An alpha brother this man is an alpha this man’s a brother of AI this man is an alpha this man is an alpha brother this man is an alpha this man’s a brother of A5 this man is an alha this man is an alpha brother this man alha this man’s a brother of
A on behalf of Dr Lenard mckennis the state director of uh Illinois of alpha alpha and all alpha alpha men throughout the world we present our Omega service once a brother is initiated into Alpha F Alpha fraternity incorporate he is a member not just for life but Forever The Omega service is our
Recognition of a brother transitioning into a mega chapter our chapter of sweet rest I am the resurrection and the life saith the Lord he that believeth believeth in me though he were dead yet she yet he shall live let us pray oh Master Eternal give to each of us the Deep
Consciousness of thy presence and the spirit of fraternity May so direct our thoughts and and guide and control our lives and hearts that we may become through thee Servants of all mankind Amen in our dear a fral Spirits bind all the Noble the true and Courageous manly Deeds Scholarship and Love For All Mankind are the Aimes of our dear fraternity Alpha five Alpha the pride of our hearts and Love by us dearly are thou we cherish thy precepts thy ban shall be raised to thy Glory thy H and re and God said let there be light and
There was light and God saw the light that it was good in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God in him was the life and light of man then spoke Jesus again unto them saying I am the light of the world he
That followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life for God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness hath Shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ ye are the light of the world World let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify in your father who is in heaven I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end sayeth the Lord which is and
Which was and which is to come the almighty amen oh father of life and Giver of Light look with favor upon thy creatures here assembled and grant us thy blessing oh thou who H has led men through the ages of his ex existence upon the Earth of thy Spirit grant us thy continued
Guidance thou who does generate love and goodness in hearts and desire for Fellowship one with the other and life’s living increase thy spirit in US thou who H has called our brother from his task to the reward the reward of noble thoughts and deeds our memory
Of thou who art the light of the new heaven the new Earth the New Jerusalem the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end of all creation gr a final resting the to all who has called only ourselves amen amen amen as God through his infinite wisdom has granted us the opportunity
To share life with our departed brother Alpha men locally and internationally offer our condolences to the family of our beloved brother we grieve and weep as you weep for the loss of our beloved brother but cherish his memory for the deed and fellowship he leaves behind shall live on each day
In the hearts of our Brotherhood Kevin the beloved Son of Barbara and our late brother Charles Smith uh was a duly initiated member of alpha fala and as we stand here today while his personal relationship with many of us may not have been as deeply shared across all in assembly
Here we know that he was loved and we as Alpha men are proud to be here to acknowledge his presence and his contributions to our great fraternity for those who are privileged to have membership within alpha alpha we often speak of a poem entitled The House of
Alpha as we think about the house of alpha at this moment the rooms in the house are a bit dimmer today they are dimmer because our beloved brother Kevin is no longer with us while throughout his time within his fraternity we are certain that he lived up to the goals and the
Expectations that are placed upon those who are members of alpha we think deeply now about the contributions that he made and the ways in which we might continue to make his existence known not only within our dear fraternity but within the broader World We Are privilege to be here we
Appreciate the family and those assembling here for the opportunity for us to share with you our love and support for the family but also to help in our sharing of our grief in the loss of this dear brother we hope that our presence here through this tribute to
Kevin brother Kevin uh will be taken in the ways in which we have intended and that perhaps it will help to soften the blow of this loss for this as Alpha men we are eternally grateful Alpha Brothers gather around and make our praise ReSound of this brother whose labors now are Crown his Good Deeds Heaven bless Comm them through each test to Omega our chapter of sweet rest farewell dear brother Transcendent art thou thy Spirit shall dwell with us now we cherish thy precept thy good name Will re to thy Glory thy h brother dear the grace of our Lord Jesus the
Christ be with your spirit Brethren and now May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and Minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his son Jesus the Christ Our Lord and may the blessing of God Almighty the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost be
Amongst you and remain with you always Amen in our dear a father fral Spirits bind all the noble the true and courageous man scholarship and Love For All Mankind are the aim of Our Alpha Fire Alpha the pride of all hearts and Love by us dear are th we cherish thy precepts thy B shall be raised to thy Glory thy hor and reown this concludes our Omega service this man is an alpha this man [Applause] is thank you gentlemen of alpha fi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated as we prepare for the closing of the casket and the family has a final viewing may you be comforted by the word of God Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me though
He were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die I know my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the last day upon the Earth and shall I see God whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes Shall Behold and not
Another we’ve brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we shall carry nothing out the lord gave the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord the Lord has given us Kevin Charles Smith and the Lord has taken him away up into God’s
Self that’s a reason to be glad we know that Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal and so we’re grateful for the healing that we are witnessing at this point with gratitude we can thank God for the life that we’ve experienced through Kevin Smith we can thank God for God has given
And God has taken away for through tears and with heavy hearts we’re still here to celebrate the life of Kevin Smith can we celebrate this great man can we give God praise that we had a chance to experience this life this man this person this big heart This Heart of service we
