The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TRIBUTES poured in over the weekend for National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention President Lloyd Smith, who died on Saturday.

Mr Smith was the senior pastor of Mount Horeb Baptist Church.

Rev Dr Philip McPhee, the acting president of the convention, said Mr Smith collapsed around noon before he was scheduled to give the eulogy at a service.

“He went into the bathroom and he collapsed but nobody noticed that he took such a long time, nobody checked on him,” Rev McPhee said. “Somebody should have checked on him.”

“By the time they got there, basically he was dead but they tried to resuscitate him and all of that but he already passed.”

“I spoke at his church this morning before I went to my church, and they were there in great numbers and crying. But they accepted what happened and they gotta move on.”

During a Ministry of Social Services and Department of Gender and Family Affairs event last year, Mr Smith controversially expressed his opposition to criminalising marital rape.

“We are the voice of the people. As preacher, pastor, president, we speak truth to power,” Rev McPhee said yesterday. “We are not hesitant to tell the whole story wherever we go. So when you talk about those who might not totally agree with them, that’s their problem.” 

He said Mr Smith impacted The Bahamas in many ways.

 Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis extended condolences in a press statement.

 “Dr Smith served the spiritual needs of his congregation as senior pastor at Mount Horeb Baptist Church in Sandyport. His ability to guide, to understand, and to inspire left a mark not just on his congregation but also on the wider community,” he said.

 Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard also said: “Rev Smith’s untimely departure has left a deep void not only in the hearts of his loved ones but also throughout the Christian community which he served with unwavering dedication and compassion.”

 “His immense contributions as the esteemed pastor of Mount Horeb Baptist Church touched the lives of countless individuals, inspiring faith and hope in the hearts of many.”