I Knew Brother Lynwood Smith

I Knew Brother Lynwood Smith

Johnny Elmore

December 2007

Brother Morris Lynwood Smith was born March 27, 1924 in LincolnCounty, Mississippito Rance and Lillian Smith. Lillian was the daughter of brother T.E.(Nong) Smith, andhis first wife Louisa, who died after a few years. Brother Smith later married JosieGriffin and to this union Garland, Grafton, Dallas, Carlos, Ivy, Bernice, and Agneswere born. Lynwood’s mother died when he was about two months old and he ultimatelycame to live with his grandfather Nong and Josie, a pious, godly woman that Lynwoodalways called “mama.” She was a great influence on his life, always teaching him theright way. Lynwood’s last meeting was with the Capitol Hill congregation in OklahomaCity October 12-14 of this year. En route home, he missed a flight and spent anuncomfortable time in Dallas, TX, finally arriving home late at night on Monday. Thatweek, he was admitted to the hospital suffering from double pneumonia, and the

chronic condition of congestive heart failure. At first he improved somewhat, butwhen the second dialysis session began, his blood pressure dropped, and death became

imminent. He departed this life at about 4:00 a.m. on October 24, 2007. A large crowdattended his funeral at his beloved New Salem on Friday, October 26. About 30 gospel

preachers attended to show their respect for this humble servant of the Lord, and agroup of singers chosen by Philip Prince sang some of Lynwood’s best-loved songs. I

first met Lynwood when he came to Healdton, OK to hold a meeting. It was refreshingto hear a young man preach the gospel-especially one who had such a way with other

young people. Very soon, he was much in demand for gospel meetings. In 1945, he helda meeting at my home congregation in Ardmore in which I was baptized. For a time

Lynwood made brother Tom Smith’s home in Healdton his headquarters and we saw himoften. Lynwood loved gospel songs and gospel singing and he attended several normalsinging schools. On one occasion when he was in our home, I was singing the old song,Cling to the Cross, and when I finished he said, “Boy, you need to be preaching thegospel.” A little later, I quit my secular job, left home, and traveled with Lynwoodin gospel meetings continuously for about a year and a half. That was the beginningof a long, close friendship that spanned over 57 years. We have traveled thousands ofmiles together and held numerous gospel meetings together-some of them mission

meetings in which churches were established. I suppose I knew him as well as anyonecan know somebody. Lynwood was first and foremost a gospel preacher. He could preachwith such power and persuasion that it was nearly irresistible. He was accused by

digressive brethren at of “hypnotizing people” because he had influenced so many oftheir members to leave digression. He demanded the attention of his audience and hadsuch rapport with an audience that he knew everything that happened during a church

service. Consequently, any movement distracted him. When an audience sat in raptattention, he reacted in a passionate, emotional way and could move an audience toaction and obedience. Lynwood was often misunderstood-some people thought him gruffand disagreeable, but in truth he had a heart full of compassion for the poor and

needy and the sick and bereaved. I never saw him pass a beggar on the street withoutsharing his limited resources. In many ways, he had the kind and loving heart of awoman. He left home at the age of seventeen and learned to survive in the harshenvironment of a world that only understood material things. He traveled the length

and breadth of the United States and only briefly owned one car. After that, he rodewith brethren when he could and when he could not, he wore his body out on Greyhoundbuses, and on airplanes when necessary. He traveled thousands, or maybe millions of

miles to hold meetings, conduct funerals or weddings. Lynwood’s second love wasgospel singing. He published over 20 songbooks that our brotherhood used and many

other special occasion songbooks. Over 700 of his song poems were put to music andpublished. He produced five Lamplighter albums of gospel singing, and promoted gospelmusic in general wherever he could. Many of us took him for granted but he was on afirst name basis with many of the outstanding gospel singers, song writers, andpublishers of our time. Isn’t it strange that sometimes greatness is among us and wedo not recognize it until it has passed us by? Another of Lynwood’s specialties was

encouraging young people. He and brother Tom Smith conceived the idea of a service inwhich nothing but young men- we called them boys-were used. The first New Year

meeting was held alter New Year’s Day in 1947. Since that time, it has been thesource of inspiration for young men, many of whom made their first public talk. Itbroke his heart when the New Year meeting was taken away from him. He encourageddozens of young men to preach, allowing them to travel with him and preach a sermon

during his meetings. He loved public discussions of the Bible and moderated for someof the best debaters among us. He recorded and produced the Porter-Waters Debate thathas been sold by the thousands. He also re-published other debates and out of print

books that he thought would help the brotherhood. Lynwood was never married. He may

have never been seriously in love with any girl, but he had the utmost respect forChristian women. He idolized the godly women who stayed at home, kept house, and weredevoted to the church. He never knew the love of his own mother, but he adored his

grandmother and the aunts he grew up with in boyhood days. Many Christian women,including my own mother, were to him “mothers in Israel.” He confided to me one time

that he knew his looks were not comely-he thought his ears too big-but he said helearned that if he could make people like him, it didn’t matter about your looks. He

discovered ways to make people love him and hosts of people thought enough of him tokeep him busy for over 60 years preaching the gospel. It is a shame, in my humble

opinion, that he was not convinced of that love in his last few years. There is somuch more I could tell but space forbids. I think Lynwood was often lonely. My mother

often said that he had “wheels in his head.” He said once, “I wish I had somewhere togo and then I wish I was there.” In his songs he often spoke of sunset, heaven, and

home and I think he really longed for his “real home.” Lynwood never knowingly missedthe annual gospel meeting at New Salem, a place he loved above all others on earth.

On the Friday night before the first Sunday in August he could be found on thepremises to attend the meeting. Now his mortal frame lies there to await thejudgment. We are sad over his departure, but we are not as others who have no hope.

We have hope that we shall meet again on that “glad reunion day” that Lynwood wroteabout, along with all the other soldiers of the cross who have gone before us, and

there in that storied place of sermon and songs, we shall reap the handsome reward.