steve smith
Born in 1961, in New Jersey, Steve grew up in the “Me Generation”. Raised in Delhi, NY, Steve went from K to 12 in one school. Steve looked for fun, excitement, pleasure and recognition in team sports, instrumental and vocal music, drama, art, poetry, and girls. Steve chose a college in New Jersey, hoping to take everything fun about high school and amp it! The best thing about college for Steve was meeting his wife-to-be, Theresa! Upon graduation, Steve offered to buy Theresa an engagement ring! She settled for a Baskins Robins ice cream cone!
In 1983 Steve took a job teaching English and American literature at a State University in Thailand. He wrote Theresa daily (sometimes twice a day) waxing poetic about love and a future in academia together. God had other plans!
The culture-shock in Asia was intense. Not fitting in, not speaking Thai, Steve offended people who saw him as rude, immature and distasteful. Steve began to realize how egotistical and ethnocentric his life had been. Totally empty, alone, deeply ashamed and depressed, Steve became seriously ill. Febrile and unable to hold in any food or liquids, Steve lost 40 pounds in two weeks and began hallucinating.
In a vision, Steve saw himself as nothing but skin and bones, his name on a sheet of paper, and a single choice. He could either clutch this paper to his chest or release it into the light. Steve knew that clinging to his name meant falling away into a horror beyond words, but that sending his name into the light meant experiencing an entirely different but even greater fear. Steve let the paper go and it disappeared into the light. Weeks later Steve got better and went back to work.
On November 20, 1983, Steve was invited to a church in Bangkok where he heard, believed, and received the good news of Jesus Christ! Steve repented of his sins, called out to Jesus to come into his heart, to forgive his sins and cleanse his conscience with His blood. Steve surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus and offered his life to God saying, “Jesus, I no longer want to live for myself, but I want You to live Your life through me.” Born again into eternal life, from that day on, the Bible became a secret meeting place where Steve experienced two-way communication with God and began to experience the joy of answered prayers. His letters to Theresa changed, telling her she needed Jesus too. Theresa came to Thailand to reclaim Steve. But on Good Friday, April 20, 1984, Theresa encountered Jesus herself, instantly knowing He was the promised Messiah. His peace washed her from head to toe, and He became her Lord and Savior. Afterwards, Steve had a dream in which he introduced many people to Jesus. He and Theresa returned to the U.S. to get married and prepare for ministry together.
Steve and Theresa have both received their Master of Divinity. Steve was ordained in 1987 as an Elder in the United Methodist Church and served churches in upstate New York for five years. Steve transferred his ordination to a missions organization and served a community church in the Catskills as Associate Pastor for eight years. Theresa became an RN. Moving to Northern NY in 1999, Steve pastored a community church in Moira, facilitated drug treatment programs in State prisons, and provided counseling for a local Domestic Violence Intervention Program. In 2003 Steve was certified as a NYSDOCCS Protestant prison chaplain and in 2006 began ministering to incarcerated individuals, their families, and facility staff. In 2009 Steve transferred his ordination to Elim Fellowship. Steve retired in 2020.
The Smiths have three adult children: a daughter and, after ten years of miscarriages, two sons. Steve and Theresa are no strangers to human suffering, yet they have discovered God’s love, working in the midst of crisis, to bring, by the Holy Spirit, the comfort, strength, healing, hope, and good humor needed for people to help each other overcome. God’s still teaching Steve and Theresa how to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. They love people and they love God’s church!