AS MOST OF YOU ALREADY KNOW PASTOR WALT SMITH HAS BEEN IN THE MINISTRY FOR MANY YEARS NOW. AFTER SPENDING THE FIRST PART OF HIS ADULT LIFE AS A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER PASTOR WALT SMITH ACCEPTED HIS CALL INTO THE MINISTRY. AFTER SPEAKING AT SEVERAL CHURCHES AND FILLING IN FOR OTHER PASTORS, PASTOR WALT SMITH AND HIS FAMILY HAD A VISION OF STARTING THEIR OWN CHURCH. SO AFTER MUCH PRAYER THE FIRST FAMILIES VISION CAME TRUE. ON JANUARY 30TH 1994 THE PASTOR AND HIS FAMILY STARTED WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS RIVERS OF LIFE FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER. BUT BEFORE IT WAS KNOWN AS RIVERS OF LIFE THE FAMILY WOULD HAVE ALOT OF OBSTACLES TO CROSS. THE FIRST CHURCH WAS LOCATED IN A GUTTED OUT MILL HOUSE ON SEABOARD STREET IN EAST ROCKINGHAM. WHILE AT THIS LOCATION, NOT ONLY DID THE PASTORS CHURCH FAMILY GROW BUT HIS PERSONAL FAMILY GREW AS WELL IN JANUARY OF 1998 PASTOR WALT AND SISTER LINDAS SON BOB MARRIED HIS NOW WIFE OF NINE YEARS, AND THEN IN SEPT OF 2000, THEY HAD THEIR FIRST CHILD AND FINNALY MADE PASTOR WALT AND SISTER LINDA PROUD GRANDPARENTS. SHORTLY AFTER HER BIRTH PASTOR WALT SMITH AND HIS FAMILY LEFT THE CHURCH THAT AT THE TIME WAS CALLED GOSPEL LIGHTHOUSE TO HELP OUT THE PASTOR OF MT. CALVARY ROCK OF AGES WITH HIS CHURCH DURING HIS ILLNESS. SOON AFTER MAKING THE MOVE PASTOR SMITH WAS ASKED TO BE ASST. PASTOR OF THE CHURCH AND HE ACCEPTED BUT YET HE STILL HAD STRONG DESIRE TO HAVE HIS OWN MINISTRY. THEN IN AUG. 2001 AFTER FULFILLING HIS DUTIES AS ASST. PASTOR AT MT. CALVARY, PASTOR SMITH DECIDED IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO GO BACK OUT ON HIS OWN SO HE STARTED HIS OWN CHURCH BACK UP, BUT THIS TIME INSTEAD OF BEING GOSPEL LIGHTHOUSE WE DECIDED THAT WITH US GETTING A NEW START WE SHOULD START FRESH FROM THE GROUND UP. THIS IS WHERE RIVERS OF LIFE WAS STARTED. THE NEW CHURCH MADE MANY MOVES AND HAD TO OVERCOME ALOT OF OBSTACLES BEFORE GETTING TO WHERE IT IS TODAY. THE NEW CHURCH STARTED OUT AS MANY CHURCHES DO. WE HAD A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE AND WE MEET IN THE LIVING ROOM OF THE PASTOR AND HIS WIFE. BUT THIS DID NOT LAST LONG. BEING WE WERE NEW AND DID NOT HAVE ALOT OF MONEY WE RENTED THE LIONS CLUB EVERY SUNDAY FOR $50.00 A DAY. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT THE BEST PLACE WE HAD EVER SEEN FOR A CHURCH IT SERVED US WELL UNTIL JANUARY OF 2003. THIS IS WHEN THINGS STARTED LOOKING UP FOR US. WE FOUND A LITTLE BUILDING IN TOWN ON DAVIS STREET WE COULD RENT WITH THE OPTION TO BUY, SO WE JUMP AT THE OFFER. AFTER MOVING INTO OUR FIRST BUILDING AS RIVERS OF LIFE. WE FELT LIKE THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CALM DOWN, THEN PASTOR WALT AND SISTER LINDAS SON AND HIS WIFE CRYSTAL GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR SECOND CHILD. THEN A FEW MONTHS LATER AFTER FINDING OUT WE COULD NOT BUY THE BUILDING WE STARTED LOOKING AGAIN. THIS IS WHEN WE FOUND OUR SECOND BUILDING WHICH WAS NOT ONLY A LITTLE NICER, BUT THE LOCATION WAS GREAT AS WELL. SO WE MOVED YET AGAIN TO A BUILD ON HWY #1 NEAR THE CITY LIMITS OF ROCKINGHAM IN MAY OF 2004. AFTER THE MOVE WE BEGAN TO PRAY THAT GOD WOULD SEND SOMETHING OUR WAY THAT WE COULD CALL OUR OWN SO THIS TIME WE DIDNT LOOK FOR BUILDINGS TO RENT, IN STEAD WE STARTED LOOKING TO BUY. THEN IN FEB 2004 OUR PRAYERS PAID OFF, WE FOUND THE BUILDING WE REALLY WANTED. IT WAS FULLY FURNISHED AND EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. SO IN FEB. 2006 RIVERS OF LIFE FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER MOVED INTO ITS CURRENT HOME AFTER PURCHASING THE BUILDING AT 106 PENCE STREET IN EAST ROCKINGHAM.