Are here to celebrate that life and to celebrate all the good things that God has done through him with him and for him and for those of us who knew him is at this time we begin the funeral services for Kevin Charles Smith we will follow the program as it
Is printed and I encourage you that if you see your name that means means you’re on program if you don’t see your name that means you are not on program amen amen and as you see your name I encourage you to make your way toward the microphone so that when it’s your
Time to fulfill your role in this service you will be prepared to do so is at this time we will receive a musical selection from the Bren brenmar church choir One S Wire Hallelu salvation and Glory honor and power unto the Lord our God Hallelujah Salvation and Glory horor and power unto the Lord Our God for the Lord our God is mighty and the Lord Our God isent and the Lord our God is is wonderful for the Lord our God is mighty and the Lord our God is on and the Lord Lord and He is Wonderful pra be to the king of king and the Lord of God He is wonderful [Applause] Oh huah hall hallu hallelujah God He is wonderful Oh he [Applause] Is Hall hallel The he [Applause] [Applause] is he is hallah hallelujah hallah hallah Hallelujah amen [Applause] amen praise the Lord praise the Lord and all who are able I invite you to please stand as we go before the Lord heavenly father as we come before you this afternoon to the throne of grace we truly come to lift up the name
Of Jesus Heavenly Father we know you know the pain of losing a child because you gave us your very best your only begotten son Jesus to let us know God you understand every hurt every pain and the suffering that we go through but what we do know God is it all works
Together for the good of those that love you God Lord I lift up Barbara Kenny and all of those that are related and sisters and brothers in Christ in general just help us Lord through this time that is so challenging I think about Kevin being so
Faithful to who God was in his life and how he allowed his light to shine and we don’t know like you know what he was going through God and what we do know is you make no mistakes God and you allowed him not to go through any more suffering
Or pain that he’s in a good place because your word will not return void and you said to be absent from the body is to be present with you and we know he’s with you God and he wouldn’t want to get back in that body for anything Lord because the promises that you’ve
Made us he has transitioned to that place so we ask Lord that even through our grieving we continue to trust you we continue to thank you and we all know one day every one of us is going to take that journey and let us be right let us
Be ready and let us hear the voice of God but the one thing we want to say to you God is give you the love love and the highest praise we can give you which is to say hallelujah I invite you to say hallelujah with me Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah in
Jesus name amen the family I’d like to thank all of you for coming out and sharing in this homeo celebration truly Kevin had God in his life and we could witness the Miracles that he performed in his life that allow him to be here as long
As he did I was asked at this time to read a Psalm this is a Psalm of Praise Psalm 100 shout for Joy To The Lord all the Earth Worship the Lord with gladness come before him with joyful songs know that the Lord is God God it is he who
Has made us and we are his we are his people the sheep of the pasture enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise give thanks to him and praise His name for the Lord is good and his mercy endureth forever and and his truth endureth to all generations
Amen at this time we’ll have Deacon kinetta Jackson come forth with a greeting and acknowledges amen amen celebration of the life of Kevin Kevin Charles Smith was born February 5th 1977 in Chicago Illinois to Barbara H Smith I and Charles J Smith the oldest of two boys from this Union Kevin was
Raised in a Christian home and was baptized in the Christian faith as an adolescent at bimar Community Church of Chicago under the leadership of Reverend Dr Carl B Wilson Kevin remained a dedicated member to brimar until his passing under the leadership of Pastor Javon D Moore and serving as the chair
Of Briar’s technology Ministry Kevin graduated from the University of Chicago laboratory High School in 1995 and went on to attend Brown University in Providence Ro Island before following in his parents footsteps and transferring to taloo college in talo Mississippi where he graduated with a ba in economics in 2000
It was during this time that Kevin became a devoted fraternity brother of alpha fi Alpha fraternity Inc Kevin then went on to study law at the University of Cincinnati from 2000 to 2004 later in his career Kevin continued his education and went on to receive a master’s of art degree in IT
Project management from theal University in 2016 Kevin used his array of educational experiences throughout his career which included time at media bridges in Cincinnati Ohio and canas TV in Chicago at the time of his passing Kevin was a dedicated staff member at the American Bar Association in Chicago at all of his
Professional stops Kevin prided himself on working hard being reliable and fair and being a personable and supportive colleague garnering the respect and admiration of his peers Kevin had a variety of interest and hobbies that filled his time he was a passionate comic book fan and could always be found watching the latest
Movies from Marvel or DC Comics and this is where Kevin tried to help me to understand that those movies Kevin loved wrestling and watched WWE as much as he could Kevin was an avid fan of Chicago Sports team often watching games and commiserating about their current state with family and
Friends Kevin’s musical T’s favorite 20th century hip hop with the exception of his favorite current artist little brother and Sky Zoo with the wuang clan as his alltime favorite group Kevin also loved to read with Robert W Parker being his favorite author in short Kevin K was a man of
Many distinct tastes more than anything Kevin enjoyed his family and friends while a number of health and physical challenges slowed Kevin down in recent years he never complained about his path and that did not take away from his commitment to his family regularly finding time to spend with his mother
Barbara and remaining a steadfast supporter of his little brother Kenneth Kevin also cherished his relationships with his friends and remained loyal even if from afar Kevin is preceded in death by his father Charles J Smith and longtime partner Jessica Thompson on Thursday November 30th Kevin’s journey in his life came to an
End left to cherish his memory his beloved mother Barbara H Smith of Chicago Illinois brother Kenneth J Smith of Denver Colorado cousins Adrienne Mosley and fedra Brown Deer of Plano Texas and Yolanda Renee Lewis and Ashley Hudson of Vicksburg Mississippi Uncle Melvin Smith of Vicksburg Mississippi on Alfreda Thomas of Vicksburg Mississippi
