It was 33 years ago that Stephen Smith accepted the Lord as his personal savior during a crusade, but it took another 10 years for him to recognize the call of God on his life. Today, he is the new pastor at Ebenezer Union Baptist Church in Farmer's Hill, Exuma.

Smith stepped up to the pulpit of the 122-year-old church upon the retirement of his mentor Reverend Dr. Irvin Clarke Sr. who had led the Ebenezer family for 45 years. He vowed that he would do his best to lead with prayer, preach with purpose, counsel with wisdom from God and rebuke in love at the church where he was born and raised. It's his cornerstone church.

As he took up his leadership role, Ebenezer's newest pastor promised that he would lead with wisdom and knowledge from God, that he would be honest and full of integrity and be a man of good character. During his ordination, Reverend Wilton McKenzie, superintendent of the Bahamas Baptist Union encouraged Smith to run the race and to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith.

Smith was born to the late Deacon Evans Smith and Deaconess Elsiemae Lloyd Smith, is the second child of eight children. His mother says her son's life was spared during a vehicle accident in which she and her driver received minor injuries, but Smith was untouched. She said God spared her son's life, and whenever there was a play or drama production at church, his mother said Smith would always act as the preacher. She says it's a drama that has become reality.

In fact the new preacher escaped another near death experience in 1999 when 7.200 volts of electricity passed through his body. He had to have more than 12 operations, due to being burnt over 35 percent of his body. His life lesson from that incident was "God's got a way of getting your attention." It was at that point that he told God if he survived that he would serve him for the rest of his life.

Smith was ordained a minister in October 2003. The new preacher's road to the pulpit has been one filled with many jobs -- he served as vice president of the youth department; president of the men's fellowship and member of the evangelism committee of the Exuma District Convention. He also served and continues to serve as the executive chairman of Ebenezer's Church Board.

In his quest to fulfill his call to the work of the Lord, Smith attended Boyce Bible College and Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky from 2000 to 2002.

Prior to leading his flock, Smith became a certified carpenter/joiner, he owned a furniture-building store, a licensed pilot, he owns his own six-seat airplane. He is married to Krivoy Odessa Knowles-Smith.

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