[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15725-15726]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF REVEREND ELIJAH SMITH, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 5, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated 
man of God, community servant, Civil Rights Leader, family man and 
friend of longstanding, Rev. Elijah Smith, Sr. Sadly, Rev. Smith passed 
away on October 2, 2017. His funeral service will be held on Saturday, 
October 7, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the St. Peter A.M.E. Church in Fort 
Valley, Georgia.
  Reverend Elijah Smith, Sr. was born on December 28, 1939, in Fort 
Valley, Georgia, to the union of the late Mr. Samuel L. Smith and the 
late Mrs. Ola M. Johnson Smith. He was educated in the Peach County 
School System.
  On October 11, 1964, Reverend Smith received a calling that would 
change his life forever--he was called to preach the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ. He acknowledged this calling at the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church 
in Peach County. His first pastoral appointment occurred in 1967 in the 
Eastman Circuit in Eastman, Georgia. He served in Eastman for four 
years. He was then assigned to the Allen Chapel and Mountain Creek 
A.M.E. Churches in Sumter County where he served for a total of 13 
years. In 1984, he was assigned to the St. John A.M.E. Church in 
Columbus, Georgia. During this time, the church was destroyed by a 
tornado and he was instrumental in the rebuilding of the church at its 
current location on Steam Mill Road in Columbus. He served at St. John 
for ten years. Because of his legacy of service and his commitment to 
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was appointed by Bishop Donald George 
Kenneth Ming as the Presiding Elder of the Eastern District. He was at 
the time one of three presiding Elders in the Southwest Georgia 
Conference of thee African-Methodist Episcopal Church. At the time of 
his retirement as a Presiding Elder, he was senior Presiding Elder in 
charge of thirty-six churches. He also retired as a Civil Service 
Employee at Robins Air Force Base, as an electronic technician. He also 
was an entrepreneur, as he was the owner of D and S Florist in Fort 
Valley, Georgia.
  Shirley Chisholm once said that, ``Service is the rent that we pay 
for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Reverend Smith not

[[Page 15726]]

only paid his rent, as a minister of the gospel, but he paid his rent 
with his many social and civic affiliations. During his lifetime, he 
received many awards to include: Joseph Roscoe Campbell Freedom Award 
for service to the Concerned Citizens Movement for the Americus-Sumter 
County NAACP; Special Recognition Award for outstanding and dedicated 
service to the Americus Police Department and the Sumter County 
Community for his spiritual guidance as chaplain; The Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Minister's Community Service Award in recognition of 
outstanding and meritorious service to the church and community from 
the Columbus; Georgia Chapter of Push; the Sixth Episcopal District 
(state of Georgia) sons of Allen Award of Support; one of the 50 Most 
influential African Americans in the Columbus-Ft. Benning and Phenix 
City Area. He was also a lifetime member of the NAACP, since March of 
1996. Reverend Smith served as a past President of the Americus-Sumter 
Branch of the NAACP. He was always pushing African-Americans to use 
their political power at the ballot box to effectuate positive social 
change.
  Rev. Elijah Smith loved people and he always fought for what was 
right. He was guided by his love of God and his love of people. Mother 
Teresa once said that, ``At the end of life we will not be judged by 
how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how 
many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry, and 
you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was 
homeless, and you took me in.''' Rev. Elijah Smith used his life for 
good and to help others. He always believed that the ``time is always 
right to do that which is right.''
  On a personal note, Rev. Smith and his family have been dear friends 
to my wife Vivian and me for many years, and I will always value the 
support, encouragement and counsel that he imparted to me over the 
years.
  Rev. Elijah Smith was a great man and accomplished many things in his 
life, but none of this would have been possible with out the love and 
support of his family. His legacy lives on through his wife, Janet, his 
children, step children, grandchildren and all of those that he touched 
in a special way.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 730 000 
constituents of the Second Congressional District of Georgia salute and 
honor the life of Reverend Elijah Smith, Sr. for his commitment to 
spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ for over five decades and serving 
humankind. I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join 
us in extending our deepest condolences to Reverend Smith's family 
during this difficult time. We pray that they will be consoled and 
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks 
and months ahead.

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