And countless friends amen amen the family of Kevin Charles Smith is grateful beyond measure for the generous and compassionate outpouring of Loving Thoughts spiritual support and helpful presence further personal acknowledgements will be extended at a more appropriate time with the members of bimar Community Church please stand and remain
Standing a resolution in lovering loving memory of Kevin Smith the pastor church Council official staff members and especially the board of technology and The Men’s Club of rimar Community Church take this time to express our love to our members Barbara Smith and Kenny Smith and an entire
Family of brother Kevin Smith the death of a loved one creates a unique emotional turmoil separation and tears are constant companions throughout our lives when ties of Love are broken tears flow freely and this is as it should be but we know God gives special Grace for
Special needs and his spirit is quick to reinforce our wounded Hearts still we are reminded of the story of a little boy who was eagerly awaiting the date of a friend’s birthday party when the day finally arrived a snow storm crippled the city the child’s father knowing the
Danger of weather cons decided the child should not go to the party the child reacted tearfully the father sensing his child’s deep disappointment relented and allowed the child to go the child bundled up and headed out the driving snow made the streets impassible and Vis visibility near zero the youngster
Trudged through the blinding storm it took him nearly an hour and a half to go the few block to the party as the youngster reached his destination and rang the doorbell he turned and looked out into the storm there he saw a retreating figure it was his father who
Had followed him all the way to make certain he was safe as you face this storm in your lives remember God is following you with open arms to make certain you don’t slip and fall into the cold Icy storms of grief and sadness we love you we are praying for you lovingly submit
By the brimar Community Church Reverend Javon Deion Moore Pastor thank you brimar family you may now be seated amen will the members of the tulo College please stand amen a resolution of love and respect in loving memory of Kevin Charles Smith talo college class of 20
Whereas it was it is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that we the members of talo Chicago talo College Alumni Association extend our heartfelt condolences to the family friends and loved ones of our cherished fellow alumnist Kevin Charles Smith taloo college class of 2000 and whereas Kevin
Charles Smith was not just an alumnus but a beacon of Pride and support for talu college consistently demonstrating his commitment to the values and mission of our armor mod and whereas he was a proud supporter of the talo college national Alumni Association the TC NAA and the Chicago talo College Alumni
Association contributing to the growth and success of the chapter through his unwavering dedication and enthusiasm Kevin Charles Smith worked tirelessly with the TC C NAA Web Master to develop the talo the Chicago taloo alumni website and whereas Charles Smith exemplified the spirit of service and camaraderie leaving an indelible mark on
The Chicago Tulu Alumni Association and fostering a sense of community among his fellow alumni and whereas a member of taloo college class of 2000 Kevin Charles Smith carried forward the legacy of Excellence EMB embodying the ideals of scholarship leadership and service that Define the Tulu experience now
Therefore be it resolved that that the Chicago taloo College Alumni Association extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Kevin Charles Smith recognizing the pain of their loss and expressing our Collective grief acknowledges and celebrates the life achievement and unring support of Kevin Charles Smith pugaloo college
Remembering his dedication to the principles that make our Alma ma great expresses our gratitude for Kevin Charles Smith’s commitment to the T to the Chicago tugalo College Alumni Association and the taloo college national Alumni Association and the broader talu College Community acknowledging his role in strengthening the bonds of Fellowship among alumni
Commits to honoring Kevin Charles Smith’s memory by continuing the work he began fostering a spirit of support engagement and unity within the Chicago talo College Alumni Association in witness whereof we the members of the Chicago talu College Alumni Association do hereby adopt and re and enact this
Resolution on this 16th day of December in the year of our Lord 2023 remembering with fondness and appreciation the impact and Legacy of our dear alumni alumnist Kevin Charles Smith may he rest in Eternal peace a copy of this resol resolution shall be given to the Smith family and a copy is
Placed in the Chicago talu Alumni Association records thank you to G family you may now be seated at this time we’ll have a musical selection by Mrs Felicia Coleman Evans Jesus Jesus Jesus there is something about that Name he’s the master he’s our Saor Jes [Laughter] Jus you’re like you’re like the fragrance After the [Applause] Rain Jesus Jesus [Applause] Jes all Heaven and Earth Rle Kings and kingom they will all pass Away but there’s Something About that is Jesus Jesus Jesus we know there’s something about his Name do you believe in his name he is the master he is the savior [Laughter] [Applause] Jesus you’re like the fragrance after the [Applause] rain Jesus Jesus Jes little all heaven and [Applause] Proclaim [Applause] Kings and kingom you’re going to but there’s something yes there’s [Applause] something so about his name
Is W something S this power in healing In [Applause] Name there something about something about power in his name salvation in his name there PE in his name there’s joy in his name the for his [Applause] [Applause] name woo W [Applause] Hallelujah amen amen that was a real treat thank you thank you at this time we’ll have Reflections and tributes from Friends as well as tributes from the family if you could comment up in the order in which is printed in the program much appreciate it first person is ginaa Gibson
Amen good morning everyone morning um my name is ghaa Gibson and I met Kevin 5 years ago at the ABA if you know me then you know that I didn’t play about Kevin Charles Smith when Kevin and I really started talking I told him early on that we
Couldn’t be friends because he was an Aquarius and even gave him a new birthday January 5th and told him now that you’re a Capricorn this can work it was our inside joke Kevin said okay and laughed and that was the beginning of our friendship he wasn’t just my
Friend he was the big brother I never had growing up we greeted each other every morning my workday didn’t start without hearing him say Gibson or G money I thought hard about what I wanted to share about Kevin and decided to share what others shared with me about
Him Kevin will be remembered for his infectious smile laughter love of sports music and Marvel he loved his church family and friends he was crazy about his mother and Kenny and would light up when he talked about them one word that came up a lot was determination Kevin was determined to
