In the life of a Christian, it becomes a journey into humility to see God put events together with an awesome purpose.
An example would be the two years Vince Smith spent as the volunteer children’s worship pastor at Cropwell Baptist Church near Pell City or when he helped start a bus ministry. The latter gave Smith opportunities to connect with and respond to unchurched people.
The former showed Smith how to start from the beginning, with the basics, to teach someone about Jesus. Those years also allowed him to see — with the guidance of Jeff Huey, the church’s minister to students at the time — how to prepare for weekly church services.
All those experiences are proving beneficial in his current work with the Appalachian Church Planters (ACP) project, which is currently focusing on areas in North Carolina.
Smith and his wife, Misty, along with their two young daughters — Alexey and Catherine — left Cropwell Baptist last summer to work with ACP. The goal of that project is to plant 50 churches in 25 years in the Appalachian region from north Georgia to Maine.
Since September, Vince Smith has been serving as missions leader of Cox’s Creek Baptist Church near Spruce Pine, N.C., one of the first three church plants in the project.
Just coming to that place of service was the result of a providential design in the Smiths’ lives.
In 1997, Randy Bonner was on staff at Cropwell Baptist when he led Vince Smith to the Lord. During the years following, Bonner and his family left Cropwell Baptist to embark on his vision — the church planting project. The Smiths, through summer missions trips on which they took children in their church, were exposed to the work of ACP.
From those experiences the Smiths gave up their lawn maintenance and landscaping business — Lakeside Landscaping Services. The family made a leap of faith, choosing instead to live on what Bonner said could be considered part-time pay.
But even that is for a purpose, according to Misty Smith. Having to live on less gives them insight into the struggles faced by those to whom they are ministering.
Mitchell County, N.C., has a per capita market income that hovers around $15,000, according to the Web site of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Vince Smith visits in the homes of Cox’s Creek to pray with people, find out about needs and encourage them to be involved in the church.
Bonner pointed out that one out of every two people in the Appalachian region, is unchurched.
In the vicinity of all three ACP churches, more than 95 percent were unchurched, said Bob Adams, chief operating officer of ACP. The ACP churches are established right in the unreached communities, attended by people from those neighborhoods.
In fact, one of the other two ACP churches — Walnut Avenue Baptist — is in a government housing community, said Bonner, who works with Western Carolina Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, N.C, the first ACP church.
“We’re real untraditional,” Smith said, explaining that he wears jeans when he preaches at Cox’s Creek Baptist, which was once a gas station. Even the service time — 1 p.m. — is out of the ordinary. Walnut Avenue’s service is at 2 p.m.
Untraditional or not, the concept is producing fruit. Cox’s Creek Baptist averaged an attendance of about 13 last summer and has now more than doubled that number. The Smiths have since seen more professions of faith, two of those occurring in a family that practiced witchcraft.
The Smiths also have used some untraditional means for reaching out to people to tell them about Christ. One of those was a “free” yard sale, where people could go to get clothes. The free yard sale created such excitement among the congregation and the community that the Smiths plan to have another.
Misty Smith explained that, like the free yard sale, the unconventional service times have a definite spiritual purpose. “Our churches are scheduled in such a way so people can go to both churches,” she said.
The plan, said Bonner, is to keep duplicating this concept in other parts of the Appalachian. The fourth ACP church is expected to open this spring.
“We take the Great Commission literally, and we go,” noted Bonner.
He continued by saying that Smith — whom Bonner described as “someone after God’s heart” — is working to help Cox’s Creek make the transition to a permanent pastorate. Then, Smith will continue helping plant churches elsewhere.
While funding for ACP comes mainly from individuals and other churches, the work is similar to many efforts sponsored by the North American Mission Board across the United States. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering helps support the missionaries in those areas.
Bonner and the Smiths credit their home church, Cropwell Baptist, with financial and prayer support. A missions team from the church also has assisted in the ministry.
“We draw off the prayer of God’s people for our encouragement,” Bonner said.
Misty Smith is forging new paths in her life and service. She has been helping to teach an adult to read and also has been leading a women’s Bible study each week.
Such enthusiasm and diligence to serve the Lord is what struck Adams about the Smiths. Joining ACP was, for them, “a complete leap of faith,” he said. “It’s a total faith ministry.”
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