BYRON R. SPEARS: THE WALKING BIBLE

As a teenager, Spears read a copy of the Gideon Bible cover to cover.

BY BYRON DULAN

Elder Byron R. Spears absolutely earned his reputation as one of the most powerful and compelling preacher-evangelists to ever serve the constituents of the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA). Possessing a mighty voice, a prodigious scriptural memory and a poet’s grasp of the king’s English, B. R. Spears, proved to be a persuasive, effective messenger for God. Beginning his work as an evangelist, church planter, and pastor in 1944, he would continuously serve the interests and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the next 69 years.

Elder Spears’ back story is as compelling as his ministry ultimately proved to be. He was born in Topeka, Kansas, on July 3, 1912, to Carl F., and Ollie Spears. He was the youngest of three children. Characterized as an intelligent boy who possessed a keen thirst for learning, he early exhibited an aptitude for preaching. At the age of five, he arranged chairs in the family’s backyard, and successfully co-opted his older brother as his “congregation.” He was also known for his dignified manner when he performed funerals for the fam- ily’s deceased pets, affording them the solemn burials he deemed appropriate. He would also later serve as an altar boy in the neighborhood’s Episcopal Church.

As a teenager, Spears read a copy of the Gideon Bible cover to cover. Some time later, while working as a bell captain at the Jayhawk Hotel, in Topeka, Kansas, he discovered some Seventh-day Adventist literature sitting in a reading rack. Before long, he had read himself into a full knowledge of the doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In short order, he and his new wife, Marthella, were baptized at the College Avenue SDA Church, where they became active members.

In 1936, Spears was tragically stricken with Poliomyelitis. Penicillin was unavailable to him at the time, so he was given palliative care and informed that he had between 12 to 18 months remaining to live. But God had an entirely different plan.

The rehabilitation process for Spears was long and arduous, requiring 10 to 12 hours of exercise and massages per day. The Spears family successfully raised money to send him to California where he spent three months exposed to abundant sunshine, with the hopes that this would mit- igate the crippling effects of the degenerative disease on his body. Although quite ill, Spears nevertheless continued to read his Bible. While recuperating in a lovely beach setting, he managed to commit long passages of Scripture to memory.

Possessing a mighty voice, a prodigious scriptural memory and a poet’s grasp of the king’s English, B. R. Spears, proved to be a persuasive, effective messenger for God.

While recuperating in a lovely beach setting, he managed to commit long passages of Scripture to memory.

Upon returning home to Topeka, Spears began to preach in earnest, reciting whole Bible passages and fluently quoting text after text, entirely from memory. As a means of financially supporting his family, he began a recycling business. During the evenings, he t aught Bible studies and conducted public tent meetings. Kansas Conference officials, taking note of his methods and the number of individuals being baptized through his efforts, officially invited him to join their ministerial staff.

O n June 18, 1944, alongside his good friend William Penick, Byron Spears was ordained to the gospel ministry by the General Conference President, Elder Nathaniel Carter Wilson, Neal C. Wilson’s father. Subsequently, Elder Spears spent two years pastoring in Wichita, Kansas; and another three years pastoring in Kansas City, Kansas, and the church grew exponentially from 80 members to over 250.

While on vacation in 1949, Elder Spears spoke at the Market Street SDA Church in Oakland, California. A church member, deeply moved by his sermon, remarked: “I think you should be a full-time evangelist.” R. Wendell Nelson, pastor of Market Street, and also a member of the Northern California Conference Executive Committee, immediately recommended Spears’ name to the conference president. This began the long and fruitful evangelistic career of Byron R. Spears.

In his day, Elder Spears was considered to be an evangelistic innovator.

T he 1956 Oakland, California, evangelistic meeting gives a prime example of some of reasons why. First, a Bay Area Evangelistic Committee, (chaired by Elder R.W. Nelson) was formed. The committee was comprised of pastors from other SDA churches in the area, and also included their Bible instructors.

