Teshuva is the Hebrew word for repentance. It literally means “to return”. As a family band made up of couples, siblings and their entire families, they feel called to share the message of Returning to God and His righteous ways with anyone who will listen. Calling Nashville, TN home they have been privileged to travel parts of the world meeting wonderful people and connecting with other artistic visionaries. Both families have led worship in Churches for over a decade and in 2010 Sam and Angela were married culminating the families musical cultures. The blend of intricate melodies and diverse instrumentation are as unique as their unorthodox upbringing. The message of this music is meant to lead it’s listeners, like David and the Levitical artists, back to the heart of God and His covenant ways.
Patriarch / Matriarch
Ken was born in Colorado Springs, CO into an athletic family of six children. They were raised Catholic but his personal relationship with Christ came through a Baptist revival in College. He attended college on a pitching baseball scholarship after graduating from CSU. He met Cindy a few years later at a church. He was 22 and she, 29. They did Bible studies until they married at 26 and 33. They both had desires to teach their own children. His leading came after he studied Deut. 6. when he decided to take "train up your children" seriously. He has always loved music but grew up an athlete. He had no idea athletics would play such a huge role backstage with the grand-children :) Cindy was born in Denver, CO, the only girl with five brothers; six siblings, just like Kenny. However, she came from a divorced home, which led her to the Lord when she was 12. She was at church whenever the doors were open. She began noticing many missionary children having emotional problems after boarding school. She decided then if she was to go on the mission field she would teach her own children. Little did she realize the mission field would be her own back yard where more than half the homes end in divorce and schools teach un-Godly principles. Her first music lesson was on the violin in 6th grade. She still carries it with her, although she doesn't really play much anymore. Cindy's mother encouraged her children to travel with the church summer choir. This really prepared her for the family band where she helps with scheduling and travel. Like Kenny though, her highest calling and position is to be backstage with their grandchildren.
Ken & Diane Lupinacci
Ken and Diane Lupinacci came from very different backgrounds. Ken grew up on the family farm and followed in his fathers steps by taking on the career of a crane operator. Diane grew up amidst the bustle of the city, the daughter of a Radiologist. One thing their upbringings had in common was almost no background in music. However, they saw fit to put their three girls, Tali, Angela, and Kendra, into piano lessons at a young age. The girls were not always excited about the piano lessons, but as they got older, their interests in music started to grow. They started to learn new instruments and Tally and Angela joined the church worship team as singers just short of their teen years. Their oldest and youngest daughters, Tali and Kendra, both married Waller brothers and are in full time ministry in Israel with HaYovel (www.hayovel.com), and their middle daughter, Angela, married Samuel Spear and became part of the Spear family ministry being actively involved with the band Teshuva. Ken and Diane have always been a strong support for their children, encouraging them to follow after the ways of God. They now spend their retired lives splitting the time between the two family ministries, and humbly helping out in what ever way they can. They couldn’t be more excited to see what God is doing with the ministries that each of their children are involved in.
Caleb & Audrey / Sound Tech
Caleb is the tech and sound guru for the family band, Teshuva. From a young age he showed a remarkable ability to understand and manipulate technology. He now uses these impressive skills to run the sound for the family band. Caleb met Audrey in October 2013 and the two quickly realized their connection and calling. They were married in August of 2014. Their first years of marriage provided ample opportunity to grow and deepen their love and commitment to the Lord and each other. They welcomed their first son, Uriah, into the world November 2017.
Sam & Angela / Vocals & Guitars
Sam was born to a homeschool family and showed an interest at 6 for anything musical. Forced piano lessons led to a promised guitar at 13 and Sam taught himself to play. Shortly after he began writing his own songs. Sam also began leading worship for the church his family attended. By 22 Sam was struggling to record his own tunes in the home studio and prayed that God would find a way to progress the music or take the desire away. Sam’s Father stated he could not live in his basement and make music for the rest of his life which led to pursing a full-time paramedic firefighter career. Angela started piano at a young age and joined the worship team at church when she was 11. One Sunday the worship Pastor offered to teach her bass thus starting her multi-instrumental interests. She picked up guitar on her own during two years of homeschool in high school. After forming a few different bands with her sisters and friends she decided to go to college and earned her bachelor’s degree in Jazz/Commercial Music with a focus in audio engineering. Sam and Angela met on April 3rd of 2009. They immediately connected over musical interests and began work on music for a documentary project titled Betrothed. In the ensuing twelve months their paths crossed a handful of times on two different continents and five different states. One year later to the day they were joined forever in a Biblical covenant called Betrothal and two months later married. Since then, four children; Enoch, Elijah, Eden and Hallel have brought joy and a whole lot of noise into their home studio. Projects come slower now but hopefully with even more meaning. They believe art is not only albums but the lives God gives them to raise.
Lisa / Keys
Lisa was born at home in Harbor City, California where her family had moved to have her older brother, Caleb’s open-heart surgery. She began piano lessons at the age 7 in Brighton, CO as they had moved back to their parent’s home state. After attending an apprenticeship music academy in Indianapolis she became a licensed Kindermusik teacher at a church preschool. This led to a piano business of elementary age students. Some of the greatest joys about teaching for her is to see her students feel confident about themselves and then to glorify God with their music. She has combined piano and working with horses as well as enjoying braiding leather horse equipment. She plays the piano with her family for Teshuva and they often serve their home church with worship music.
Jonathan / Bass guitar
Jonathan is the fifth born fourth living child in the Spear Clan. He was born in LA California, but spent most of his growing up years on a small country farm in Brighton and Keenesburg Colorado. It was during those early years on the farm that he developed a love for the outdoors and God's beautiful creation. After graduating high school, he attended the International Alert Academy. Alert is a trade school that focuses on training young men in Godly character while also teaching them a vocation. Inspired by his older brothers he decided to become a paramedic. With this training and while a part of the International Alert Academy disaster deployment team, he had the opportunity to deploy on medical relief trips all over the world. It was during those years that his love for missions grew, and he knew that would be a big part of his life. After finishing training at Alert, he went on a mission trip to God's Holy Land of Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel. While there with the Hayovel organization serving the farmers of the west bank and seeing the sites where 80% of the Bible where written, his eyes where opened to the fact that God's heavenly kingdom would be coming back to Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. With that in mind he had a new found love for Israel and the Jewish people. After coming back home later that year, He was graciously given the opportunity to play bass and be a member of his family band Teshuva that had culminated from the marriage of his older brother Sam and Angela who had already been playing music together. After becoming a member of the band in 2011, he's had the privilege of playing music and meeting people from all across the country. The family band has now taken him to Nashville, Tn where he works full time as a paramedic and continues to write and play music with Teshuva.
