Associate Pastor

Dwayne Smith - Associate Pastor and Upward Director

Dwayne is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina and is a 1982 graduate of Berean Baptist Academy. He attended Hyles-Anderson College from 1982-1987. After college, he moved home to Fayetteville and became certified as an EMT-Paramedic. It was at Berean that he met his wonderful wife, Shawn. In 1993, he re-located to Raleigh, N.C. and took at job with Wake County EMS. In 1996, the Lord began to do a great work in Dwayne's life. On September 5, 1996, Hurricane Fran struck the Raleigh area. While working that night, he had a great fear that he would lose his life sometime during that storm. He began to ponder eternity, and came to the realization that he had never truly repented from sin, turned from selfish pride and desires, given himself to Christ, or answered God's true calling of salvation. On December 6, 1996, Dwayne was saved. Early in 1997, God called him into the ministry, and he surrendered to do whatever God would have him do. Dwayne graduated from Bethany Divinity College and Seminary with a degree in Pastoral Ministries in 1999.

The Smith family moved to Canoga Park, California, and Dwayne took a staff position at Faith Baptist Church and Schools. He taught fourth grade and worked on the church staff in a variety of ways. They met so many friends and have fond memories of their time serving the Lord in California. In 2003, the Lord brought the Smiths back to Fayetteville, where Dwayne and Shawn joined the staff of Liberty Christian Academy. He taught fourth grade and Junior and Senior high classes;served as the Elementary Vice-Principal for two years; Athletic Director for one year; and coached basketball for two years. During this same time, Dwayne served as the Music & Youth Pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Hope Mills, N.C. He was the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Hope Mills, N.C. from 2006-2007.

In the spring of 2007, the Lord led the Smith family back to Berean. Dwayne is the associate pastor to Pastor Sean, the Upward Sports Coordinator, the Adult Sunday School Superintendent, and teaches the Wednesday night Chapel Bible Study.

Dwayne and Shawn have two children: Bradley, who is serving in the US Army, and Morgan, a student at BBA. His hobbies are reading (especially US, World, and Church History)and sports. He enjoys being involved in athletics through coaching and officiating. His favorite saying comes from John Newton: "There are two things I know for sure. I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior." His two life verses are Isaiah 40:31 and Galatians 2:20.

Some of his favorite things are:

Hobbies: umpiring baseball and officiating basketball, reading and playing golf
Favorite Sports Teams: North Carolina State Wolfpack (all sports not just football or basketball), Washington Redskins, Chicago Cubs baseball ("I strongly dislike UNC, Duke, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Dallas Cowboys - not any particular person just the teams, and I pull for all teams that play any of them. I follow Nascar but not to the point where I spend all of my Sunday afternoons watching.")
Music: Classical, Soundtracks, especially when composed by John Williams, and acapella music,
Candy: ANYTHING chocolate
Author: John Piper, John MacArthur, David McCullough
Books I've read recently: "Radical" by David Platt, "What is the Gospel" by Greg Gilbert
Books currently reading: "Not a Fan" by Kyle Ideleman, "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell
Favorite Moment: "Baptizing my children and putting my son Bradley's Blue Infantry cord on him upon graduation from Infantry training at Ft. Benning"
Restaurants: 316 Oyster Bar, Texas Roadhouse, The Cheesecake Factory, Little Italy, Starbucks

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