Second, a concentrated period of personal and public advertising preceded t he start of the meetings. In addition to radio and television announcements, Spears designated 16 full-sized billboards containing eye-catching lettering, strategically placed throughout the East Bay Area. The billboards proclaimed: “Spears is Coming to the Oakland Auditorium!” The public, suitably intrigued, wanted to know “Who is Spears and why is he coming?” Just before the start of the meetings, the signs were updated to read: “Spears is Here!”

Third, the meeting was held at the Oakland Auditorium, a noted art and cultural center in the city. Fourth, outstanding musicians were featured prominently, every week, including: Geraldine Farmar, Georgia Laster, Joyce Bryant, and Joe Lutcher—(the latter two being recent converts to the SDA Church from the world of entertainment.) Additionally, student musicians f rom Pacific Union College were utilized, including: Harold Anthony, Arthur Washington, Bob Dent, and Ida Phillips, a renowned Oakland pianist. Sartorially, Spears often preached in a white tuxedo. And, famously, he always had a pristine supply of crisp white h andkerchiefs stacked on the podium before him. These were needed to wipe away the constant streams of sweat flowing from his brow as a result of his very energetic preaching. Also, due to the ravages of polio, Spears required two canes to walk steadily as he maneuvered around the stage. This demanded a n even greater output of his energies. Spears, generally preached without notes, having committed to memory the 40 to 60 texts required, in their rightful sequence. This was typical of his sermons. Scripture provided both his sermon outline and its essential substance. I mpressively however, he also quoted dictionary definitions, passages from encyclopedias, and relevant literary references verbatim, to effectively illustrate his point.

Often, after making a key, definitive point, Spears would rhetorically ask the audience, “Am I making it plain?” To which the congregation would respond “Amen!” He would follow this up by then exclaiming: “I shall proceed!” As his sermons progressed, the rhythm, cadence, and volume of his voice would flow in concert with the lofty, eternal themes he sought to convey to the audience, often ending with his favorite concluding flourish, “What shall I more say?” (Humorously, after one such moment, a saint in the audience, not missing a beat, quickly responded back to h im: “Say ON!”—at which point, he, and the entire audience, broke into laughter.) B. R. Spears was a masterful communicator, using elements of humor a nd moments of somber contemplation to influence audiences toward the eternal decision of choosing Jesus Christ a nd the salvation He offers.

The 13-week evangelistic campaign, held in Oakland, started in February been baptized (via a portable baptistry), the first baptisms ever conducted in the famous Oakland Auditorium. The meetings were so successful, and Spears’ evangelistic presentations so convincing, that many other regions of the Pacific Union Conference sought his evangelistic efforts in their communities.

Byron R. Spears left a lasting legacy In the Northern California Conference. He conducted a number of evangelistic meetings and subsequently planted churches in, Stockton, Sacramento, Pittsburg, and Oakland, California. He became an official evangelist for the Pacific Union Conference in 1968. In 1970, he was called to join the Voice of Prophecy ministry, preaching throughout the United States, Canada, and Bermuda.

Out of painful and severe physical tragedy, God crafted a mighty warrior of His Word. One, who, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, convinced tens of t housands of individuals to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and join the remnant church. Of this faithful preacher of righteousness, it can rightly be said, Byron R. Spears was indeed,

Bryant Taylor, D.Min., is Communication Director for the Southern Union of Seventh-day Adventists and Editor of Southern Tidings magazine. Also Associate Editor of Regional Voice magazine, he coordinated this coverage.

References

1.Spears, Byron R., Farewell Service Bu lletin, February 8, 2013, p. 4,5

2 .Reynolds, Louis B., We Have Tomorrow: The Story of American Seventh-day Adventists with an African Heritage, The Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., 1984, p. 230,231.

3 .Celebrating 100 Years of Byron Spears, July 8, 2012, Altadena SDA Church, p. 5.

4. Ibid.

5 .Reynolds, p. 231,232

6 .North American Informant, Evangelism in Northern California, July-August 1956, Volume X, Number 58, p. 1,2