His 43 years of ministry includes the pastorate of Union Hope Church in Zebulon and Jersey Church in Lexington.

Roger Gilbert, pastor of Whiteville's First Church and vice president of the BSC General Board, presided at the retirement celebration. About 350 people gathered in the fellowship hall of First Church in Greensboro for the festivities.

Smith smiled and laughed as Tom Lolley, the area missionary for western North Carolina, and J. Luther Osment, assistant to the president of Baptist Retirement Homes of North Carolina, told stories about him. Ed Beddingfield, pastor of First Church in Sylva and a member of the General Board, coaxed Smith onto the stage to sing a country song. Beddingfield then presented Smith with a guitar.

Donice Harrod, president of N.C. Woman's Missionary Union, presented a necklace to Smith's wife, Doris.

Ginger Smith Graves, Smith's daughter and minister of music at Wake Forest Church in Wake Forest, sang a medley of hymns.

Greg Mathis, president of the BSC, and Mike Queen, the president of the General Board, both thanked Smith for his service.

Mathis said Smith traveled across North Carolina last summer with Queen and Mathis.

"You should have heard us trying to tell him how to drive," Mathis said. "Roy was driving, Mike and I were in the car and Mike trying to get him to take a left and me trying to get him to take a right." "You kept it right down the middle," Mathis told Smith.

Smith expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the celebration. He said he is grateful to God for giving him so many places of ministry, for his family and for the privilege of working with N.C. Baptists. He said, "Thank you and God bless you everyone and accept my gratitude for who you are, the effort you made to be here this evening and the support you've given to the cause of Christ as N.C. Baptists."