Rev. James Edward Spencer

This is my maternal Grandfather, James Edward Spencer, also known as Preacher Spencer, J.E. Spencer, Edd Spencer, and Paw by his grandkids.

Paw was a tall, lanky man, filled with the Spirit of God. He accepted the call to preach in the early 1940's. He was Pastor at Highland Baptist Church from 1943-1948, then called to House Mountain Baptist Church from 1948-1950, then back to Highland from 1950-1953, then in 1954, he founded North Acres Baptist Church, where he preached for 18 years, right up until his death in 1972.

Paw preached hellfire and damnation sermons, but he also preached of God’s love and forgiveness. One thing that made his sermons great was his unforgettable active illustrations. For example, when he preached of the Prodigal Son, he would open the side door of the church and call out as if the long lost son was out there somewhere; he also got down on his hands and knees and ate from an imaginary hog’s trough. To demonstrate Zacchaeus climbing up in a tree to see Jesus, he would climb in the window seal of the church or scale a revival tent pole. There are still people today that come up to me and tell me about their memories of his preaching.

Paw and my Granny Spencer raised eight children over their 43-years of marriage. They never had a lot in this world but what they lacked in material possessions they made up for with love for the family and the Lord.

A few of my fondest memories of Paw are: Going with him to Mitchell’s barbershop. The way he gave all us kids birthday whippings with a flyswatter. The time he flipped backwards out of his hammock with a big dip of snuff in his mouth. How he would serve us all vanilla ice cream with RC Cola on top of it. How he used to call my baby sister, “Butterball.” When he used to take me to Scottie’s hamburgers over on Rutledge Pike. This list would have been a lot longer, but sadly, in 1972, when I was 6 years old, Paw was suddenly stricken with Lymphoma and died at the young age of sixty-two. The impact he made on my life in just six short years is remarkable.

You can listen to a radio broadcast message from Preacher Spencer here: https://archive.org/details/NeglectSoGreatSalvation