Spirit and Truth Ministries

Back

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]


2000

Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Sheila and I ran into some old friends who told us about a church start-up in Seymour called Bible Fellowship. We visited the church for the first time on Sunday, March 12, and I was invited to come back the following week and preach. Sheila and I sang several songs together, and she also sang solo. The sermon I delivered was titled Forgiveness and came out of Luke chapter 11. The audio file below contains the recording of a testimony I gave before the start of the sermon. I described briefly some of the work that I had done over the previous ten years as part of Spirit and Truth Ministries. As I listen again to the words I spoke that night, I am glad for my confession (that continues to be true to this day) that every time I speak before a congregation, I do not think highly of myself, and I depend on Lord."



Testimony


MP3 Audio - 792 Kb
Click to Listen

2001

Polar Expedition VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Starting in 2001, Sheila and I became active members of Bible Fellowship. Sheila took charge of the children's program and took a special interest in Vacation Bible School. Sheila persuaded the church to purchase the 'Easy VBS' curriculum from Group Publishing, and for our first year the theme was Polar Expedition. Sheila recruited me and the pastor's wife to lead the 'Sing and Play' station that started and ended the program each day with songs and skits. These picture show me leading in the fun."



2002

Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Here is a list of dates when I delivered the sermon and the sermon title."


Sermons Preached at Bible Fellowship (2002)
January
13
2002
  10:30 AM
The Temple     
March
3
2002
6:00 PM
Let None Be Lost  
June
6
2002
  6:00 PM
The Holy Ghost—On Us, In Us, And Us In Him  


Bug Safari VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"The Group Publishing theme for 2002 was 'Bug Safari'. The first picture below shows me participating in a skit during 'Sing and Play'. The second picture shows me among all the participants from the church. (Sheila was the leader again. She is taking the picture.)"



2003

SCUBA VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"SCUBA stands for 'Super Cool Undersea Bible Adventure'. This was the theme of the third Group Publishing Vacation Bible School that Sheila led at Bible Fellowship. Again, I lead the 'Sing and Play' station."



2004

Singing at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"On April 11, 2004, my mother traveled from her home in Kingston, Tennessee to Seymour for Bible Fellowship's Easter Sunday service so that we could sing special music together as the Spirit and Truth Singers. In these pictures, Ruby Lea and I are singing a song called 'The Love of Christ'."



Lava Lava Island VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"During the week of June 21-25, Sheila led the Vacation Bible School for a fourth year at Bible Fellowship. Once again, she chose to use Group Publishing's program and asked me to lead the 'Sing and Play' station. The first two pictures below were taken during the volunteer briefing. The last three pictures were taken with the children in the room."



Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Here is a list of dates when I delivered the sermon and the sermon title.


Sermons Preached at Bible Fellowship (2004)
March
14
2004
10:30 AM
Sanctify Yourself  
March
14
2004
6:00 AM
Return  
November
14
2004
6:00 PM
Old Wine, New Bottles     


These pictures were taken during the evening service of Sunday, November 14, 2004. The outfit I am wearing—which included a black shirt and white collar reminiscent of a Catholic priest—was a 'prop' designed to go along with the lesson. About halfway through the sermon, the collar came off and doubled as a 'tambourine'."



2005

Singing for the National Day of Prayer, Seymour, TN

"These pictures were taken at the Kroger grocery store in Seymour, Tennessee on May 5, 2005. A sister named Jan Scherer, who was attending Bible Fellowship at the time, organized this gathering of different churches as part of the National Day of Prayer. She asked for assistance with music for the event, and I agreed to help, counting it as volunteer work for Spirit and Truth Ministries."



Preaching at New Vision Pentecostal Church, Sevierville, TN

"These pictures were taken at the New Vision Pentecostal Church in Sevierville, Tennessee where Nelson Moffett is the Pastor. Sheila and I met Reverend Moffett and his wife, Jennifer, in 1999 while attending another church shortly after we were married.

I preached during the morning service on Sunday, June 5, 2005. Sheila and our dear friend Marinda Magoon sang special music before the service."



Serengeti Trek VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"For a fifth year, Sheila led the VBS at Bible Fellowship. Again, she chose Group Publishing's program, and once again I led the 'Sing and Play' station. In the first picture below, Sheila is in her VBS Director shirt. That's me in the second picture leading the singing. The VBS took place during the week of June 6-10. I led the commencement service on Sunday evening, June 12, because Sheila was out of town."



Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Here is a list of dates when I delivered the sermon, the sermon title, and scripture references (where I have kept the record).


Sermons Preached at Bible Fellowship (2005)
May
15
2005
  6:00 PM
Rescue the Perishing        
September
4
2005
10:30 AM
Prayer Service John 3:14-17
     
September
4
2005
  6:00 PM
The Reward of Volunteers        


On September 4, 2005, the pastor of Bible Fellowship was away on vacation, and I had the full responsibility for conducting morning and evening services on that day. I played guitar and led the praise and worship during both services. During the morning service, I prayed (with the laying on of hands) for those who felt led to come to the altar. During the evening service, one of the ladies of the church offered an extended testimony, and then I preached. These pictures were all taken during the morning service."