Show up every day to work and give each day as all he told me about his health ISS issues early on and shared with me that he did want to be treated differently I assured Kevin that the cool kids which we like to call ourselves would never think differently
Of him or treat him differently Kevin wasn’t just a cooworker to us he was our dear friend Olga Tiffany and I had the best time with Kevin we shared countless stories and laughed all the time which always made time fly in our little corner he also enjoyed working with
Rose Kevin was a wonderful friend who never met a stranger he was a great listener who never judged anyone I will miss our deep conversations about life and joking with him throughout the day he always reminded me to not sweat the small things in life and make the most
Of each day Kevin had a heart of gold and loved deeply Kevin had his challenges but I never once heard him complain or question God Kevin was strong he kept getting up every day regardless of how he felt may his life serve as a reminder to
Us to make the most of each day and to not complain about things that truly do not matter I thank God for allowing our paths to cross and for blessing me with a true friend I will miss seeing him and hearing him call me G money I miss his
Presence but I feel comfort and knowing that Kevin is re United with Jessica the love of his life and his father who is his inspiration to Mrs Smith you introduced the world to a wonderful individual who is kind respectful and loyal he was a man of character who was
Loved by many I hope that it provides you some comfort to know that covin was loved and cared for by many including myself he will always live in our hearts thank you [Applause] amen hello everybody my name is Colin um Kev is my brother from another mother fall 95 was freshman year at
Brown University in Providence that year Kevin and I were known for binge watching wuang sampled Kung Fu VHS movies debating Bull’s Jordan vers Celtics bird dynasties eating gallons of hot sauce with mounds of wings and flawful sandwiches on th Street Kev was a teacher of the art of
Serena the ladies with home-cooked meals and R&B slow jams he was passionate about being part of local celebrity DJ World in Providence spinning hip hop from Mostly east coast and Chicago based artists with my background in graphic arts and branding we decided to create a community brand dedicated to merge
College dorm life with local Urban culture which we called area 309 after our dorm room number after graduation in 95 Kevin and I kept in touch to further build area 309 as the brand as a brand into a dynamic Community platform Kev was The Mastermind and always ahead of his time he was
Dedicated to bring communities around the world closer together and create the first social media content of his kind while Mr while Mr Zuckerberg eventually took C Center Stage Kevin’s dream was realized as he took this college brand and turned into an inspiring symbol of change for bringing people of all backgrounds
Together when Kevin introduced me to Jessica I was blown away by their Vibe and I knew that she was his one and only love when she passed unexpectedly I knew how much that affected him and helped him grow into become a more capable Force for so many well I wish my brother could
Physically attend our upcoming wedding as my best man and we could have toasted together as a family we will always share laughs and continue to celebrate in spirit and create memories for years to come Kevin is an honor to be your brother thank you Mrs Smith Mr Smith Kenny Jessica and the
Entire extended family friends in the brinmar church Community I’m internally grateful to be on this journey with you brother in this life in this lifetime and forever thank you so much amen amen amen welcome in my many years of doing public speaking uh the three principles that I kept in mind
And one was to speak to what you know only give them three to four bullet points five at the most and don’t be too long I think I can do two of those um on the morning of November 30th got a call from my son Kenny Kenny told me of Kevin’s passing and
Immediately I fell sad and began to mourn I felt I had lost a son the the Lord worked with me and I realized that he was not lost he was with the Lord I knew knew where he was and I was confident and I was Confident by knowing where he
Was I also realized yes he was my son not like Chris or Mike but nonetheless my son you know in the black family culture we have the nuclear family we have that blood family and then we have that extended family those that we choose and we chose each other yes
Kevin and Kenny are my sons Barbara and Charles my sister and brother so yes some morning but with God’s help I have chosen to mourn but to celebrate his life and cherish the time that we had together that’s bu it one BL to let’s speak to his character who he
Was he was a faithful man of God I watched him grow from childhood into a solid God-fearing man as you watch your son grow you nurture you protect and you Mentor as time goes on that some son becomes a friend and if you are blessed enough as I was as I
Am he becomes your Mentor I was blessed to have this relationship with Kevin oh so blessed we are streaming this service because because he set up our ability to stream and he taught me this old dude how to do it because of Kevin we have the ability to
Zoom uh brim our church has a strong presence on the internet and our church email Network is solid it’s done we communicate because of Kevin he was a quiet power quiet power I when thinking about that I thought of the O commercial for EF Hutton when he spoke everyone listened
He was strong I guess we all know now that he had a thing for the marble uh Comics but maybe you didn’t know that his favorite was Iron Man and he was an Iron Man and in my eyes he will always be ir and then I thought about another commercial remember
Timx took a licking kept on ticket till the Lord brought him home bullet three I’m not going to tell you my Kevin stories if I try I’d be up here way too long and my wonderful wife will pull out the hook and grab me and I don’t think you want to see
That but also the reason I’m not telling you my stories is because you wouldn’t be listening to my story what you’d be listening to and what you’d be doing would be thinking about your story so what I urge you to do today tomorrow next week in all ways is to share these
Stories sharing the stories will help with the healing it will help with the mourning it will keep Kevin alive blood four if you have not already accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior today is a wonderful opportunity to do so and to follow in the footsteps of our beloved kin please reach
Out to Pastor Javon Reverend devona Reverend Wilson and any of us and we would be more than happy to help you begin this wonderful walk that we were on in closing bar you know that you are loved and we will be with you always thank you thank you for this opportunity you share
[Applause] amen Pastor Javon members of brenmar Barbara Kenny all family certainly not an occasion any of us would have put in our calendars but yet we are here I experienced Kevin is one who thought very deeply he loved without reservation and he embraced life fully thorns and
