Last Thursday Maury Smith went to be with the Lord. Maury was sick for eleven long years. He is no longer imprisoned within that body. This Wednesday I have the privilege to conduct his memorial service. Maury loved the Lord. He loved the Word of God. He loved to teach the Word of God. He loved to sing. I will miss him !
Seventeen years ago Maury invited me to work along side him with a struggling new church plant in Shelbyville, Indiana. The new church had struggled for a number of years, but Maury was determined to stay with it. Maury and the other elders in his church invited me to step in as interim pastor. Together we rolled up our sleeves, trusted the Lord and gave it one more shot. Maury worked night and day as a faithful elder. Soon the church began to grow and after approximately two years Pastor Brad Davis who had recently graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary was invited to take up the role as full-time/ permanent Sr. Pastor. Under his pastoral leadership, the church is today a thriving church family of more than 1,000 believers. None of this would have happened without the steadfast, unmoveable dedication on the part of Maury Smith…..a Godly, faithful elder. Not long before Maury became ill he went on staff as one of the associate pastors. Someone might make the mistake of saying that his ministry was cut short. But that is not true. In life, in sickness and even in death, Maury’s testimony changed thousands of lives for Christ. We will miss him !
onemorechurch 