Pastor Gayliss Ray Gaines was born on February 28, 1956 and raised in the Northern KY area. At the young age of 6, he accepted Jesus Christ at Community Pentecostal Church and at the age of 9 was filled with the Holy Ghost. He was raised to labor for the Lord, to worship God and serve the church under the tutelage of his father, Gayle Gaines who was pastor of Sherman Full Gospel and his mother, Yvonne Gaines. At the age of 14, Ray felt the call of God to preach.

He graduated from Walton Verona High School, where he met Mary Dixon, the beautiful shy girl that God had prepared for him to marry. Ray and Mary were married in May of 1979. Ray worked at Appalachian Electronics in West Virginia for 3 years. While he and Mary were there, they evangelized in that area and in Kentucky. Upon returning home, Ray and Mary became the assistant pastors at Sherman Full Gospel and began working with the youth in the church and Mary was the choir director, as they continued jobs in the public arena; owners and operators of a small business.

In 1986, Ray’s father had his second major heart attack and was unable to continue to pastor the church. At that time, Ray and Mary became the pastors of Sherman Full Gospel. Pastor Ray was the driving force that the church needed to proceed through two more building projects. We moved into our present 1000 seat sanctuary in 2004. Pastor Ray truly is a powerful humble man of God, led by the Holy Ghost. God uses him in many aspects; healings, miracles, deliverance, prophecy. He gives God all the praise and glory for everything and as he would say, “man can do nothing, but with God all things are possible.”

Pastor Ray currently resides in Dry Ridge, KY with his wife, Mary and the smartest dog in the world, Baxter.

 Mary Gaines was born Mary Dixon on September 18, 1958 and raised in Northern KY. She was saved at Union Baptist Church when she was 12 years old. Mary graduated from Walton-Verona High School and dated Ray during that time. After coming to Sherman with him occasionally, she was filled with the Holy Ghost at the age of 16. Sherman became her home church from that time. They married in May of 1979 and their journey began as servants of God. Mary directed the choir and worked with the youth of Sherman Full Gospel.

Mary worked for Domino’s Commissary for 11 years from 1983-1994 and was the controller during the last few years. At that time, God spoke to her heart and she felt it was time to quit her job and work as full time co-pastor with Ray.

Mary is an accomplished and anointed singer for God. She is leader of a praise team, director of music, a prayer warrior, and a mother to the church. She has grown from that little shy girl of sixteen to be a powerful woman of God. And as her husband would say, “I don’t know what I would do without her.”


Yvonne Hammond Gaines was born to Raymond and Irene Hammond in 1936. She was saved at the age of 15 in Hesler Assembly of God in Owenton, KY. Yvonne graduated Owen County High School in 1953 and married Gayle Gaines, whom she had known all her years through school, in 1954. God blessed them with a son, Gayliss Ray in 1956. Yvonne continued faithfully in church praying for her husband’s salvation. Her prayers were answered when Gayle was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost in 1959.

In 1965, Yvonne preached her first revival at Dry Ridge Assembly of God with many souls saved. Gayle felt the call to preach and they started Sherman Full Gospel Assembly with Gayle as pastor. They faithfully followed God’s will and the church continued to grow. In 1986 Gayle suffered his second heart attack and their son, Gayliss Ray, became the full time pastor.

Gayle went home to be with the Lord in 2005. Since that time, Yvonne has continued to be very active in the church. She sings in a praise team and still preaches with the anointing and fire. Yvonne assists in activities in the church which are too numerous to mention. Today, God continues to bless the ministry that Gayle & Yvonne started over 40 years ago.

Yvonne’s words to our church are: 1. Pray for souls to be saved 2. Church, move in the Holy Ghost and Fire.