2006

Fiesta VBS at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"In 2006, Sheila led the Vacation Bible School at Bible Fellowship one last time. Again, I served in my usual capacity as music leader in the 'Sing and Play' station. Here is an eight-second clip of a video we put together to show to the parents at the commencement ceremony. It shows me and the pastor's wife leading the kids in singing and worship. Click on the thumbnail to view the video full size and with audio."



Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"Here is a list of dates when I delivered the sermon, the sermon title, and scripture references.


Sermons Preached at Bible Fellowship (2006)
May
28
2006
10:30 AM
The Thing Which I Greatly Feared Is Come Upon Me Genesis 41:15-23,28-30;
Genesis 41:32;
Job 3:25;
Psalms 61:1-2;
Psalms 34:17-19,22;
Proverbs 18:10;
Psalms 37:39-40;
Isaiah 46:9-10;
Jeremiah 29:11;
Psalm 91:2,4,14-15
May
28
2006
  6:00 PM
Forgiveness Matthew 18:21-35;
Matthew 5:21-24;
Luke 17:3-5;
Genesis 37:3-4,11,20,26-28;
Genesis 42:21;
Genesis 45:4-5;
Genesis 50:18-21
September
3
2006
10:30 AM
Silence Revelation 8:1;
Psalms 39:1-13;
Isaiah 65:6-7
October
22
2006
  6:00 PM
While There Is Time Acts 20:22,25,36-38;
Luke 18:35-19:6;
Amos 8:11;
Isaiah 55:1,6;
Hebrews 3:13


Recordings of these services were made available to members of the congregation on CD-ROM. Here is a picture of the label for the sermon I preached on the evening of May 28."



2007

New Life Family Worship Center, Loudon, TN

"In the Spring of 2007, I learned the whereabouts of an old friend of mine, Jeff Schrimsher, with whom I had attended church together for about a year-and-a-half in the late 1980s. A short time after I had last seen him, he planted a new church in Loudon, Tennessee that is located just off of Interstate 75. Sheila and I had the opportunity one Sunday to visit his church. Before the morning service began, there was time to do some catching up with Jeff and his wife Lisa. Through an act of obedience to God's voice, I ended up playing the bass guitar during the Praise & Worship part of the service. This picture is of Pastor Jeff Schrimsher preaching during the service in which we were in attendance. Behind him is the church's bass guitar that I played on that day."



Preaching and Teaching at Wayside Full Gospel Church, Cocoa, FL

"I was invited to be the guest speaker at two regular services of Wayside Full Gospel Church that took place on Sunday morning, May 20, and on Thursday evening, May 24. Sheila and I drove to Florida and spent the week there. Below are some pictures from both of these services."



Singing at Christ Covenant Full Gospel Church, Seymour, TN

"After Sheila and I visited this church one Sunday, Pastor Gary Crisp called and invited us to return and sing at a special service on July 29 during which his son would be ordained as a deacon. We considered this invitation to be an opportunity to perform volunteer work for Spirit and Truth Ministries, so Sheila and I attended as representing the Spirit and Truth Singers. Our friends Doug and Marinda Magoon went and sang with us, and Marinda also sang solo. All four of us were happy to see an acquaintance there we knew from Bible Fellowship, Jim Tucker. He was one of three guest speakers, and he is shown below standing behind the podium. In the last picture, Sheila and I are posing with the pastor."



Speaking at Free Pentecostal Church in Harriman, TN

"On August 5, 2007, almost seventeen years since my ordination service, Ruby Lea and I visited our church family at Free Pentecostal. During the congregational singing, I got to play guitar again with the man who taught me, Billy Gann, and with his grandson who is now also learning to play. Pastor York asked me to participate in the prayer service, and I asked the elders to pray for me as well. I preached a short sermon from II Corinthians 3:1-2. It was a very joyful reunion.



Before the service began, I asked Brother Gann if I could play guitar with him. With a bit of a smirk on his face, he looked at me and said 'You know, the sign outside still says Free on it.' It was a happy, silly moment that I'll not soon forget."


Assisting with Praise & Worship at Journey Church of Seymour, TN

During the months of August and September, Sheila and I attended a very newly-established church not far from our home called Journey Church of Seymour. The pastor and his wife were in the process of moving to Seymour from Rome, Georgia, so they were unable to attend the mid-week services when we began visiting. Also, the church did not have an established Praise & Worship band in the beginning. During the time we attended, I had the privilege of being able to help with singing and by adding acoustic guitar as an instrument. Before long, however, the Lord sent other musicians to fill the void, and God called us to be elsewhere. In the first picture below, I am standing with all of the members of the full worship team as it was on the last Sunday morning in September (our final service). The second picture is of Pastor Tony and Donna Howard.



