David Sparks has served for thirty years with the United Church of Canada, mostly in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and was for five years a minister in the United Reformed Church of England and Wales. For the best part of that time he has been writing prayers and hymns for public worship. Sparks has led workshops on various aspects of public prayer, and has been a workshop leader at Worship Matters, the national gathering of worship leaders. David has retired, with wife Kathy, to Summerland, British Columbia, and is currently serving the United Church congregation of Okanagan Falls near Penticton.