David Wyke returns to Signal as minister of Taft Highway Church of Christ

David Wyke, former trainer at Signal Mountain Athletic Club, is returning to the mountain as minister of Taft Highway Church of Christ. He and his brothers own We Sacrifice We Excel personal training facility downtown, and said many of their clients come from Signal Mountain. (Contributed photo)
David Wyke, former trainer at Signal Mountain Athletic Club, is returning to the mountain as minister of Taft Highway Church of Christ. He and his brothers own We Sacrifice We Excel personal training facility downtown, and said many of their clients come from Signal Mountain. (Contributed photo)

Chattanooga resident David Wyke is familiar to many on Signal Mountain from the six years he worked as a trainer at Signal Mountain Athletic Club as well as the two years he coached sixth-grade football on the mountain.

He is embarking on a new guiding endeavor within the mountaintop community - though his focus is now on people's spiritual lives rather than their physical performance.

Wyke recently took over as minister of Taft Highway Church of Christ, where he preached his first sermon on Christmas Eve.

"They were looking at trying to grow and advance the church," David Wyke said of his brother Darrel Wyke - also a physical trainer who had been preaching at the church on Sunday nights - and former minister Clint Henley. "They asked me to come and do the work."

David Wyke served as the minister at MLK Church of Christ in Adairsville, Ga., for two and a half years, but was happy to have a chance to preach closer to home where his wife and son could attend with him.

"We love that community, so it was an easy transition to come back," he said of Signal Mountain. "After training and meeting so many people and being so familiar with the community, it was a really great fit."

He said the years he's spent helping people achieve their physical goals as a personal trainer have been beneficial to his new role providing spiritual guidance as a minister.

"It all ties into really getting to know and caring about people and trying to advance the person," David Wyke said, adding that many of his personal training clients drive down from Signal to the gym he and brothers Darrel and Shannon opened on East 23rd Street in 2015, and many people he trains who live downtown drive up the mountain to hear him preach. "I get to deal with both perspectives, physical and spiritual."

He said the gift God has given him as a preacher is to make the Bible practical.

"I take the Bible and show people how to apply it in their everyday lives," David Wyke said.

The church is around 60 years old and has a congregation of about 40 people who attend every Sunday, he said.

Every Sunday, he leads a Bible class at 10 a.m., and worship services at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. He also leads worship services on Wednesdays at noon and 6 p.m.

"If somebody's looking for biblical truth and a better understanding of what God's will is in their life, then you should definitely come," David Wyke said.

Taft Highway Church of Christ is at 554 Highway 127.

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