Enrolled at Johnson Bible College

"Beginning in the Autumn of 2006 and continuing through the Spring of 2007, the Lord began to deal strongly with my heart. He did not speak any discernable message to me at the time, but I knew without any shadow of doubt that something was about to change in my life, and it was imperative that I make some step forward. However, I was uncertain about the direction that the Lord wanted me to go. One day, Sheila and I met with another couple who has played a significant role in our lives for many years. I felt that I needed to share with them some of the things that God had shown me. Also, I hoped that through them God would reveal something more to me about the direction we should go. They encouraged me to consider enrolling as a student at Johnson Bible College. After some prayer and consideration, I signed up for my first class, Basic Expository Preaching, which I completed in the Fall 2007 semester. This picture of me on campus was taken in 2009."



Preaching at Bible Fellowship, Seymour, TN

"For the Basic Expository Preaching course at Johnson Bible College, I was required to preach a sermon and submit a video recording for a grade. I prepared a sermon titled 'Jesus Our High Priest' (based primarily on the passage Hebrews 4:14-5:10) and delivered it at Bible Fellowship on Sunday, November 25, 2007. After an opening story, I stepped out of the room to put on sandals and a prayer shawl. For the rest of the sermon, I played the role of 'Abner ben David', a fictional character based on the young man who received his sight at the hands of Jesus and was who excommunicated (cast out) by the Jewish priests for being a disciple of Jesus (John 9:1-38). The congregation took a journey back in time to a secret meeting of first-century Christians, and the sermon was told from the perspective of his first-hand accounts. I received an 'A' for the course, but the instructor was puzzled by my use of theatrics in the presentation. Apparently, there is some other preaching course offered at Johnson Bible College where the theatrics come into play. I just did it this way because theatrics are a part of my preaching style, showing up in my sermons once in a while.



Here is a picture of the label for the DVD that I submitted for grading."



Change of Calling from Preacher to Pastor

"Near the end of year 2007, just as I was finishing up my first class at Johnson Bible College, God spoke to me in a way so clear and unmistakable like He had not done since I received my call to preach in 1988. Without hearing any audible voice, I knew the exact words God was speaking to me. His exact words to me were, 'Very soon, you will be pastoring.' I did not know with certainty exactly what God planned to do or the time frame in which He would accomplish what He had spoken, but His speaking to me reaffirmed every day afterwards that He was in control of my situation (deep inside, the desire developed within me to plant a new church). I did not speak openly outside my family about my new call to be a pastor until 2009 when I was ministering again at Wayside Full Gospel Church in Florida."


2008

Church Search That Led to Pathways, Sevierville, TN

"In 2008, Sheila and I said our final farewells to Bible Fellowship and began searching together for a new home church to attend while I completed my studies at Johnson Bible College. We visited many churches of different types in Knox, Blount, and Sevier Counties. Our search led to Pathways Church in Sevierville, Tennessee. By the end of the year, we reached a decision that we would attend this church until God brought it about that I would begin pastoring. These pictures are taken from a video that was recorded on May 17, 2009. We arrived at church very early on a Sunday morning so that I could practice a song that I would sing the following week during the Saturday night service and two Sunday morning services."



Practice for Solo
"Only Your Mercy"

WMV Video - 3,858 Kb
Click to Watch


2009

Preaching at Wayside Full Gospel Church, Cocoa, FL

"These pictures were taken on Sunday, January 18 during a trip that my friend Doug Magoon and I made to Central Florida. The choir sang a song called 'In His Time' that I had not heard before prior to this service. The song touched me deeply, and I could feel the Lord's presence very strongly during the opening part of the service. I chose this opportunity to make the first public announcement about how God changed my calling from preacher to pastor.

I preached a sermon called the Stairway of Ahaz out of 2 Kings 20:1-11. and Isaiah 38:1-8. This is the place where the Bible records a miracle God performed by making the shadow of a sundial travel backwards. For an illustration, I shined a flashlight on the ceiling to demonstrate how the sun must have reversed its course in the sky for this to happen. Ahaz was an evil king who died fourteen years before the events described in 2 Kings chapter 20. The sundial was a relic of his time and a reminder of his sinful ways. The sermon concluded in James 1:11-15 with a call to put away things from our past that could tempt us to go back to former sins."




Publicly Announced
Call to Pastor

WMV Video - 1,878 Kb
Click to Watch



Singing at Rocky Branch Independent Holiness Church of God, Walland, TN

"As a volunteer with Spirit and Truth Ministries, my mother and I were invited many times to the Rocky Branch Independent Holiness Church of God during the 1990s to sing gospel music. Out of the blue, the pastor, Robert Jennings, called me and asked us to return to their church. As a sort of reunion for the Spirit and Truth Singers, we went and performed on July 11, 2009, when these pictures were taken. My mother made the trip from Kingston, Tennesse to join me for this event."




[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]




Spirit and Truth Ministries / contact@spirit-and-truth.net