On Friday, Jan. The congregation was empty. The seats facing toward where Pastor Jonathan Lewis Smith used to greet everybody with an ear-to-ear smile were waiting for Sunday to come again. Whenever someone walked into the church, Pastor Jonathan welcomed them home. He welcomed thousands home since February He was a man of God, who wanted to share that love with community.
He was a Texan by birth, but Greeley lassoed his heart. Jolyn Smith sat at a white table just a few feet from where her husband did what he loved and gave his life to: spreading the word of God. She opened up about the encounters her late husband had.
Who he was, the memories they shared, the lives he influenced and what he had just begun to do in Greeley. Sadly for the past few weeks, when the congregation has taken their seats, they no longer see their pastor in his human form. Pastor Jonathan died at p. Saturday, Jan. He was born on Aug.
His widow, known as Sister Jolyn, spoke about their life together with keen details, almost like she was reading from a diary. He was the armor-bearer for the associate pastor whose daughter was getting married. You can call it smitten, but there was something there between them. At the post-wedding pool party in Grand Prairie, the two spent all day chatting.
She recalled him being a gentleman with his words and actions. He fixed her a plate of food, but she assumed his gestures were just him being polite. It led them to exchange emails and phone numbers. The drive from Grand Prairie to Carlsbad is nearly four hours. Three weeks later, she had a divine conversation.
