Rev. William A. Smith

Reverend William Arthur “Bill” Smith passed away at his home in Albany Oregon surrounded by his loving family on June 25, 2023 at the age of 79. Bill was born to Raymond Sylvester Smith & Mabel Clair (Blodgett) on September 22, 1943 in Corvallis Oregon. Bill grew up in Harlan Oregon on a family farm where they raised cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens, honeybees and grew a large vegetable garden. Bill’s father was a Sawyer at a local Harlan sawmill. When Bill was 4 years old, his Mother went blind. Bill and his twin brother Will took turns staying home from school to help their mom. As a kid, Bill is remembered for leading his mother around by the hand and helping with the household and farm chores. Bill loved the outdoors and grew up hunting and fishing. He excelled in school despite the challenges and was the 8th grade valedictorian of the last class to attend the Harlan grade school. A 1961 graduate of Eddyville High School, Bill was a four year letterman in Football, Basketball and Baseball. In addition, he excelled in FFA and 4H, winning many achievement awards. Bill attended Northwest Bible College in Kirkland Washington starting in 1961. Bill had a dream of a girl his age playing an accordion on a stage. Shortly after, he saw Judith “Judy” Waring at 12 years old at a 4H event playing the accordion just like the dream. He went home and announced to his mom that he had met the girl he wanted to marry. On July 14th, 1962 the two were married in Newport Oregon. They had 5 children, 3 foster children and opened their home to other kids for short time periods as well. Altogether, Bill and Judy currently have 20 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Bill came to salvation through Jesus Christ as a teenage at Chapel Of The Valley in Harlan. His first ministry opportunity was at that same church at the age of 16 as a fill-in preacher. He was Bi-Vocational from the start, first working as a Logger and as a Pioneer Church Planter in logging camps and island towns in SE Alaska including; Port Alice AK, False Island AK near Sitka and Kake AK, near Saginaw Bay. At the logging camp on False Island, he became the armed bear guard after a grizzly attack on the timber cutters. Bill served as an Assistant Pastor at Beacon Rainier Assembly in Seattle while working at a garden store and attending Northwest Bible College for a second time in 1968. In 1969, Bill became Pastor of Umatilla Assembly of God Church in Oregon while working in a potato packing warehouse. In 1972 Bill and Judy pastored in Wrangell Alaska and Bill worked as a commercial fisherman in the summer and as a fur trapper in the winter. In 1972 he was ordained by the Alaska District of The Assemblies of God in Fairbanks. In 1974 Bill and Judy and their 5 kids moved back to Harlan to pioneer a family farm and start a logging business. In 1977 Bill was badly injured in a logging accident that he barely survived. After his accident he provided for his family by doing beekeeping and became the Lincoln County Trapper. Bill resumed his logging company and he and Judy took in three foster children in 1988. In 1990 Bill began traveling to Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and other Central American countries as an evangelist. That led to an invitation to preach in the African country of Togo during a civil war. Bill’s style of preaching was well received and a ministry called Worldwide Crusades was born. In between these exciting and successful preaching opportunities in many African, Central American, South American and Caribbean nations, Bill continued his logging company to provide for his family and sometimes finance his outreach events. From 1996 to 2016 Bill and Judy were the Pastors of Alsea Christian Fellowship in the Oregon coast range. During their time at Alsea Christian Fellowship, they built a new church building and had 20 years of successful ministry while also traveling to preach, train national leaders and take building teams to other countries through the ministry of Worldwide Crusades which was renamed Worldwide Outreach. In 2015 because of health reasons, Bill nominated his son, Derick to continue and expand Worldwide Outreach, an independent non-denominational ministry which is now working in over 30 countries around the world. The ministry still holds outreach evangelism events and has a new focus on equipping national pastors, church planters and evangelists to reach their own people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to help pioneer outreach efforts to unreached people groups around the world through partnerships and national missions teams. William “Bill” Smith was preceded in death by his brother Robert in 1951 who was killed while cutting timber. Bill was only 8 years old. His mother Mable died in 1961 when Bill was 17 years old and had just graduated from Eddyville High School. His father Raymond passed in 1974, his sister Marlene in 2014 and his twin brother Wilmer “Will” passed in 2020. Bill is survived by his brother Richard of Sisters Oregon, his wife Judith of Albany Oregon and their 8 children: Stephen (Becky) of Clinton Washington, Karen of Central Oregon, Sterling (Alice) of Washougal Washington, Janelle (Todd) of Harlan Oregon, Derick (Shannon) of Post Falls Idaho, Sarah (Kenton) of Alsea Oregon, Joseph of Litchfield Minnesota and Susan (Dan) of Theodore Alabama. 20 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren were dearly loved by their “Papa” who lived a full and adventurous life for the Lord. Bill will be laid to rest at the Harlan Pioneer Cemetery. The funeral service will be Saturday, July 8th at 11:00am at Alsea Christian Fellowship, 18080 Alsea Highway, Alsea Oregon. Open casket viewing is available on Friday, July 7th from 3-7pm at McHenry Funeral Home, 206 NW 5th Street, Corvallis Oregon and from 9am to 11am before the funeral service at Alsea Christian Fellowship. Memorial Donations can be made to Worldwide Outreach, which Bill founded in 1994, to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com

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Rev. William A. Smith

September 22, 1943 - June 25, 2023