Who is Perry “Fred” Stone, Sr.? Some would say holy-roller preacher, others would say healer. For Mr. Stone, the most important title would be Proud Servant of the Most High God. Born on February 11, 1933, to William Henry Stone and Nalvie Dunford Ball in Johnny Cake Hollow, West Virginia, his initial entrance into the world was met with challenges, for after his mother gave birth, the midwife tried to kidnap him. Had Fred’s father not arrived in time to rescue him, God only knows what his fate would have been. From the beginning, it seems that Satan has tried to disrupt God’s plan for Fred Stone’s life. However, he has prevailed and used his ministry to honor and glorify the God of Israel.
At sixteen, Fred attended a revival in West Virginia that changed his life. During the service, preacher Mildred Collins asked, “Fred, if you died at midnight tonight, where would you spend eternity? You are lost without God.” The surprising thing is that Mildred did not know Fred and later she informed Fred that she never said those words. What’s more intriguing is that none of the parishioners heard Mildred say those words to Fred. However, the Holy Spirit convicted his soul that night and Fred went to the altar and gave his life to Jesus Christ.
After his conversion, Fred witnessed spiritual gifts being operated throughout the church by others and went to the altar and prayed to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was not a long drawn out prayer to the Lord. It was a simple one. He prayed, “Lord, whatever this is that everyone else has, I’d like to have it too. I think I need it.” After three days of prayer, God answered his prayers and he received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
During the early years of Fred’s ministry, the Lord moved tremendously. Fred healed countless people: a woman whose face had been eaten away by cancer was healed through prayer and anointing. A man who was born blind in one eye was miraculously healed and regained sight that he had never had. As he grew spiritually in the Lord, he met a beautiful singer, Juanita Bava, at a revival. They had four children: Diane, Melanie, Perry Jr and Phillip.
The Holy Spirit was constantly moving through the churches that Fred pastored. Although there are numerous churches in the world, it is important to allow the Holy Spirit to move throughout the church. More importantly, it is necessary for the pastor of the congregation to allow the Lord to use him as his vessel. God has used Fred Stone as an instrument to display the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit; he explains each gift in detail:
Word of Wisdom- A spiritual statement that applies the Word of God.
Word of Knowledge: An inspiring revelation that brings knowledge from God about a specific person or circumstance.
Faith: A supernatural ability to trust and believe in God for the miraculous.
Gift of Healing-From the prayer of a believer in Christ, the supernatural of God heals the sick from physical and emotional health.
Works of miracles- Supernatural acts of God that often change the course of natural law.
Prophecy- A statement that comes directly from God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that reveals God’s will in a specific situation.
Discernment of spirits: allows the believer to recognize if a spirit, a prophecy, a word is truly from the Holy Spirit.
Different Kinds of Tongues- The Spirit-filled believer supernaturally speaks in different languages unknown to the speaker.
Interpretation of Tongues- Through the Holy Spirit, this gift makes known the meaning of the revelation that was spoken in tongues.
Some denominations claim that the gift of tongues no longer occurs in the present day. That is simply not true. On one occasion when I was at the altar praying for a man, Fred spoke in tongues and when Fred finished praying, the man said, “You were praying in a perfect Arabic language. You said my name and asked the Lord to fill me with the Holy Spirit.” Fred Stone has never been taught to speak Arabic. Just like on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is still using the gifts of tongues to reach unbelievers.
Throughout his life, Fred often mentions how the Holy Spirit has warned him of trouble ahead. What is so amazing is that sometimes these warnings are found in dreams, visions, or in a clear, audible voice. In 1952, while driving through English, West Virginia, the Lord told Fred to slow down his car because the steering rod was about to fall off. Fred complied and minutes later the steering rod fell off while he was crossing a bridge. In 1968, the Lord gave him a vision of an impending attack on his brother who was in the Vietnam War. He quickly wrote to his brother, telling her the details of the vision, which turned out to save his brother’s life because of the vision the Lord gave Fred. In one circumstance, Fred did not heed the Holy Spirit’s warning, and he and his family paid a heavy price. In 1960, near Elkin, West Virginia, the Lord tried to warn him three times of an impending accident and Fred did not heed the warnings and his family was involved in a near-fatal accident.
Perry “Fred” Stone, Sr. has been on the great commission of spreading the Gospel of God ever since the Lord called him during that revival in West Virginia. You may not be familiar with his name or know who he is, but he is a unique treasure. In reading his life story, there has been one remarkable common thread: the altar. He constantly went to the altar before God and humbly asked for what he needed. By going down the aisle, Fred has led many people to Jesus Christ. Not to mention his son Perry Stone continues his father’s legacy in spreading the Gospel. Apostle, prophet, man of God… Fred Stone could easily claim any of these titles. However, I have no doubt that the most important title for him is that of “faithful servant”, an honorable name given to those who deserve it most. After he finishes the race, I am sure he will hear those words that all Christians long to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
To learn more about his life, read Fire on the Altar by Perry Fred Stone, Sr. available at http://www.voe.org.