get married
  after they graduated, and they asked me to perform the ceremony.
  The wedding took place at the historic Seventh Day Adventist Church
  building on Highway 411 in Maryville, Tennessee.  At the time these
  pictures were taken, I had no idea that after my own graduation I would
  be moving to this part of the State, less than fifteen miles from where
  this church is located."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  







1994




  
Spirit and Truth Singers

  
  "After I graduated from college, I moved to Seymour, Tennessee.
  I volunteered a considerable amount of time with Spirit and Truth
  Ministries to participate in an organized singing group called the
  Spirit and Truth Singers.  Over the next two years, we ministered
  in dozens of churches all across the East Tennessee Valley
  (follow this link for
  
  group events in 1994).
  Below are some of the promotional pictures we made of the Spirit and
  Truth Singers.  The last photograph shows the small room in my house
  where we practiced, which we called the Ministry Room."
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  


  
"The Most Important Things"

  "As part of my volunteer work for Spirit and Truth Ministries,
  I designed a tract to hand out to people in the audience where
  the Spirit and Truth Singers were scheduled to perform."
  

  

  
  
  

  



  
Singing at a Wedding in Cades Cove near Townsend, TN

  
  
  "These pictures are from a wedding where I sang with Linda Elmore,
  my friend who also participated with the Spirit and Truth Singers.
  The wedding was held at one of the old historic churches in Cades Cove
  in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I played the Bridal March
  in addition to the special songs we sang."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  



  
Singing in the Smoky Mountain Jubilee Talent Show, Sevierville, TN

  
  
  "As a surprise to me, Linda Elmore entered the Spirit and Truth
  Singers in a talent contest held at the Smoky Mountain Jubilee theater
  in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on November 5, 1994.  We sang the gospel
  song 'I Remember the Day'.  I don't have any pictures from the event,
  but I do still have my ticket stub (pictured last, below).
  Here are some images that appeared in a theater brochure from that
  time."
  

  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  






1995




  
Spirit and Truth Singers

  "In 1995, I volunteered a considerable amount of time to
  Spirit and Truth Ministries as a member of the
  Spirit and Truth Singers.  Follow this link for
  
  group events in 1995."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  


  
Singing at a Wedding at Sevier County Church of God, Sevierville, TN

  
  
  
  
  "This was the second wedding in which Linda Elmore and I sang together.
  The bride in this April 9th wedding was the daughter of Benny and Patty
  Gann, pastors of the Sevier County Church of God where I attended for a
  short time."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  



  
Received Permanent Ordination Status

  
  

  "Over one of the weekends during the summer months, I made a trip back
  to Harriman to present myself once again to the pastor and elders of the
  Free Pentecostal Church.  I reported to them about my ministry activites
  over the previous two years.  With their acceptance of my testimony and
  renewed commitment for continued Christian ministry, my probation period
  was completed, and I was awarded my permanent certificate of ordination.
  Here is a picture of the framing certificate as well as the wallet-sized
  certificate that I carry."
  

  


  
   
  

  

  








1996




  
Spirit and Truth Singers

  "In 1996, I continued my volunteer activities as a member of the
  Spirit and Truth Singers even though Linda, one of the three original
  singers, was unable to continue to be in the group.  Follow this link for
  
  group events in 1996."
  

  

  
  

  



  
"Your First Bible"

  "My volunteer activities during this year included designing another
  tract for Spirit and Truth Ministries to distribute in Pigeon Forge, TN
  (a popular tourist attraction).  On March 15, two thousand copies of
  this tract were printed, and over the next several weekends we
  delivered them to hotels in the city to be placed with the bibles in
  the rooms."
  

  

  
  
  

  



  
Helped to Launch Sevierville Christian Assembly, Sevierville, TN

  
  
  "At one of the churches where the Spirit and Truth Singers
  ministered, I was introduced to a preacher named
  
  Keith Hunt.  He founded a new church called Sevierville Christian
  Assembly, and I worked with him for about a year to get the church
  started.  I assisted with the renovations of the building we rented in
  Sevierville (first two pictures below).  I lead praise and worship,
  playing guitar and singing (no photos available).  I also co-lead the
  church youth group with a sister named Whitney Sluss
  (third picture, center).  The last five pictures below were taken during
  a youth trip we made to
  
  Fields of the Wood."
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  







1997




  
Spirit and Truth Singers

  "The year 1997 was a busy one for the Spirit and Truth Singers.
  I continued performing volunteer work with my mother, Ruby, traveling
  farther and more frequently to singing engagements than we ever did
  before or since...at least twenty-four (24) separate events.
  Follow this link to see pictures of a few of the
  
  group events in 1997."
  