All Kevin had a kind heart and an infectious smile and a welcoming spirit all of which he shared unselfishly like many of us Kevin had some significant life challenges and losses but his faith in God and the mercy of God enabled him to survive despite them one of the things I admired about
Kevin was his faith his ability to struggle with and through challenges I think it’s important to pause here and say that the purpose of faith is not to make things easy the purpose of faith is to make things possible it’s not to make the valleys a Bed of
Roses but its purpose is to make a path through them you know we go through life hoping that faith will give us answers but I want you to know the real purpose of faith faith is to be able to live in the absence of the answers you don’t
Get Kevin was faithful he was a valued member of this congregation he could sit through some of the longest and the boringest Church meetings listen to suggestions that didn’t make sense and if you really came out of left field he had this signature chuckle he would let
Out and then in a very diplomatic way he would proceed to offer the Merit of his ideas he was a valuable and resourceful team player and he was always able to find Creative Solutions to complex problems many years ago in a Saturday morning Bible study Charles shared one of Kevin’s childhood Creative
Solutions when the boys were very young it was in the middle of winter and Charles said he came home from work one day to find the house was sweltering in heat the thermostat was set as high as it could be set the wind windows were open and Kevin and Kenny were in their
Underwear sweating profusely I’ll let you figure that one out during the height of the covid pandemic brenmar was still without a pastor I was invited to provide some sermons for online worship and I happened to go to the website and look at some of the previous worship services and I noted in
Inspired inmotion panoramic aerial view of the church and I wondered who had the nerve to go up on the roof and videotape that I was told it was Kevin who played a major role in that production and no it wasn’t anyone standing ing on the roof it was Drone
Footage I have vivid memories of Kevin and my wife Wanita sitting in the church office talking about movies superheroes and sound effects so in the spirit of Kevin’s love for movies I want to conclude this sharing with my favorite movie sha Shank Redemption it’s a story of a innocent
Man Andy defrain who some of you might remember who was serving a life sentence for murdering his wife the short of it is this he spent 20 years tunneling through the wall of his prison cell in order to make it to the prison sewer system a means through which he
Escaped with the help of a giant poster of Rael wilch but one of the favorite parts of this for me is the narration that Morgan Freeman shared and I leave it with you allow me to change a few Choice words considering our audience he said these words as I close Andy crawled to
Freedom through 500 yards of foul smelling let’s just say human waste I can’t even imagine or maybe I just don’t want to 500 yards through what would be five football fields just shy of half a mile Andy frin who crawled through a river of human waste and came out clean on the other
Side I don’t know all of the stuff that Kevin had to crawl through in life okay but there are two things I do know Kevin crawled to freedom and he came out clean on the other side and the second is the Lord crawled all the way with him BL [Applause]
You good morning morning to God be the glory for the things he has done even through our tears God is still awesome and he deserves all the praise amen Kevin Charles Smith what’s in a name if we looked in Webster’s Dictionary or for our new age generation if we Googled the definition
Of Kenneth Kevin Charles Smith what would we find there are many words that I could use to describe Kevin but here are just a few that I feel epitomize our dear cousin this first one is a three for one but I describe Kev as a gentle giant kindhearted and loving now any lay
Person that may see Kevin coming their way would think uhoh let me not cross him the wrong way but Kevin was so far from that guy who would throw weight around he was kindhearted and so very loving he would give you his absolute last and would go without himself so
That you would have he’s our big little cousin both in stature and heart my second description of Kevin would be that he’s a big sports fan the four of us Kevin Kenny Adrien and I we have a group chat and most times the chat would light up on football
Sundays being that we live in Dallas Texas there would be mudslinging and lots of L as it relates to the Bears and the Cowboys though the Bears haven’t had consistent wins in the past few years Kevin and Kenny’s loyalty remained however they made it abundantly clear that if any Cowboys tickets became
Available they’d be on the first thing smoking to Dallas then there’s basketball once Kevin found out my 9-year-old son Harrison was a huge Dallas Mavericks fan that became their main topic of conversation when they would speak they had their own version of trash talk and cheap shots as it related
To the Bulls and the Mavs going back to Kevin’s kindheartedness and generosity he bought Harrison a Dallas Mavericks t-shirt for no reason at all just because he knew just how much Harrison loved the Mavericks the very next Mavericks game that Harrison attended he wore Kevin’s t-shirt proudly and
Insisted that I take a picture to send to cousin Kevin as he called him though Kevin’s response was via text message I could tell he was so so pleased as he expressed how sharp Harrison looked in his T-shirt my final word to describe Kevin would be protective whenever we visit Chicago
Kevin insisted that he drive us everywhere I can recall having rented a car one visit but in true Kevin fashion he still wanted to show fur this leads us into the Italian beef debacle so so every time we visit it’s an absolute must that I get an Italian beef sandwich not
Dipped well the closest Italian beef spot to Aunt Barbara’s house is literally within walking distance just a few blocks up South uid and then a left onto East 71st Street one day I made the dreaded mistake of telling Kevin I’d walked those couple of blocks to go get my sandwiches as it
Wasn’t far at all before I could complete my sentence Kevin in his booming voice said and I quote what you’re walking where so so let me get this straight fader you want to walk to the Italian be spot on e71st Street absolutely not I’ll drive you he said I’m from here and I
Wouldn’t walk with you so I’m driving in case we need to make a fast getaway and every visit thereafter he’d always drive me to get my Italian beef sandwiches from the spot on East 71st Street with no complaints it was Kevin’s an eight cents to protect his big cousins whenever we
Were around and that’s Kevin Charles Smith loving kindhearted a sports fan loving hilarious easygoing and even and at the even kill fell that he’s always been his physical presence will be missed but he will live on through [Applause] us you know there’s something special about the relationship of cousins and
