Bio For Pastor Will Smith

Pastor Smith received his ministerial and theological training at Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) in Huntsville, AL. He has been a minister for 25 years. He started the ministry in 1986 when Elder Meade Van Putten, president of the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, gave him a call to that field. Elder William C. Scales Jr. (retired Ministerial Director for the North American
Division) was very instrumental in helping him get into the ministry. Pastor Smith worked with Elder Scales as a Bible instructor in several city-wide evangelistic meetings.

Currently Pastor Smith is on the pastoral staff at the Community Praise Center (CPC) SDA Church located in Alexandria, VA. He is a specialist and expert at doing one-on-one Bible studies and preparing people for baptism. God blessed Pastor Smith to baptize more than 1,000 souls during the years of his ministry. He is also skilled at teaching others how to be soul-winners (see Testimonials).

Pastor Smith was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. Growing up in the Catholic Church, at the age of 10 he declined his mother’s appeal for him to be baptized. As a result, he began a life that quickly spiraled downward. During his teen years he would drink alcohol three times a day and doubled on weekends. Marijuana was also a part of his ritual. Early on he had control of his alcohol consumption
but later it controlled him. There was no relief in sight. Then his mother died four months before his high school graduation. This made him take a serious look at his life.

A couple of years later his future brothers and sisters in-law encouraged Pastor Smith to try Jesus. They lived the life they professed. He didn’t think Jesus could help his case. Who could help him with all the drinking and marijuana and partying? When he accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour, God took away the alcohol, marijuana and the negative lifestyle the same day. Thank God! His brothers and sisters-in-law are, Melvin and Mille Janey (Melvin is currently a pastor in the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists) and Kenneth and Marion Scott. Melvin gave him the Bible study. The Seventh-day Adventist church’s high standard and the consistent Christian life of his future in-laws is what appealed to Pastor Smith. He got baptized into the Edmondson Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church in Baltimore, MD and he never looked back. He did not join the Catholic Church which disappointed his father. As a result, his father did not attend his baptism or his wedding.

Pastor Smith had to fight to get the Sabbath off and after a number of weeks, God came through and he kept his job but no longer had to work on Sabbath. Also thank God for Pastor Rudyard Lord, his pastor at the time, for standing by his side in helping him get the Sabbath off. During the time of negotiations, he did not work on the Sabbath.

Pastor Smith is married to Yvonne and they have two grown sons Will Jr. and Aaron. They live in Fort Washington, Maryland.