Wally Smith

FAMILY: I committed some youthful indiscretions. Fresh out of high school I had the all-American proposal, “you’re what?” I first married Gwen Rademacher, class of 1975 (I think). Thanks to Sister Mary Rose, Gwen was the first to be allowed to graduate Gorman as a married mom. Our first son, Christopher, attended her graduation even though he was too young to remember but we have the pictures. Gwen and I had our second son, Michael in 1976. My marriage to Gwen did not work out as most young couples in those circumstances experience. We are friends now but we were divorced in 1982.

{Could I ask everyone reading this to stop right here and take a moment to pray for Gwen. She has pancreatic cancer and could use our support}.

In 1985, I met Kathleen (Kathy) at the church we both attended and we were married in June of 85. Yeah, I said church!

We are all very proud of Chris and Mike. They are both good strong moral men. Chris is an IT specialist with the State of Nevada and Mike is a police officer with METRO now serving on the Search and Rescue team. Mike married Heather some 25 years ago and we now have 4 grandchildren. I was honored to officiate their wedding.

OCCUPATION: I have semi-retired as a church pastor and moved to Stevensville Montana. Kathy and I work with (mentor) a couple in Corvallis at the Bitterroot House of Israel Fellowship where we attend the weekly Sabbath Celebrations and the Lord’s Feast Days.

We are now helping another couple pioneer a third (American) House of Israel Fellowship in Manhattan, Montana. This is obviously the next step in our leadership role, that of using our experience to help form fellowships anywhere that God leads.

I also serve as the chaplain to the Stevensville Police Dept. I know it sounds like a big job but the force only numbers the Chief and 3 officers but there are a multitude of different service calls.

It is well known, and I have accepted from the beginning, that the only real retirement for a minister is a dirt nap. That will happen when it happens.

FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES: Best memories were winning our first State football championship, the Sr. class play of Oklahoma, the Sr. class trip and all the antics of the overnight gym sleepover plus the guys stepping up to protect our ladies that were being harassed by outsiders.

HOW I LIKE TO SPEND MY TIME: I like to spend my time caring for my bride and helping establish new congregations. I do a little fishing and hunting when I can. I am also serving on the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee trying to help keep what politically happened to Nevada not happen to Montana. I am very involved with pro-life activities here in my chosen State and still in Las Vegas.

FUN TIDBIT(S) ABOUT ME: My lovely wife, Kathy, and I have taken about a dozen cruises. We have even “crossed the pond” to tour my ancestral homeland, Scotland. My DNA said that which I already knew, 60% Scottish 40% Irish. Long story short, I make a kilt look good! lol

HIGHTLIGHTS OF MY LIFE SINCE HIGH SCHOOL: After graduation 50 years ago (can you believe it?) I tried various careers. I wanted to be on the city police force but having the children kind of changed my mind even though I did get my UNLV degree in Criminal Justice. I did go into the private security field for a few years working for the Stardust Hotel during the era of Frank Rosenthal that the movie Casino was based on. I was one of the first on the scene when Frank was blown up at Tony Roma’s. I only lived around the corner and the blast shook the whole block. By the way, it did not happen as the movie depicts. (Go figure)

I worked as an assistant manager at Carrow’s and later went into tavern management. I drank way too many mistakes and became alcohol dependent. I tried truck driving, was an owner/operator driving coast to coast and then went into bus driving. Bussing was much easier because the load got on and off on their own. Even ended up driving school bus for CCSD.

I found a Christian faith journey in 1978 and began study and pursued the steps of church leadership eventually leading to a calling and career as a pastor.

In 1982 I published a free Christian newspaper called “The New Life News”. As a business I chalk that up to a failure but one of the news articles that crossed my desk was about 17,000 aborted babies found in a container in Los Angeles all in individual plastic buckets. This incident lit my fire as a pro-life advocate. I knew I had to do something to do whatever I could to save the innocent lives of the pre born. So, in 1984, I and two other gentlemen formed the Las Vegas Crisis Pregnancy Center. A few years later, that ministry was renamed; “Women’s Resource Medical Center” an organization that is still in operation in Vegas today.

I also helped with and served on the Board of First Choice Pregnancy Services. These two ministries together since 1985 have saved the lives of over 50,000 babies in Las Vegas. (A conservative figure) And both are still serving the community today. First Choice is the busiest and most successful Pregnancy Resource Center in the USA according as per Abby Johnson.

In 1992 I was finally trained up and assigned my first church with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Pioche Nevada. Kathy and I served the Pioche church for nearly 2 years and then pioneered Harvest Christian Center in LV with the Foursquare denomination. This led me into deep study of the Bible in the original languages. Studying the Scriptures in Greek and Hebrew lead my wife and I to tweak our walk a bit. We led Harvest Christian Center into the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith. Eventually we moved out of the Foursquare denomination and associated with the Messianic Israel Alliance. The church was renamed; House of Israel Fellowship (HOIF) and is still going strong there on Sandhill Road under the leadership of the pastor I was honored to raise up, Michael Slattery. Kathy and I served the HOIF for 26 years. Kathy not only helped with the church but was a teacher and later an administrator with CCSD for 30 years.

Through an interesting set of circumstances, we formed an NGO called Ephraim’s Reach. This ministry has built buildings and served widows and orphans in Uganda. Ephraim’s Reach built schools, sunk wells, brought in electricity, bought farmland and vehicles, purchased goats and hundreds of chickens all to help that community and 50 orphans in Iganga, Uganda. Just got a report that 2 of our first orphans have gone on to nursing school and are now employed as nurses in Kampala.

We also helped pioneer another House of Israel Fellowship in Kampala. Pastor Daniel is serving that community well.

I served on the board of our associated international organization, Messianic Israel Alliance, later called Alliance of Redeemed Israel.

I have authored 4 books on faith and spirituality. They were listed on the New York Times Book Review under the category, “You Gotta Be Kidding”. They were not best sellers primarily because I didn’t have the finances to purchase 1000 cases or so to “enhance sales”! However, you can still find one or two of them on Amazon.

Personally, I had a weakness for food. I lived to eat not eat to live. I hit the 380-pound mark in 2008. I became a dead man walking. Had to have a stint put in one of my arteries. I was a type 2 insulin dependent diabetic. I had to lose weight or be buried in a piano case. Knowing my personal strengths and weaknesses I knew I had to have help.

Dr Rutledge in Las Vegas developed a surgical procedure called a Mini Gastric Bypass. This procedure is not recognized in the USA by any insurance companies yet more than 100,000 have been performed world-wide with “no” complications. So, my surgery was performed in Mexico, May of 2017. As a result, I have lost 170 lbs. and am no longer a diabetic. I actually weigh the same as I did at Gorman except the weight is distributed much differently. Gravity!

Have a good big 50. I wish I were there with all y’all.
Bless your gizzard!