With Kevin and Kenny we always emphasized the uniqueness of being first cousins that degree of relation is one of the closest to a sibling that you can have we are so incredibly blessed to have Kevin and Kenny as first cousins and to have been blessed by Aunt Barbara and Uncle
Charles Kevin was really the total package not just as a cousin but as a devoted son brother grandson nephew mate coworker church member and of course friend in addition to the traits my sister recalled I cherish three additional traits that Kevin personified he was nurturing resilient and
Witty on the first trait Kevin was a nurturing leader on his family in every sense of the word providing sound guidance and protection for his mother and brother he also demonstrated care and selflessness to Fay and me as both he and Kenny often loaned their dad to
Us on several occasions as we grew up in Mississippi you would think the trip from Chicago to Vicksburg Mississippi was a cross town commute because Uncle Charles managed to show up for so many important events school events graduation holiday even health related events in Mississippi often on a moment’s
Notice obviously that was precious time away from Kevin Kenny and Aunt Barbara but we never never heard them complain the love of their household was instrumental in both of our Journeys a more recent example of Kevin’s compassion is the way he comforted us when we lost our mom he
Took time to send us texts and voice messages and to tell us he understood our pain and then to inspire us to live boldly through it Speaking of boldness I admired Kevin for his boldness and resilience as aunt Barbara’s printed tribute beautifully recalls Kevin was incredibly
Resilient like that time I beat him in the fantasy football matchup and he couldn’t believe it because his you know girl cousin shouldn’t have done it he rebounded very very well but seriously he persevered through challenging College experiences the loss of his father the loss of his significant other Jessica and we all
Witnessed his continuous rise from significant health challenges and his amazing miraculous recoveries through it all there was a constant the ever hopeful joyful strong God loving Kevin his example continues to be a lesson and inspiration to us finally I honor Kevin for his wit he was quite witty his intellectual
Prowess was undeniable he was so sharp and impressive in his studies at Brown and tugalo and throughout his excellent career well before those experiences however Kevin was perhaps the first person to show me without knowing it that there was an elevated level of smart that I had not been exposed to
Before through him I discovered I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was as kids on our summer trips to Chicago in the 80s I would hang on his every word hope oping to catch him turn some quick phrase or teach me a new vocabulary word I always pretended I
Knew what he was talking about like when he told me something was a real knee slapper meaning it was funny I never heard that before I was clueless and I bet he knew it but he never teased me about it because that was not his way now sometimes Kevin’s wittiness went
A bit too far particularly when he used it to challenge the authority of medical professionals who were caring for him one of my Fondest Memories with Kevin is from a hospital stay back in 2010 when he was a patient in ICU and despite the criticality of his condition he felt
Well enough to put the nurses to task refusing to follow their instructions even flirting with them and using every shock value tactic at his disposal I was fortunate enough to be staying with him that night and I made sure he knew I saw exactly what he was
Doing let’s just say we had a heart tohe heart that only first cousins can have and then we spent the rest of the night giggling and watching a Marathon run of Diners Drive-Ins and Dives I know that Kevin knew how much his family loved him and we always will
Throughout his life folks always refer to he and his brother in a pair it was always Kevin and Kenny Kevin and Kenny uh we know that feeling too it was always Adrian and fedra Adrian and fedra so Kenny we got you back we’re gonna coin a new phrase it’s Kenny Adrian and
Fedra and I think we’re good to go and Aunt Barbara we will do our best to continue Kevin’s Legacy of love and protection for you amen we trust God to sustain us through this time and to God be the glory for Kevin’s life until we meet again kzo
At this time we’ll have a musical selection from Mr Amir Curry entitled Stand After you’ve done all you Can after you’ve done all you Can he after you’ve done all you can after you’ve done all you Can after you’ve done all you can you just stand tell me what do you do when you done all you can and seems like it’s never enough tell me what do you say when your friends turn away you’re all alone all alone tell me what do you do when you’ve given your
Own seems like you can’t make it through well you just stand when there’s nothing left to do you just stand and watch the Lord see you through yes after you’ve done all you can you just stand tell me how do you hand the guilt of your
Past tell me how do you deal with the shame tell me how can you smile W your heart has been broken and filled with pain filled with pain tell me what do you give when you’ve given you’re all who and it seemed like you can’t make it through well God says just
Stand when there’s nothing left to do you just stand watch the Lord see you through yes after you’ve done all you can you just stand and be sure be sure be not entangled in that bondage again you just stand cuz God has a perpose my God has a plan tell me what
You when you’ve done all you can hey and it seems like you can’t make a head through will you just stay you stay you stay here don’t you take give up you through the stor and through the rain and through the hurt through the pain you hold on don’t give up
Yeah hold on yes hold on you stay stay [Applause] stay you just stand you just after you’ve done all you can after you done all you can after You’ done all you can after you done all you can you prayed and cried you cried and prayed after you’ve done all you
Can God’s going to show up every day after you done all you can he’s going to come through after you’ve done all you can yeah yeah after you’ve done all you can after you’ve done all you can hey after you’ve done all you can after You’ done all you can stay you you
Stay and don’t you D give after you’ve done all you can you just stand Oh wo Hallelujah oh come on and give the Lord some Praise In This Place Hallelujah family you’re going to need to stand friends you’re going to need to stand but what are you going to stand on you stand on the word of God Amen his word reminds us that he’ll never leave
Us nor forsake us his word reminds us that he’ll be there with us in a moments just like this let’s pray God we thank you for your grace and your mercy thank you Lord for your love and your kindness God we thank you that even in moments of our weakness God when we
