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The Rev. Dr. David Smith, Priest in Charge
Email Dr. Smith at dsmith@chathamhall.org
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Dr. Smith was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in the Episcopal Church on June 2, 2009 following his ordination to the transitional diaconate on November 14, 2008. Formerly an ordained Presbyterian minister for nearly 30 years, Dr. Smith served as Pastoral Vicar of Emmanuel from January 2008 until his ordination as priest in June 2009.
Dr. Smith has been the chaplain and religious studies teacher at Chatham Hall since 2002 and continues in that role. As priest in charge, Dr. Smith leads Emmanuel’s worship services and carries all the rights and responsibilities of a rector.
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Dr. Smith received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political philosophy from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, N.C. and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
Dr. Smith began his ministry in 1979, serving as school minister at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia and teaching courses in Old and New Testaments, World Religions, and Biblical Themes in Contemporary Fiction.
After six years at Woodberry, Dr. Smith was called to serve as minister at the Meadows Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. His tenure there lasted 11 years during which time the church membership and physical plant doubled and the budget tripled.
In 1996, Dr. Smith was invited to become Senior Minister at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. Covenant was the largest PCUSA church in the state and was actively involved in community, national and world affairs. The church also had a 170 student pre-school and a school for the arts that numbered over 300 students and faculty.
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