Bishop James C. Smith

Bishop James C. Smith was the second founding pastor of Calvary Holiness Church of God.  He being one of the eight founders of Calvary was baptized in the Holy Ghost in December 1952 during the prayer service being held in his home under the ministry of Brother Marion T. Moody who was a member of Pilgrim Glorious.  During their first prayer service held in the Smith’s home where Bishop Smith’s wife, Mother Essie Mae was baptized in the Holy Ghost, and within the next few minutes Mother Minnie Harmon who had invited her cousin, Bro. Moody to come have prayer with them, was also baptized in the Holy Ghost. 

At receiving the Holy Ghost, Bishop Smith said the Lord told him, “Servant, if you bow now, I’ll bless you.”  He did bow, and surely the Lord blessed him.  Upon being Spirit-filled and learning God’s Word, he was later ordained as Chairman of the Deacon Board and Sunday School Teacher by Bishop Hill. Deacon Smith then, became an anointed teacher of the Gospel.  He labored in the study of God’s word, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to him the mysteries of God’s Word.  Being a man of meager formal education, the Holy Spirit certainly endowed him to teach the Word under the anointing and power of God.  A couple of years later Deacon Smith accepted the calling into the ministry, and was then ordained again by Bishop Hill. 

Some years later as this group of people quietly and with the blessing of Bishop Hill, became independently incorporated as the Calvary Holiness Church of God with Bishop Hezekiah Corbitt as pastor, Bishop Corbitt ordained Elder James C. Smith to be his assistant pastor.

Bishop Smith was married to the Mother Essie Mae Smith.  From this union they had five children, James Jr., Charles Donease, David, Sherah and Stephen. Several years after the passing of his first wife, he married Mother Dorothy T. Smith in 2005. Though he lived in Orangeburg till his passing, he lived most of his life in Cayce, where he was recognized as a pillar in Cayce community. 

Bishop Smith was a professional brick mason and with the brethren of the church labored many weekends to build our edifice that sits now on the hill in Cayce.  He and Deacon Lester Harmon gave up their fishing and hunting weekends. Deacon Robert Rhodes gave up delivering wood on some weekends and Bishop Corbitt gave up his weekend work at Howard’ Department Store, and they labored together to build the sanctuary we now enjoy.

Bishop Smith was a man of vision and saw beyond his present.  He loved serving the people.  He ministered to the needs of the people while passionately teaching and preaching the Word of God. In July 1992, he was ordained pastor of Calvary and later ordained to the office of bishop.  With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he was able to institute the “Storehouse”, several domestic and foreign outreach ministries, led the building of the fellowship hall addition to Calvary, and oversaw Calvary’s parking lot being put in place in his last days.  He also worked with the development of young people, even from his early days in the little church.  He would have young people’s classes, instruct them how to study, even show the young men how to teach the word of God, encourage them all, male and female, to be saved and seek higher education, and better jobs.   He always said, “I may wear out, but I certainly won’t rust out”.  This mantra he carried out until he went home to be with the Lord in December 2015.  His legacy lives on as we endeavor to carry out his proverb, “Working together in faith, in God, will get the job done.”