Don’t know how to stand your word reminds us that your strength is made perfect in our weakness I pray God that you would be with us that you would strengthen us that you would strengthen his family be with Sister Barbara be with brother Kenny be with these cousins be with this church family
Friends and co-workers in Jesus name we pray amen amen amen amen come on let’s give God a hand praise for the life of Kevin Charles Smith I said let’s give God praise for the life of Kevin Charles Smith come on if he was your friend and
He was a brother from another mother if he was a coworker if he’s encouraged you if he’s been there for you in this moment right here you’re showing up for him come on let’s stand and give God praise for the life of Kevin Charles Smith
Amen on your way to your seats do me a favor look at your neighbor smile at them with whatever 32 teeth you have or don’t have and say neighbor nebor we’re going to get through this with the help of the Lord now do me a favor lean on that other neighbor and
Smile at them with those same teeth and say neighbor neighor we’re going to get through this with the help of the Lord now come on and give God praise as you take your seats Amen I promise you I’m not going to be before you long now I’m a Baptist preacher oh Lord but I promise I won’t be before you long you can watch your clocks trust me um there’s a particular passage of scripture that I want to come from and
Uplift uh I believe to help celebrate this the life of Kevin it’s found in 1 Corinthians chapter number 15 and it reads this way from the new King James version It’s says now this I say Brethren that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor does corruption inherit incorruption behold I
Tell you a mystery that we shall not all sleep but we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised Incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on
Incorruption and this Mortal must put on immortality so when corruptible has put on incorruption and Mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in Victory oh death where is your sting oh Hades where is your
Victory The Sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen but the time that desire us to share together I want to talk about a Superhero by the name of the creative
Kevin creative Kevin God grant us this moment in time to be able to tune into heaven for just a little while it is our prayer God that in the midst of all of the songs that are sang words that are said sermon that’s preached that God
Somebody gets to know you in a much better away it’s in Jesus name we pray amen amen amen this morning I want to talk about the the superhero by the name of the creative Kevin see you all Kevin as many of you all had saw in the obituary and saw or
Or heard spoken about him he loved Comics he loved superheroes he loved DC and Marvel Comics and the movies that came out I I recall that uh that was one of the things that he and I connected on I uh uh particularly I believe it was
Even in our um when I was uh uh candidating or interviewing to become the pastor here brother Kevin was on that search committee and and and we connected over superheroes and even after I became the pastor we would talk about Marvel and talk about um um um
Black Panther and talk about Iron Man and talk about all of these different characters these different superheroes but the more and more I began to know who Kevin was I began to understand that he himself was also a superhero Kevin you all Kevin was a
Superhero he he he he had the build of a superhero he was tall he had the size of a superhero he was solid Kevin ya’all was a superhero and and and and join me because as I’m talking about this I see some of your heads nodding that you have experienced
Kevin as a superhero even in your own life and as I read this particular passage of scripture and as I reflect on it and reflect on the life of Kevin I saw some similarities that that that are that that that you would find between a superhero that you would find in Kevin
And that you would find Even In this passage of scripture as Kevin was this superhero who would do superhero things as Dr Curry had alluded to uh uh that Bren Mah might not be open today if it wasn’t for Kevin only got three amens on that
Brenmar might not be open today if it wasn’t for Kevin I need y’all to talk back to me today I’m I’m not going to be before you alone the faster y’all talk back to me the faster I’ll be done uh uh brenmar uh uhh uhh when during the
Pandemic um if it wasn’t for Kevin there would be no online service if there wasn’t for Kevin there would be no online giving if it wasn’t for Kevin there would be no connection with zoom if it wasn’t for Kevin there would be no connection to the outside world to bring
The outside world inside of these four walls once we opened up if it wasn’t for Kevin we I don’t know where this church would be I probably wouldn’t even be to past if it wasn’t for Kevin I came to tell somebody that Kevin was a superhero and the three things I learned about
Superheroes is that number one superheroes have to change into their uniform superheroes have to change into their uniform see see uh uh uh uh um Superman was nothing when he would walk around as Clark Kent but when he would put that cape on him he would be able
Fly around and they would say what is it is it a bird is it a plane no it’s Superman come on y’all talk back with me Kevin Kevin was a superhero that knew and this text reminds us that we got to one day change our clothes that Moral Moral mortal must put on
Immortality that corruption must put on incorruption that we got to change our clothes one of these days and if we believe that Jesus died for our sins Rose from the grave and and and is coming back again we too will get a change of clothes at that moment when we
All have to leave this earth and go over to the other afterlife I came to tell you that superheroes change their clothes and you may be sitting here today wearing the clothing of grief wearing the clothing of being upset and crying but I got news for you that God’s
Word has a remedy for that that God says in his word that he will give you a Garment of Praise for a spirit of heaviness and so God even when you’re going through your moments of crying and tears and I came to tell you it’s okay
To cry I don’t care what nobody else says it’s all right to cry men do cry women do cry and when you have your moments of grief and crying God says he will give you a Garment of Praise for a spirit of Heaven you you got to know superheroes change their clothes number
One secondly superheroes have a catchphrase as the text says here it says death is swallowed up in Victory oh death where is your sting oh hell where is your Victory uh uh that’s the catchphrase um um um um um Kevin you all had had several catchphrases or or or
Several things that he will say particularly I noticed about Kevin is that he gave many of you all nicknames as his coworkers got up here and reminded us he called her G money uh uh uh as our beloved Terrell is here uh H I didn’t know he calls he called him
Trill one day I said who are you talking about he he was talking about Terell he had an ability to give some nicknames but he also had an ability to say some things that would stick with many of us he said and spoke some things that that
