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| Dr. Spence at Rest Haven |
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On a LORD’S Day Evening in the Fall of 1981, Mr. Spence confessed his sins to THE LORD in Prayer and took JESUS CHRIST as his personal Savior. He thought he had been saved before. But it was now clear to him that evening that he had not. For THE LORD had often moved on his heart in conviction. But this was the first evening that he really came to confession and faith. His change of life was immediate and obvious. About that time, Mr. Spence began the Society of the Biblicists. This was a Society of six to ten young men who met every week for the reading of Scripture and Prayer. They held Street Services, donated Bibles to foreign Countries, wrote and encouraged Ministers, and often held all-night Prayer Meetings that began Friday Evenings at 10:00 p.m. While he was still sixteen years old, Mr. Spence was convinced in his conscience that his life’s calling was to preach the Word. He was somewhat moved by that “necessity” spoken of in I Corinthians 9.16. Therefore he began to devote himself to Prayer and the Study of the Word.
In the Spring of 1983, Mr. Spence graduated from Foundations Christian Academy. In the Spring of 1984, he was ordained to the Ministry. In the Spring of 1985, he graduated with honors from Foundations Bible College taking his Associate of Arts Degree. Immediately after Graduation, Rev. Spence served as the first Chaplain of Foundations Bible College. In 1987, Rev. Spence married Miss Janine Keith. They both are the happy Parents of four Children who are happily Homeschooled. In the Spring of 2000, Rev. Spence received his Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity from the International School of Missions (ISOM) located in the Philippines. This is the highest honor that ISOM bestows.
At the end of the Summer of 1989, Dr. Spence accepted the call of a little Independent Church located in Clarksville, Pennsylvania. Here, Dr. Spence’s labors consisted of preaching the Sunday and Thursday Evening Sermons, daily distributing Tracts, daily door-to-door Visitations, weekly Children’s Catechism Classes, weekly Home Bible Studies, helping the poor, and conducting many Special Events at the Church.
During the Spring of 1996, things that year had come to a critical juncture— Foundations Bible College had relieved Dr. Spence of his Chaplaincy due to the building of their million-dollar Church Facility; and yet Dr Spence still had a strong desire to stay put and serve THE LORD in a hard place. Therefore in the Spring of 1996, Dr. Spence called several Days of Public Humiliation in the Church. Special Prayer was offered that THE LORD would now point out the way, and specially lead, guide, and bless the Work at this time. By August of 1996, Dr. Spence began preaching in the Care Facilities full-time and looked up to THE LORD to entirely supply for his financial needs. After two years of THE LORD’S manifested Blessing on this endeavor, things then became clear that it was not so much a Church that existed here but a Mission. In 1998, the name of the Work was changed from Grace Memorial Bible Church to Grace Memorial Mission. In 2001, the Mission relocated to Monongahela which was located more near the center of the Care Facilities. It was at this time also that the Work changed its name to The Independent Mission in order to better reflect its spiritual identity.
Some of the old Divines who have profoundly influenced Dr. Spence’s life are— 1. Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843). With a desire to drink up this man’s spirit, Dr. Spence, in his early years, read Rev. McCheyne’s Life, Letters, Poems, and Works more than forty times. 2. Rev. Dr. John Calvin (1509-1564). Dr. Spence has been richly blessed by reading Dr. Calvin’s Institutes six times. He looks at this set of books as a great, high, and classic statement of Pure Calvinism. 3. The Works of Rev. Dr. John Owen (1616-1683). Dr. Owen is Dr. Spence’s favorite Divine. He has had the pleasure of reading Dr. Owen’s Complete Works two times. Dr. Spence best admires Dr. Owen’s presentation of Historic Independency, and his precious blend of Grace and Holiness. It was under the shadow of this Teacher that Dr. Spence acquired his Convictions relating to Historic Independency. Some other Divines Dr. Spence has carefully read are Rev. William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, Dr. Cotton Mather’s Great Works Of Christ In America, the Complete Works of Dr. Richard Sibbes, the Selected Works of Dr. John Calvin, the Complete Works of Dr. John Bradford, the Complete Works of Rev. Augustus Toplady, the Complete Works of Dr. Thomas Boston, many of the Works of Dr. John Cotton, and almost all of the Works of Dr. Thomas Shepherd. To GOD be the Glory!
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