5 Questions with Miguel Smith

Miguel Smith

West Side Community

Leader

Founder of In God’s Hands Ministries

What is God doing on the West Side?

God bless you. I will say that the problems the West Side has is with the young people. I think we need to focus more on unity between all the churches to reach the young souls, especially those on the streets. I am doing my part to advance the kingdom of God here on the West Side doing different activites for the youth.  I run a basketball league where I have a guest speaker everytime we meet for basketball and I invite different guys from churches to come and play. One of the rules I have for everyone from our church is you have to bring a guy who doesn’t know the Lord. It’s working. I am grateful to God for how he is working and so far we have five souls who have accepted Christ as Saviour. One of the problems on the West Side community is the young people and we need to target them and take them off the streets and show them there is hope in the Lord. I am working with churches to join together to help the community.

Is progress being made on the West Side?

Yes, I see progress in different areas. I have been seeing many churches getting together for tent revivals and a lot of outreach events. I have seen a lot of people from the West Side who do not know the Lord accept the Lord in their lives. I am a witness to that. I have seen churches and pastors starting to get together. I am happy for what I am seeing this past summer and bringing families to know the Lord. We need to continue focusing on the area.

Tell me about how churches are working to reach the community?

They are targeting the community and using different tools to bring the children to the Lord. Once you reach the children, they go back and get their parents to come. So churches have been growing. I also continue to do my part in reaching out through music. I run a music program for the kids and churches are working together to do outreaches.

 Tell me about your call into ministry.

I had a good foundation at a United Methodist Church in ministry and organizing people. Pastor Gonzalez on Niagara Street has a heart to reach out to the community and she taught me to do the same. I have had a heart to reach out to the young people through basketball and I have been doing it for almost 15 years now. God continues to open doors. My wife and I work together as one and we work together with different ministries in the city and my wife and I go to serve. God is using us as a bridge in the community. Some of the churches on the West Side don’t have the advantages of the larger churches but I just go and ask and I said, ‘Wow God, your awesome because I just ask and I receive.’ I have been seeing the hand of the Lord on my family, my son is a musician and God has been opening great doors.

How are you connecting with the community through music?

God uses us as his instrument to bring people to him. Especially for young people it helps them feel connected with the church and gets them involved. Music is something that gets their attention, especially the young people. When they say, I have never played an instrument in my life, I say, ‘In Jesus name your going to learn to play,’ and they do. They are learning and they are playing and they are serving the Lord. We do it every Wednesday and don’t charge a penny. 

    I am blessed to bless others. I leave everything in the hands of the Lord, that is the name of our ministry, In God’s Hands.