The Church Without Fear was founded on March 15th, 1964. On that morning, as the future Reverend Lester Shoates was driving home from a Saturday night, the Huntsville, Alabama sky turned from clear to morose to vengeful. The ground shook as the sky dropped a mangled funnel that punched into the ground and drew a deep line across the road Shoates traveled. His path was cut quickly like that of Saul’s while on his way to Damascus. Shoates and his old Cutlass 442 became like a pebble kicked across sand. They came to rest against a poultry truck in a farmer’s yard next to the highway. As the chickens fled and made their way down the road, Lester watched them become road kill and then closed his eyes.

Lester Shoates lay for three weeks in a coma. Like Saul at the crossroads, he was blind, but in that darkness then, just like when Ananias laid hands upon Saul, Lester Shoates saw and became filled with the spirit. He was shown a road, one without a deep rut, one un-traveled but ready for him to lead others to glory with him on God’s new way.

Just as the nurses were about to check Shoates' vital signs, the Reverend rose up from his hospital bed, resurrected like Jesus Christ. He grabbed both nurses and told them, “You don’t have to be a sinner.” His vision was clear, clear like the sun before that first drink in the morning and just as bright and strong. Reverend Shoates quickly excused himself from the hospital room proclaiming that God had healed him and that he needed to be on His way.

The Reverend Shoates hitchhiked back home. Along the way, he preached the words to those who picked him up. “You don’t have to fear sin. God gave us the flesh to live in and to live in the flesh with the flesh for the flesh. Praise God.” Our church was founded that afternoon. It wasn’t long before the congregation grew to many. The Reverend Lester Shoates still lives in Huntsville in a great house upon a hill with his beloved wife Josephine and starlit daughter Tina. He watches closely over his flock and welcomes all to the Church Without Fear.