Wilmon A. Smith papers

Wilmon Ashley Smith, Sr. was born during camp meeting on May 19, 1916, to Robert S. and Emma Meares Smith in a small cabin on the Church of God Florida State Campground in Wimauma, Florida. Emma had told the Lord that this “unexpected” fourth child--if a son--would be dedicated to the Lord’s service as a preacher. He had two older sisters. An older brother lived less than a month.

The Smiths came from diverse backgrounds in the Baptist and Methodist churches and became converts to the Pentecostal movement in the early 1900s. As new, early members of the Church of God in Largo, Florida, Rob Smith’s spiritual gifts were recognized, and he served as a deacon in the church. Rob Smith was known as a great man of prayer.

During Wilmon’s youth, he participated in the church’s Young Peoples Endeavor (Y.P.E.), prayed in the altar with younger children to be saved, and attended Church of God camp meetings. He grew up working on the dairy farm of his parents. Wilmon married Marguerite Fay Peterson in 1939. He continued working on the dairy farm after his marriage, and on June 21, 1940, the couple was blessed with the birth of twin daughters: Martha Ann and Mary Louise. A son, Wilmon Ashley Smith, Jr., was born to them five years later on January 13, 1946, after they had begun their pastoral ministry.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Wilmon desired to join the Navy, but he was frustrated to find that he was exempt from the military draft because of his classification as a dairy worker. As a result, he began to seek the Lord for a closer walk with Him and for another direction for his life.

His cousin invited Wilmon to attend a six-week Bible school with him in Maine. This short course was to be the extent of Wilmon’s training for ministry. While there, Wilmon was baptized in the Holy Spirit and called to preach; but it was only after William Morris, overseer of the Church of God in New England, wrote to him, urging him to obey the Lord, that his calling to preach was confirmed.

Wilmon was set forth in the ministry by his church in 1943 at the age of 27. He and Marguerite took a great leap of faith by leaving the family dairy business and moving to Gardiner, Maine, to serve as interim pastor for the summer months. After the 1943 General Assembly, the Smiths were appointed to pastor the Church of God in Augusta, Maine, until 1945. He was ordained on September 23, 1947.

Although Wilmon was not highly educated, he accumulated a library of books, which included a complete set of Matthew Henry Commentaries and other books of great sermons. Through reading these books and listening to great preachers, he became a good preacher. One highlight of his ministry was the purchase of a large scrolled timeline illustrating the Book of Revelation from which he taught a series at the mid-week services. People flocked to learn and hear from what he taught. Wilmon was always learning from those who were skilled in preaching the Word in order to “feed the flock of God.” He cared deeply for his people and was, in the opinion of his members, an “ideal” pastor.

Wilmon pastored 15 Churches of God over a period of 43 years. Two of the churches were in Maine (June 1943-September 1945), two were in Maryland (October 1945, September 1948-September 1950), one was in Pennsylvania (October 1950-January 1951), and ten were in Florida (January 1946-August 1948, February 1951-July 1986). The churches were small, all with 100 members or less; however, he felt called to minister in the smaller churches. He always left his pastorates in better spiritual shape than he had found them. This was also true regarding the church facilities and the church finances.

There were personal financial hardships when he and Marguerite had to work secular jobs, as well as health challenges with pleurisy and pneumonia cutting short his pastorates in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In 1974, he had to withdraw from active pastoral ministry for three years because of nodes found on his vocal chords--yet, during that time he taught a Sunday school class, filled in for other pastors, performed marriages, and conducted funerals--all upon request. When he recovered, he planted, built, and pastored the Community Church of God in South Bradenton, Florida, for five years. With the restriction of severe arthritis, he was forced to retire to have both knees replaced. Two years later, he was called back into pastoral service at Cortez, Florida, for another two years until his final retirement in August 1986.

One of the greatest challenges Wilmon and Marguerite faced was an attempt on Wilmon’s life while pastoring in Florida. A next-door neighbor began attending the church against the objections of her husband. One Sunday morning while Wilmon was seated at the kitchen table by the door reading over his sermon notes, the angry husband aimed his gun across the narrow driveway at Wilmon’s head. Wilmon would have been instantly killed if the jalousie window in the neighbor’s home had been fully opened instead of slanted at a 45-degree angle, which helped to lower and scatter the birdshot, injuring Wilmon from the nape of his neck to his ankles with hundreds of pellets.

The police discovered that the neighbor had four more shells in his gun to kill the entire family. After his arrest, the man posted bail and was to be released, but Marguerite appealed to the entire neighborhood to sign a petition to require the judge to have the man examined for mental competency. Afterward, he was institutionalized as a serious threat to society.

In spite of his serious sicknesses and disabilities, which interrupted four pastorates and an attempt on his life, Wilmon was a dedicated pastor committed to preaching the Word and caring for his people. He led building programs for three new church sanctuaries and Christian education facilities as well as for several parsonages. He sometimes received 100% or majority votes from the membership in former pastorates who requested his return because of his pastoral heart for the people. Wilmon also reached out to the community by volunteering his ministerial services to funeral directors in the event a bereaved family had no pastor or could not afford one. He viewed it as an opportunity to share the gospel to those in distress. Funeral directors called him quite often, expressed their gratitude, and commented that no other minister in their community offered this service.

After 43 years in pastoral ministry, Wilmon lived in Bradenton, Florida, until he moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1997. For the last six months of his life, he enjoyed attending North Cleveland Church of God and fellowshipping with his retired colleagues in ministry.

W. A. Smith, the name he was known by among his colleagues, passed away on November 26, 1997, at the age of 81. Marguerite survived him by almost 16 years, when she passed away on July 13, 2013, at the age of 91.

Wilmon and Marguerite Smith viewed their children as one of the greatest fulfillments in their lives. Pastoring churches was a family affair with their children totally involved: participating and leading in YPE services, singing at church services and funerals, assisting at weddings, teaching Sunday school, VBS, etc. The Smiths have succeeded, indeed, in “passing the torch” to their three children, to their four grandchildren, and to 10 great-grandchildren who will carry on their legacy in ministry, until He comes!



SOURCES: Martha Smith Wong (daughter) Mary Smith Morris (daughter) W. Ashley Smith, Jr. (son) Philip Morris, Sr. (son-in-law)