The Reverend Dr. Alethea Smith-Withers Testimony

God works in mysterious ways, we all know that, but we are rarely prepared for God’s mystery in the context of our own lives.  In June of 1999, I contracted pneumonia and was admitted to Howard University Hospital.  I had fluid around my lungs and in the course of one of the medical procedures, I had a anaphylactic reaction to latex and was taken to intensive care.  I then had surgery and ended up being in the hospital for thirty very long days.

It is impossible to imagine how desperate I was to get well and get out of the hospital. At a point, I decided to make a bargain with God (I was in the Pavilion level of Howard University Hospital)… Desperate people do and say desperate things… illogical things… for, indeed, there is no reason to attempt to bargain with God. God knows our thoughts and our hearts. But I am human and attempted to bargain, nevertheless.

I said, “God, if you get me out of this hospital, I’ll start a church.” Start a church?! Not only was I surprised by my words, I was confused. At that time I was an Associate Minister at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church and was happy and thankful to be serving at this wonderful church under the direction of the Reverend Dr. Derrick Harkins. So, why a promise to start a church? That aside, the thing that stands out in my memory is that the very next day, my doctor discharged me from the hospital!

I was shocked! I couldn’t help but remember my “bargain,” while simultaneously doing everything I could to forget it. I didn’t want to start a church! The idea terrified me… I am living in the male dominated District of Columbia… I am not what others call a “strong” preacher… not equipped with the personality to do outreach… evangelism terrifies me! So, I simply thanked the Lord for enabling to be discharged and I prayed for continued healing.

A mere three days after returning home, still on breathing treatments six times a day, a young man, Okera Stewart, called me and asked if I would counsel a young couple, both friends of his. I told him that I was not well enough to do counseling, explaining that I had been hospitalized for thirty days and was just beginning to recuperate.  The next day Okera called, again. I wondered what aspect of “no” did he not understand! On the following day, 3 days after being at home, the young man who needed the counseling called… I listened to him and agreed to meet with him and his wife.  After our session, they asked, “Do you have a church?”

My Lord, that was a question that penetrated my soul and punctuated all of the space around me. Thinking about my bargain with God which was slowly and miraculously being transformed into a promise and my personal acknowledgment of a deeper call, I answered haltingly, “No. I do not have a church. But, I.. will.. be.. starting.. one.”  They looked at me and smiled and said, “Great! Let us know when and we’ll come” That young couple and Okera were among the founding members of The Pavilion of God – a Baptist Community!

Beloved, God’s ways are mysterious and miraculous! In the book of Isaiah, God says:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

I am so very thankful for the might and power of God. I am thankful that God has made a provision for us to reach and attain all that God assigns to our hands. Jesus is that provision. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13) Through God and the strength of Jesus, I discovered that I, a woman, could be a founder and pastor of a church. Praise the Lord!

Beloved, I made that discovery in the year 2000 and God is not through with me or the Pavilion of God!

Amen.

Love and blessings,

alethea

A Few Facts: The Reverend Dr. Alethea Roselyn Smith-Withers

• Loves the Lord and is called according to God’s purpose.
• Married to Charles Withers of Charlotte, North Carolina. They have one son, Charles Albert Withers, II, a physician in North Carolina, who is married to their beloved daughter-in-Christ, Crystal and three precious GRANDchildren, Layal, Portia, and Charles Alexander.
• First female to found a Baptist church in the District of Columbia coming out of the historic Nineteenth Street Baptist Church.
• Known as a “barrier breaker” and “bridge builder.”
• Serves on the Board of Directors of DC Baptist Convention.
• A PEW Foundation Urban Ministry Fellow and Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Fellow.
• Served as the first female associate pastor at the historic Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
• Served for seven years at First Congregational Church in Washington, DC.
• Served as the Director of Family Ministry at Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.
• For years, has led Rites of Passage programs, Kwanzaa, and other cultural celebrations.
• An advocate for people of color and the poor, and at-risk youth.
• A speaker for the American Psychological Association’s annual convention; the recipient of the numerous community service awards.
• A facilitator for retreats and a frequent preacher and lecturer.
• Veteran of the civil rights movement.
• Christian activist who looks to the future with vision and hope.
• Earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Howard University School of Divinity.
• Strives to live out the meaning of James 2:26, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.”