Have inspired you or have connected you to him and he to you the things that he said uhh the words that he said the the things that came out of his mouth were were things that were to encourage you and I came to tell you each and every
One of you that you ought to be careful of the words that you say that you ought to be careful of the what you allow to come out of your mouth make sure that it is something to up build people make sure that it is something to encourage
People make sure that it is is not something to tear them down but to lift them up and much like how Kevin would do he would say things and he would say what he would say and mean what he said and he would say these things to
Encourage you and to lift you up and to remind many of you whatever you’re going through even through the life that he lived dealing with w w with sickness himself that God can still keep you God can still protect you God is still with you even when you’re going through what
You’re going through and all of us going to go through some stuff but you know what trust and know just like how Kevin did that God will be there with you superheroes number one have to change into their uniform number two superheroes have a catchphrase but thirdly and finally superheroes know how
To conquer over their challenges see the text reminds us that that that that that that that that’s death is swallowed up in Victory oh oh death where is your sting oh hell where is your victory that that’s superheroes that that we as Believers we become superheroes that that once we accept
Jesus Christ we when we get God super hooked up to our natural and we can do amazing things and so we don’t have to have the worries of death because we have victory over death we have victory over the challenge and the and the sting
Of death but not only that I came to tell somebody that that Kevin had victory over dialysis Kevin had victory over kidney issues Kevin had victory over heart issues Kevin had victory in the things that he did Kevin had victory at Brown University Kevin had victory at
Taloo College ke Kevin had victory in Cincinnati Kevin had victory at the Paul Kevin had Victory when he showed up at at at work at the ABA Kevin had Victory when he showed up here at church Kevin had Victory and on on November 30th day
I came to tell somebody that that was a day that Kevin gained victory that he left this life and and he became a Victor in heaven that that that the challenges of this life did not pale in comparison to the glory that he received in in heaven I came to tell somebody
That every now and then we got to all be reminded much like Kevin that we are like superheroes that superheroes have to change their clothes that superheroes have to have a catchphrase but superheroes have to learn how to conquer over their challenges as as as we were
Reminded Kevin was one that knew how to take a licking and keep on ticking Kevin was one that knew how to go through and not allow what he was going through to take away from who he was Kevin was a person who was an encourager he was an
Uplifter and I came to tell somebody that we got to be like superheroes I close with this idea I remember as a kid uh I’m a millennial but but but every now and then as growing up you know there was a period of time when we didn’t have cable and so
On on over the air channels they would play reruns of old shows uh uh old shows like Batman and Robin to be honest and I remember one day I was watching an old episode it was old I mean the graphics were bad and they would put up when
Batman would hit somebody it would say PO on the screen y’all remember that I I I I I recall I recall when when I was watching the episode and and it seemed as if Batman and Robin were in a very very tough predicament that the Joker
Had got them tied up and it seemed like they was about to lose it seemed like they was about to lose and the and and the story ends up ending the show ends up ending with this with this these words see uh uh will Batman make it out
Of the Joker’s hands tune in next time same bad time y’all watch the same episode that I did and and and I was perplexed I was I I I I was upset I I was worried I was wondering uh uh until the next episode came on uh will Batman make it out of
The Joker’s hands I was upset I was worried I was upset but then all of a sudden uh uh my bigger brother had to remind me uh uh Javon it’s written in the script that Batman is going to win and I came to tell y’all today that it’s
Written in the script that Kevin has already won I can’t to tell somebody in here today that it’s written in the script that no matter what storm you’re going through that no matter what pain you endure that no matter what situation you find yourself in it’s written in the
Script that you win that death where is your sing hell where is your Victory I got news for you I got the victory you got the victory Kevin got the Victory and Jesus name Hallelujah somebody give God praise for the victory God we thank you for who you
Are we thank you for your love and your kindness we pray God In The Name of Jesus God that somebody in here after all of this has gotten to know you in a better way now God be with us touch God be with this mother God remind her
God that that she had a superhero of her son be with this brother God remind him that he had a superhero of a brother remind us all God to be like Kevin to be creative in mind and thought to be a a a problem solver and not a problem Giver
Remind us God to be there to be of encouragement and not to speak and tear anyone down God we thank you we give you glory for the life of brother Kevin Smith it’s in Jesus name we pray amen amen amen will the funeral directors come at this time Of I’m going to ask everyone with the exception of Paul bearers to please hold your seats I need one two 3 four five six seven maybe a little bit more people to be flower bearers doesn’t have to be just women if you could come at this time if you’re a flower Bearer please
Move move move move uh down this way grab your coat If you’re a flower Bearer please come on we got a lot of flowers Kevin was really loved amen come On We got four more I need four more flower Bearers all right I need three more three More all right we got all three amen when I Die as we’re preparing to leave now May the grace of God the love of Christ and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit rest Rule and abide with us all now henceforth and forever more amen Please hold your seat until the family has exited Outu the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want he makes me to lie down in Green Pastures he leads me beside the Still Waters he restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake yay though I walk through the
Valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies thou anointest my head with oil my cup runs over surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
The days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever fly away oh I fly away when I Hallelujah by and by I I myly away I’ll myly away I fly away I fly away
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