Mexico City-born Pastor Arturo Smith, leader of the Spanish-speaking congregation of Lakeside Presbyterian Church, died in a Guadalajara hospital on November 28 at the age of 58.
A widower with three children, Smith met Victoria, a divorcee with a daughter, in Phoenix, Arizona. They were married in 1996 and melded their families into one.
It was in Arizona where Smith said he first “met the Lord” and felt a burning desire to share his faith everywhere and with everyone he met. In 2002, he was invited by a friend to open a church in Tempe, Arizona that would be a mission of the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana. He stayed for four years.
Smith and his wife moved to Guadalajara in 2006 after trips to the Middle East, where he originally thought his calling might belong.
Arturo and Victoria were being trained in Biblical matrimonial counseling and canvassed the community door to door when they first came to Lakeside. They began holding Bible study three times a week at Lakeside Presbyterian. Those Bible study classes grew to more than 40 local Mexican citizens who encouraged him to start a Sunday morning worship service there.
Due to their doctrinal differences with established Presbyterian churches in Mexico, Smith encouraged the sponsoring English-language church to join him in applying for and becoming an independent registered religious organization in Mexico. The Iglesia Presbyteriana del Lago (d.b.a. Lakeside Presbyterian Church) was approved and became a certified independent denomination in Mexico in June 2011.
The Spanish-language church has grown to an average Sunday attendance of more than 60, including a Sunday School and a vibrant youth organization. It is largely due to Smith’s energy that this congregation was built and has developed.
Smith is survived by his wife Victoria of Ajijic, a son, Jorge Arturo Smith of Miami, Florida, daughters Claudia and Carolina Smith and Cecelia Cardenas of Guadalajara.
A celebration of Smith’s life will be held Saturday, December 8, 3 p.m. at Lakeside Presbyterian Church.