  

  

  
  

  



  

  
Preaching at Emory Gap Independent Church of God, Harriman, TN

  
  
  
  "A preacher named Jimmy Pressley with whom I had
  been friends since 1990 became the pastor of the Emory Gap Church of God,
  and almost immediately he began to call on me to preach in his church.
  Over the next three years, I did this quite regularly.
  Here is a list of dates when I traveled to Harriman to deliver the
  sermon and the sermon title (where I have kept the record).
  

  








Sermons Preached at Emory Gap Independent Church of God (1997)







April


27


1997


10:00 AM

Love
    






June


15


1997


10:00 AM

What Does the Lord Require of Thee?
    






June


15


1997


  7:00 PM

Conscience
    






August


17


1997


10:00 AM

Blessing
    






August


17


1997


  7:00 PM

Spiritual Warfare
    





  

  



  These picutres were taken on August 17, 1997.  In the first picture,
  Pastor Jimmy Pressley is opening the service.  In the second picture,
  my mother and I are singing, representing Spirit and Truth Ministries
  as the Spirit and Truth Singers.  Next, I am preaching following the
  song service.  In the last picture, we are standing with members of the
  church to pray for one of the people attending the church service."
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  







1998





  
Preaching at Emory Gap Independent Church of God, Harriman, TN

  
  
  "Here is a list of dates when I traveled to Harriman to preach
  at the Emory Gap Church of God, along with the service times and sermon
  titles.  During the first half of the year, my mother would take these
  trips with me.  In the second half of the year, she moved from Seymour
  to nearby Kingston, Tennessee, and she would meet me at the church so we
  could continue to sing together as the Spirit and Truth Singers."
  

  









Sermons Preached at Emory Gap Independent Church of God (1998)







January


11


1998


  6:00 PM

Berea
    






March


1


1998


10:00 AM

God is Fair
    






March


1


1998


  6:00 PM

God is Fair (continuted)
    






March


29


1998


10:00 AM

Isaac Sacrifice
    






March


29


1998


  6:00 PM

Life Is More Than Meat
    






May


24


1998


10:00 AM

Endure to the End
    






May


24


1998


  6:00 PM

Him that Overcometh
    






August


16


1998


  6:00 PM

Another Man's Faith
    






December


13


1998


10:00 AM

The Will of the Lord
    






December


13


1998


10:00 AM

The Holy Ghost at Jesus' Birth
    





  

  



  
Spakes-Adcox Wedding, Harriman, TN

  
  "The year 1998 brought me one of my greatest joys as I met, courted,
  and married Sheila Ann Adcox.  We were engaged on July 14 and
  married on December 27 at
  South Harriman Baptist Church.
  The first two pictures below are
  engagement pictures.  The next two pictures were taken in the church
  sanctuary.  The next picture shows Sheila and her father dancing at our
  wedding reception.
  


  In the next picture, my mother, Ruby Lea, is dancing with Sheila's father,
  Bill.  Our parents met each other a few months earlier while Sheila
  and I were busy planning the wedding.  Bill and Ruby, who were both single,
  became lifelong friends and a 'couple'.
  


  Sheila and I spent our honeymoon at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville,
  Tennessee, finishing with a New Year's Eve cruise on the General Jackson
  steamboat.  The remaining pictures were taken during the honeymoon and
  show our car all decorated, the balcony of our hotel room, scenes inside
  the hotel, and a romantic private dining space we found one night at a
  nearby restaurant."
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  






1999




  
Singing at Jehovah-Nissi Church, Oak Ridge, TN

  
  
  
  "On October 1, Sheila, our parents, and I met at the Jehovah-Nissi
  Church in Oak Ridge to sing together as the Spirit and Truth Singers."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  



  
Music and Singing for Revival at the Center of Hope, Knoxville, TN

  
  
  
  
  
  
  "Sheila and I visited a new church that opened up in South Knoxville
  near where we lived in Seymour.  We met the pastor, Lisa Latham, and
  talked with her for a while after the service.  She asked for assistance
  with music for an upcoming revival she had planned, and we agreed to help,
  counting it as volunteer work for Spirit and Truth Ministries.

  The revival lasted four days, starting with two services on Sunday,
  November 21, and continuing nightly through Wednesday, November 24.
  The evangelist was Brenda Williams of West Palm Beach, Florida.
  On one of the nights of the revival, the evangelist prophesied
  to me and Sheila.  The audio file below contains the recording of a
  testimony I gave the following week at Emory Gap Church of God (below)
  in which I talked about the prophesy."
  

  












Testimony





MP3 Audio - 530 Kb


Click to Listen








  

  



  
Singing at Emory Gap Independent Church of God, Harriman, TN

  
  
  
  "The weekend after Thanksgiving, Sheila and I drove to Harriman to
  sing at Emory Gap Independent Church of God during the evening
  service, Sunday, Nomvember 28.
  During the first half of the song service, the pastor laid on hands on
  and prayed for the members of the congregation, and he requested that
  Sheila and I sing (several times) the song called He'll Do It Again.
  It was a favorite song of this church."
  

  

  
  
  
  

  










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