Unity Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa Baptist Association
Favorite Bible Verse: Philippians 1:21
Favorite Christian Song: “Days of Elijah”
Hobbies: spending time with children
Family Status: married to Lydia for 29 years; three children, Summer, Dixie and Melanie; one grandson, Wesley
Roy “Eddie” Smith is the bivocational pastor of Unity Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa. He has also been chaplain at Bibb County Correctional Facility for eight years. In 2004, Smith was named Chaplain of the Year by the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Q: What led you to become a chaplain?
A: I was already a preacher when I went to work as a correctional officer. I did that for eight years, and then I was a drug treatment counselor for two years. Then I went down to Bibb as chaplain when they opened in 1998.
Q: What does the ministry demand?
A: I have to be ready for any kind of situation that may come up — family problems, death in the family, violence at home. When I think I’ve dealt with every possible situation, something will come up that I would never have dreamed of. It’s a different calling.
Q: What do you get from the ministry?
A: The fulfillment of knowing some of them will change and become productive citizens. The best thing is knowing you’ve [helped] to redirect somebody’s life.
Q: What difference will this ministry make for you in the future?
A: It has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Experiences make you what you are today. The prison is a part of that. All of that goes into making me what I am today.
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