Church Missionary Celebrates 100th Birthday
Friends, family and well-wishers from across the UK, America, Canada and Jamaica attended the 100th birthday celebration of Missionary Matilda Smith – a former leader within the New Testament Assembly (NTA).
In a celebration hosted by Bishop Delroy Powell, former leader of the NTA, Missionary Smith heard tributes from church leaders, former church members, her children and grand-children, and a musical rendition from Pastor Errol Doyley and Margery Barrows.
Alongside her husband, the late Pastor Frank Smith, Missionary Smith co-pastored NTA Plaistow, east London. She also went on missions abroad to countries including Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Ghana, and the USA.
Missionary Smith’s achievements include building a New Testament Church of God in Bensonton in St Ann’s, Jamaica – the town of her birth. The church pastor Rev Astley Brown, wrote her a letter, stating the church would by setting up a Scholarship fund in her name to provide financial support to school pupils experiencing hardship.
Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, also sent Missionary Smith a birthday letter. He described her as ‘a proud member of the Windrush Generation’ and wrote that her life has been ‘marked by service, faith, and an unwavering commitment to uplifting others’.
Missionary Smith enjoyed her day in the spotlight saying: “My name gone abroad!!!”
