Jerimiah Smith
Director of Global Ministries
817-276-6415
What year did you start working at First Baptist?
2009
Tell us how you came to know
Christ:
Well, I “prayed the prayer” when I was
about 10 years old while attending T Bar M Sports Camp in New Braunfels,
Texas. This is when I came to know Christ as Savior.
However, at the age of 16, I attended a disciple now and began to understand
the importance of commitment and surrender. It was at this point that my
life actually changed because now I understood Christ as Lord and
recognized it is an impossibility to have Christ as Savior and not have
Him as Lord.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
It may sound cliché, but in all honest …
everything. This truly is a dream job for me. The opportunity to
take the story of the gospel across the globe, invest in others here, learn
from those who have gone before me and continue to see God move in the lives of
so many is more than I could ever ask for in a career.
What’s your favorite Bible verse currently?
Always has been II Timothy 2:10
What do you feel like God is teaching you lately?
Recently I feel like God has taught me a great deal
about His mercy. The story in Luke’s gospel that speaks of the simple
prayer of the tax collector who says, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke
18:13) seems to continually resonate in my mind. There is a simplicity in
that prayer that pertains to all areas of life. There is so much we have
that we don’t deserve. There is so much we long for and get angry with
God if He does not respond as we would like. However, lately I feel like
God is showing me that all life should be lived in a constant awareness of His
mercy and a humble consciousness of our own brokenness. In my experience, this
helps shed our own ambitions and brings us closer to His.
What are your hobbies?
Sports, music, sports,
music, sports, music and … sports.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up and why?
Well, at an early age I always imagined being the star
athlete to hit the game-winning homerun, make the game-winning jump shot or
throw the game-winning pass. Clearly a result of my desire for fame and
fortune. However, as I continued to grow up, more realistic goals always
seemed to always vacillate back and forth between being in ministry or being a
lawyer. I guess the reason is because I enjoy communicating, especially
if it’s to make a point (or as my wife would say, to win an argument).
Tell us a bit about your
family?
I have been married for five years to
the most amazing girl in the world, Jennifer. Not sure how I tricked her
into saying, “yes,” but whatever I did worked and I’m so thankful it did.
She’s a Registered Nurse who has a strong love for photography, painting and
the arts. My parents live in Abilene, TX (home of the first Taco
Bueno). I have an older sister who lives in Frisco and is married with
two amazing children. Without question, my family is one of the top
priorities in my life.
What’s your favorite meal and who would be attending?
Chicken Fajitas and one of the following: 1) Bob Stoops
to talk sports; 2) Chris Martin to talk music; 3) My grandfather John Jerimiah
King to talk about everything.
Tell us a little known fact about yourself:
I weighed 12 lbs. 1 oz at birth … YIKES!!!
Why should someone get involved at First Baptist Church
Arlington?
The people here have a sincere but
down-to-earth passion for their God and Savior. If you get to know them
then you just might get to know Him more.