By Loreal Moore

news@demopolistimes.com

St. Paul Baptist Church officially welcomed its new pastor May 1.

Pastor DeAyrus Smith, 28, has been in ministry for five years.

“I accepted the calling February of 2006,” said Smith, a Linden native. Smith defines ministry as reaching lost souls for Christ. Any time there is an opportunity to spread the gospel, it is known as ministry.

St. Paul hopes to make Pastor Smith its permanent pastor, due to the mere fact that the church has been searching for one for quite some time.

“If it’s the Lord’s will, and I am praying and hoping that we can make this transition permanent, that I become their full-time pastor,” Smith said.

Smith has plans of future growth for St. Paul and how to make those plans a reality.

“By preaching the word of God, our plan is to grow the church spiritually by creating a conducive atmosphere,” Smith explained.

Smith adds that the church will be adding another wing on to its building.

The added wing will be comprised of a basketball gym, up to 13 classrooms, conference rooms, a kitchen and a daycare center.

Smith graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a B.S. in Business Administration and Managing Information Systems (MIS).

He also has a Certification as a Computer Technician from Virginia College. “I’m just an average person and I try every day to live a better life than before,” Smith, who also enjoys basketball and is an avid hunter and fisherman, said.