Plucked From the Burning
The Authors
Pastor Ken & Beth Spilger have been in the ministry for over 50 years. Ken Pastors Grace Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO. Ken and Beth have been married for over 40 years and have 7 children and 9 grandchildren. Pastor Ken was in a devastating plane crash on September 17th, 1980 that killed 3 other pastors. Ken and Beth wrote Plucked from the Burning to share what it was like being the only survivor of a plane crash, how God helped them through Ken’s recovery process, redefined their purpose for ministry, and share how their family and church pulled together to help them during that difficult time.
The Accident
Ken was in a small 4 seater airplane traveling from Kansas city to St. Louis, MO with 3 other pastors in the early morning of September 17th, 1980. The plane crashed around 12:30 am and the 3 other pastors passed away. He was the only survivor and suffered deep tissue and 3rd-degree burns over 30% of his body.
Recovery
The time in the hospital and recovery process took 9 months. Ken had multiple skin graft surgeries and went through physical therapy to be able to regain the use of his arms, hands, and legs. God used this recovery time to refocus Ken and Beth in their ministry from earthly to eternal goals. Ken and Beth were blessed with incredible support from immediate and extended family, church family, and good friends. Their prayer, financial support, encouragement, and time did not go unnoticed and helped his recovery process to be shortened significantly.