Eric and Anessa have been married for 18 years. Anessa leads worship, serves in the Teen Ministry and works part-time at the church office. She also works part-time at an accounting firm in Atlanta. Eric manages all the IT work, maintains Gateway’s website, does the design and layout of The Celebration, and serves as a sound engineer on the Praise Team. Eric works in Anderson, SC as a CAD Engineer.
In 1995, the Backs felt God calling them to leave Atlanta and move to rural Northeast Georgia. After attending a home-led Bible Study for a year, they were invited to visit Gateway. “I’ll never forget my first Sunday morning service,” Anessa says. “Apostle David stepped behind the pulpit and apologized to the congregation. He said that the Lord had showed him a truth in the Bible that was contrary to what he had been teaching. I don’t remember what that doctrinal correction was, but I was marked by the humility of a man who would repent before his congregation and change when he knew he was wrong. That was 1996 and I’ve been here every time the doors are open since that day.
