Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville (STFK) is a local and independent Evangelical Christian Church: Trinity in doctrine, Pentecostal in experience. Everyone is welcome, and we would like to invite you to visit us for worship on Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M. Scroll down in this column to find information about our church. Upcoming events are presented first.

STFK Movie Night (September 25)

Our church makes an event out of watching movies together, partly for outreach and partly just for fun. Because of the pandemic, we bought a license for the year 2020 so we can watch movies at our church building instead of going out to a theater. Everyone is invited to join in on the selected Friday night each month at 8:00 P.M. for this event. Snacks and drinks provided. The church building is located at 241 Neals Landing Road, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37924.

Our license allows us to show classic movies and also brand-new movies. There is one catch, though. We can't advertise the name of the movie that we have selected. However, we do offer a clue about our selections for the grown-ups' movie and for the kids' movies by suggesting a theme for the evening. For the September movie night, our theme is "Gophers and Ogres".

Fall Festival (October 17)

You are invited to our first annual Fall Festival! This will take place on the grounds of our church building located at 241 Neals Landing Road, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37924. Mark the date on your calendar: Saturday, October 17 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

This is a great opportunity to come meet everyone in our church and enjoy some good food and fun with your family. We will have a BBQ lunch (while supplies last) followed by games like sack races, tug-o-war, and a cake walk. Everyone is welcome! If you plan to eat, please RSVP so we know how much food to prepare.

Voice message:  865-332-0217
Email: church@spirit-and-truth.net.

Upcoming Outreach

During the remaining months of 2020, Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville (STFK) will be an exhibitor at two more weekend fan conventions in the greater Knoxville area. Ticket holders can meet with Pastor David Spakes and church members in our booth on the show floor. Also, for events that are held on Sundays, everyone is welcome to attend our church service before the show floor opens.

Great Smoky Mountain Comic Expo (October 3-4) — This is Newport’s first ever Comic Con! It will take place on Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4 at 1043 Cosby Highway, Newport, TN 37821. There will be celebrity guests, vendors, artists, Q&A panels, and a cosplay contest. Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville will be located in the vendor area in booth V33.	Sunday Church Service 9:00 A.M.
Yama-Con (December 11-13) — Yama-Con is an annual three-day anime convention held at the LeConte Center located at 2986 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863. Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville will be located at a promotion table in the vendor area.	Sunday Church Service 8:45 A.M.

Worship With Us 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 a recording of the church service for Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville (STFK) on Sunday, August 23, 2020. Pastor David Spakes preached a sermon titled  Gold and Furnaces . The worship music at the beginning is provided under CCLI Streaming License # 11036000. The worship team includes Randy Henderson on drums and Rachel Henderson on bass. To find a copy of the bulletin so you can sing along and follow the sermon, visit http://www.spirit-and-truth.net/sermons.

COVID-19 Statement

On Wednesday, July 1, the Knox County Board of Health voted to mandate wearing masks in indoor public spaces staring July 3. Under the "COVID-19 Face Covering Regulation", most people twelve and older will be required to wear masks anytime they are out in public at indoor and enclosed spaces where maintaining six feet of social distancing is not feasible. Churches are exempt from this regulation, but face covering is encouraged. Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville requires everyone attending an in-person church service to wear a face covering. Starting July 26, the church installed a shield on the pulpit so anyone standing behind it to speak or sing can remove their mask during the delivery. The church offers a drive-up option for people who are feeling ill when they arrive or who prefer to not wear a mask; they can listen to the service live from the parking lot over their car radio.

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.

There are signs on the front door for those who came to attend the in-person church service. If you have symptoms of a sickness, please return to your car and attend the drive-up church service instead. Everyone who enters the building is required by the church to wear a mask or other face covering.

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

We also installed a shield on the pulpit so anyone standing behind it to speak or sing can remove their mask during the delivery. This is similar to plastic sheilds that been used in stores, restaurants, and drive-through lanes since the start of reopening for many kinds of businesses.

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.

STFK Science Café (November 12)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) works with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners across the country to help them boost agricultural productivity and protect our natural resources through conservation.

The Eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) sometimes referred to as "mud devil", "devil dog" or "ground puppy" is the largest salamander in the United States with some reaching a weight of more than 2 pounds and extending an impressive length of 2 feet (average around 17 inches). Once common in the eastern United States, the species has faced population decline due to inadequate habitat and water quality degradation.

The USDA-NRCS is working to address recovery of the hellbender in three states: North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. They are conducting targeted outreach near priority watersheds that cumulatively consist of approximately 6,000 acres of land and nearly 100 miles of streambank conservation. This effort will promote conservation practices that enhance habitat for the hellbender and many other aquatic species.

The STFK Science Cafe is pleased to be a part of this outreach effort. At our November meeting, we welcome two co-presenters from the USDA-NRCS. Todd Reed is an Area Resource Conservationist based in the USDA-NRCS Knoxville Area Office. Jeronimo Silva is a Private Lands Biologist who is serving as the USDA-NRCS Hellbender Coordinator. We will be discussing with them how private landowners and agricultural producers can plan conservation practices that directly and/or indirectly improve water quality for the hellbender and a variety of other aquatic species through activities such as grazing management, reduced agricultural runoff, and instream barrier removal.

This meeting will take place at Halls Cinema 7 located at 3800 Neal Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918 on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. We will watch a short video together, our presenters will speak for a few minutes, and the rest of the time will be for questions and discussion. Limited complimentary refreshments will be provided in the meeting room. The theater's concession area in the lobby will be open for anyone to purchase carbonated beverages, candy, popcorn, and other snacks.

This meeting is FREE to attend, and everyone is welcome! Please RSVP or by e-mail to rsvp@knoxsciencecafe.org.

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.

UT Science Forum (Fall 2020)

Spirit and Truth Fellowship of Knoxville has been a financial sponsor of the UT Science Forum since January, 2015. This forum provides the general public, students and other researchers an opportunity to learn about the latest cutting-edge research at UT, ORNL and other local institutions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UT Science Forum lectures for the Fall 2020 semester will be hosted on Zoom. Presentations by distinguished professors and researchers are 40 minutes long and are followed by a question-and-answer session. The UT Science Forum is free and open to the public. See the latest news for the UT Science Forum below.