Meet our pastor,

Rev. Dr. Joyce M. Smith

Child of God. Philanthropist. Wife. Mother. Friend. Rev. Joyce has been called to champion her local community.

Rev. Joyce, her husband, and several other members of the Smith family migrated from Mexia, TX to Vancouver, WA in search of better job opportunities and financial prospects. Her husband, Bro. Jackie Smith’s father, Bro. Cordie Smith would be responsible for building what is now the Community A.M.E. Zion church building, converting it from a recreational center (our sanctuary used to be a basketball court where chairs were set-up and torn down for Sunday Service every week!). She was a homemaker and worked out of the family home as a housekeeper while she and her husband raised their three sons: Jackie Jr. (deceased), Anthony, and Trevor. They would also raise their niece, Chesa Willis. During this time, Rev. Joyce faithfully attended church every Sunday, as well as participated in several midweek church activities/programs. Eventually, this led her to her ministry of preaching the Word of God.

Within the A.M.E. Zion Washington-Oregon Conference, Rev. Joyce served as the lead pastor at Pauline Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Salem, OR—driving from Vancouver to Salem every Sunday—until she was reassigned to Community in 2009. Since then, she has been a beacon of light and a great ball of energy, moving Community A.M.E. Zion forward in our collective mission of healing the whole person.

Rev. Joyce enjoys sharing her love of God through acts of service. She is known to uplift the local Black community in an effort to build up the Vancouver/Portland community while serving as the chair of the Religious Affairs Committee for the NAACP Vancouver branch. In partnership with the NAACP, she and Community A.M.E. Zion have provided access to various impactful services including cancer screenings during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, COVID-19 testing kits and vaccinations at the height of the global pandemic, as well as housing and food resources for underserved and unsheltered community members.