He is a prayer warrior.  He prays.  He prays for missionaries.  He uses the MTW directory.  He prays for pastors. He uses the PCA’s gray book listing all the ministers to do so.  He prays through CMPC’s church directory. He prays for all of us.

A Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) founding father, Kennedy Smartt, celebrated his 100^th birthday on November 7.  A crowd of 500 gathered in Chestnut Mountain Presbyterian Church’s Covenant Life Center, in Chestnut Mountain, GA, to honor Kennedy’s 100^th birthday as well as to celebrate the church’s 150^th birthday. Kennedy served as an Assistant Pastor at CMPC for 30 years.

Kennedy and other concerned men in the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) began the process of considering establishing a new denomination in the late 1960s due to increasing liberalism and loss of mission focus in the PCUS.  In late 1973, that happened when the PCA was born.  Kennedy and many others took a risk, one for the glory of God and the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Recently retired CMPC Pastor John Batusic described Kennedy this way:

It’s tough to limit what to say about Kennedy, especially to sum up 100 years of living.  Born during Calvin Coolidge’s presidency, and now living under his 17^th president.  Kennedy was a World War II hero who was awarded the Purple Heart, a passionate evangelist and pastor who was the grandfather of Evangelism Explosion after training D. James Kennedy in evangelism.  He started the blood donor program which made CMPC the leading blood donor church in at least the southeastern United States.

He visited many of your homes and invited you to CMPC, or his was the first face you saw when you attended here, and Kennedy would always remember your name.

He was a devoted husband to Mary, and the father of four children and eight grandchildren.

He is a prayer warrior.  He prays.  He prays for missionaries.  He uses the MTW directory.  He prays for pastors. He uses the PCA’s gray book listing all the ministers to do so.  He prays through CMPC’s church directory. He prays for all of us.

On a personal level, having first heard of Kennedy being a ‘neat pastor’ from a friend at age 11, when I finally met Kennedy as a young pastor serving outside of Hopewell, Virginia, the city where he had served, and was a local legend, he was an amazing encouragement to me and the church like he was to so many PCA churches as he visited across the denomination.  He was always in demand as a mission conference speaker and Faith Promise promoter for more than a quarter of a century.

It’s safe to say he was THE face of PCA for many.

For me personally he was a mentor, role model, co-worker, and friend.  It was a great day for CMPC when he came into my study and asked for a job, and without a salary.  I said, “Give me 5 seconds to think about this.”  He became a chaplain to the community and for many years his impact was felt across the whole community, including his service as the first chaplain at Eagle Ranch and his role as a mentor in the schools.  And he was the first assistant pastor ever elected as moderator of the PCA General Assembly!

He is a true churchman, a stalwart of the faith, a Spirit-filled man of God with unbridled optimism in the power of God, and all of us here are delighted that we have the privilege to have had you in our lives and to share today with you.

And one day when he is finally home, I cannot imagine the number of people from around the world, from countless nations and tribes, who will come up and thank him for having played a part in their salvation story.

For a Spirit-filled century long life well lived, may we say to God be the glory,  and to Kennedy, a very Happy 100^th birthday.

John Batusic is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is the retired Paster of Chestnut Mountian PCA in Chestnut Mountain, GA.