The Church

History of Holy Temple CHSC
Founder: Bishop W. T. Smith

In the year of 1953 April the Saturday night before Easter the Lord saved and filled me with the Holy Ghost under the leadership of  Evang. G.E. Joubert  Smith.  I served as a member, deacon and assistant pastor.  In the year of 1958 the Lord dealt with me to start a church in Dallas since I had moved here in 1955.  From 1955 until 1958 I went to LaRue every pastoral day.

In the year of 1958, the church was started in an old store-front, what we called a Café.  I would get my Bible, my old guitar, and I would sing, play, read scriptures and return home.  The second week my mother (the late Rosie Lee Mack) came and helped me, when she left my sister-in-law (the late Pastor Alma Williams) came to help out.  When I started my wife (Mother Earnestine Smith) was not able to attend because she had given birth to a beautiful baby boy (the late Vernon D. Smith), but shortly after she was able to be by my side.

I would sing, play, and preach the word under the power of the Holy Ghost.  We would praise God so, until two ladies fellowshipped with the church.  One was handicapped, and the other one was a widow with about seven children. 

The Lord led me to have a revival, and one night while the preacher (the late Elder Barrett) was preaching a drunk man came in the church and curse the preacher out, he got up and said he was going home to get his gun and walked out.  The preacher kept on preaching, and we kept on praising the Lord.

We was in a place called the Roosevelt addition, where every time it rained the saints would have to move from seat to seat due to the leak in the roof, not only did we have a leaky roof but snakes were bad and would often visit.  We didn't have indoor facilities, we had to go outside to use the restroom, and water was pumped from a well, but thru it all we continued to give God the Praise and Glory.

On one occasion, my wife, and my sister-in-law was dusting the seats getting ready for service and a rattle snake almost bit her, she just happen to jump back just before it struck.  Thanks to God we made it.

Soon after I was afflicted in my back and I had to have back surgery.  I was unable to attend church , so we had to close the doors for six months.  The day that I was leaving the hospital  for recovery, I was a lady that I knew, she was there visiting the sick and she ask me if we were still having church.  I explained to her my condition, and she said to me.  "I have a house in South Dallas that you can have church in, you don't have to pay any rent and if you like you can knock out the walls.  So we started up again with two members, and soon after one of them died.  I got discouraged and wanted to give up but the Lord spoke to me and told me that I couldn't give up because he didn't bring me this far to leave me, so I stayed and the Lord really begin to Bless.  The membership begin to grow, some came and some went but I kept the faith.  Sometimes the offering would be 50 cent.  Sunday School offering would sometimes be 75 cent and Morning Worship would be $1.50, and most of the time that came from me and my wife.  As time went on the Sunday School offering would run anywhere from $200 to $300 per Sunday and our Morning Service offerings would be anywhere from $350 to $1,000 per Sunday.

Now getting back to the church, we knocked out the walls to the church, but before we knocked out the walls, we would hear sounds coming from behind the walls and lo and behold there was bumble bees between the walls.  We got rid of the bees and their hone, by then the membership had grown to about seven.

In 1963, we decided to buy some property, five voted for it and two against it.  During that time Bishop E. L. McBride was the Superintendent.  He helped us and encouraged us by telling us that we could do it.  In 1964 we purchased the property and bought a building and put it on the property. Someone stole all the money ($450).  Some school boys broke in the house of the treasure and stole it, we was able to catch the boys but they had spent all the money except $90, but the Lord blessed us to get some more money and he kept blessing the church.

In 1983, we had to remodel the church because the Lord was adding to the church as he saw fit.  Souls were being saved and filled with the Holy Ghost.  We had a radio broadcast that came on every Saturday at 4 p.m. , on KSKY.  People would hear us and come and join the church.  The membership grew well over 100.  We have and have had some of the best musicians, choirs, and preachers in Dallas, Texas.  As time went on, some died, some started their own churches and took their families and some of the members with them, and some we couldn't give in account for. 

December 11, 2005 due to my illness, the mantle was passed to my son, Elder Titus Smith who has served faithfully and was dedicated to the call of the ministry.  My words to him was continue walk worthy of the call of Jesus Christ and to carry this church to the next level and to remember to always put God First.
 

Bishop Emeritus W. T. Smith
1923-2013