In-Person, Drive-Up, and Online!

If you plan to come to the church building, please see below for What To Expect When You Arrive.

Before you watch the most recent church service online, we suggest that you print the bulletin on your computer printer at home. Click on the picture of the bulletin below to open it in your browser, then choose the print option. Then, click on the video to begin watching.

This is the first seventeen minutes of sermon #8 in the 2020 Q&A Sermon Series titled "Sin of Adam, Grace of God", recorded live at the church building on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Unfortunately, the battery on the camera ran out of power, so the remainder of the sermon was not recorded. The worship music at the beginning was partly pre-recorded: live instruments were added to a video of Pastor David Spakes leading the singing (CCLI Streaming License # 11036000). The worship team includes Randy Henderson on drums.

"Q&A" Sermon Series

Do you have questions and wonder what the Bible has to say about them? Here is your chance to ask and find out the answers! The fifth annual Q&A Sermon Series is underway at Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville. Pastor David Spakes is answering questions in the form of a Sunday morning sermon that elaborates on the relevant Scriptures. It is not too late to submit your questions—send them by e-mail to QA@spirit-and-truth.net. You don't want to miss this important series!

Watch the past Q&A sermons here. Your questions may have already been answered!

COVID-19 Statement

On May 1st, the Governor's Office and TN Health Dept of Health made a joint statement for churches regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. It recognizes that freedom of worship supersedes public health mandates, but it asks church people to wear masks and keep a 6-foot distance while in the church building. As of May 10, we resumed in-person church services, and everyone in the church building is required to wear face masks and comply with social distancing recommendations. The church began offering a drive-up church service option so people who do not wish to wear a mask can listen to the service live from the parking lot over their car radio. Online church services continue to be available for those who are at high risk from COVID-19 or otherwise prefer to remain in quarantine. Please check our website weekly for information about videos to watch at home.

In the announcements before the sermon on Sunday, May 24, 2020, Pastor David Spakes related the news that Knoxville would be entering Phase 2 Reopening before the next Sunday. Therefore, masks for the prevention of the corona virus are no longer required starting with the next church service. The drive-in service option is still available, but it is now provided for attendees who do not wish to enter the building in which some or all of the people inside are no wearing a face covering. The church continues to practice social distancing, and the tables at which people sit during the church service are places six feet apart or more.

During the pandemic, the church is taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe.

The church is located at 241 Neals Landing Road, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37924. On the front of the building, we have updated our signs to include a new bright yellow one.

The new yellow sign is for the drive-up church service. If you wish to remain in your car, tune your radio to 90.1 FM to listen to the church service live as it happens.

Those who are attending the drive-up church service can walk to the front door and pick up a bulletin from the literature rack.

Currently, wearing a mask to the in-person service indoors is optional. However, look in the window for signs to indicate if this becomes a requirement once again.

Inside, we have reduced the number of tables and chairs, and they are spaced at least six feet to maintain a safe social distance.

For anyone who would like to enjoy a cup of coffee before or during the church service, the church has a zero-touch brewing machine. Place your cup under the reservoir and press it against the release button (similar to a carbonated beverage dispensing machine in a restaurant). Pull the cup forward to stop the flow.

What are people saying about our church resuming an in-person service? Of course, several vocal critics have told us exactly how they feel about our requirement to wear a mask in the church building. Here are some positive public comments we have received on Facebook.

About Our Church

Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville (STFK) is a local and independent Evangelical Christian Church. We are not related to Scientology, Christian Science, or the organization called Spirit and Truth Fellowship International.

You can read our statement of faith here. We are worshipers of God, followers of Jesus Christ, and supporters of science and science education. We see no conlict between believing in the Creator and understanding the creation. As a church, we take no official position on Genesis chapters 1-11 in the Bible, so controversial matters such as the age of the Earth are avoided. Newcomers can basically believe what they want about Genesis 1-11 without being criticized for it.

People usually think of a skeptic as someone who finds it difficult to believe in God. We are not a church comprised of skeptics. We are a church who ministers to skeptics in an atmosphere of mutual respect where skeptics can explore the concept of believing in God.

In the South, many Christians have this concept that the study science is somehow a threat to their faith. We also exist to help those Christians learn that faith in God and the study of science are not mutually exclusive.

You might find it helpful to watch our video describing the church vision, located here.

Verse of the Day

Lookup a word or passage in the Bible

Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville (STFK) is a member of the NOVA Science Cafés community and proudly sponsors Science Café events for the Knoxville, Tennessee area. You can see a list of past and upcoming Science Café topics by hovering over the Events menu above, then choose Science Café Events.

Because of several unusual and unforseen circumstances, it has been necessary to reschedule some of our meetings this year. Flooding in February led to a last-minute cancellation by our venue, and we stood outside to meet attendees as they arrived and inform them of the news.

In March, a pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) prompted the CDC to recommend that groups of a certain size should not meet for several months. At first, the recommendation applied only to groups of 50 or more, and we thought that the STFK Science Café would not be impacted (the maximum attendance at the Bearden Branch Library is 47). Soon after, the recommendation change to groups of more than 10, so we made the decision not to meet again until the crisis subsided.

Below is an exerpt from the full Events List for 2020 showing the tentative dates for rescheduled meetings. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending an e-mail message to rsvp@knoxsciencecafe.org. Let us know how many adults and children are in your group.

Thursday, August 27, 2020 (Tentative) Topic: "Using Physics and Nanotechnology to Understand Self-Organizing Processes in Bacterial Cells" Presenter: Jaan Mannik, Ph. D., Associate Professor Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Tennessee Location: Bearden Branch Library 100 Golfclub Rd, Knoxville, TN 37902 Venue: This is an "STFK Science Café" event presented by Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville, co-sponsored by Associated Professionals Think Tank

Thursday, August 29, 2020 (Tentative) Topic: "How private landowners can help save North America's only giant salamander" Co-Presenter: Todd Reed Area Resource Conservationist / USDA-NRCS Knoxville Area Office Co-Presenter: Jeronimo Silva Private Lands Biologist / USDA-NRCS Hellbender Coordinator Location: Bearden Branch Library 100 Golfclub Rd, Knoxville, TN 37902 Venue: This is an "STFK Science Café" event presented by Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville, co-sponsored by Associated Professionals Think Tank

Sponsor Information

The STFK Science Café and Kid's Café are sponsored by a pro-science Evangelical Church called Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville. However, during Science Café meetings, discussion will be restricted to topics of science only. Religious viewpoints shall not be presented. Within the context of the Science Café and Kid's Café, Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville does not advocate religion. For more information, contact David Spakes, spakes@spirit-and-truth.net.

The STFK Science Café and Kid's Café are co-sponsored by the Associated Professional Think Tank. For more information, contact David Fox, (865)803-2887.