Our Pastors
Team Members
Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Jr.
OverseerDr. E. Dewey Smith is the Senior Pastor/Teacher of The House of Hope Atlanta and The House of Hope Macon – one church in two locations – with a membership roll of more than 10,000. A proud native of Macon, Ga., he has been a minister of the gospel for 30 years. He commenced his preaching ministry at age 17 and his pastoral ministry at 19. God has highly favored Dr. Smith by allowing explosive growth and outreach to accompany his ministry.
Smith is a learned man. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, in Atlanta, GA; graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Science degree from Amridge University in Montgomery, AL; and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. Additionally, he was inducted into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College as a “Distinguished Preacher.” Dr. Smith has served on the Board of Directors for the Morehouse School of Religion as well as the United Theological Seminary and Bible College in Monroe, LA.
Smith has always had a passion to redress those things that plague the community and burden the people he serves. As a result, he has launched several initiatives that have had significant impact. Throughout his ministry he has been heavily involved in prison reform, re-entry programs, human services and community development. In 2013, Dr. Smith launched The Tabitha’s House, a non-profit organization that provides housing, counseling and support to young girls rescued from human trafficking. His congregation is one of the few churches in the nation that owns a resource center and two residences that house and empower victims of human trafficking. In addition, Smith opened the Haven House, a fully staffed, professional and licensed counseling center that addresses the emotional and mental health concerns of people in the community.
Dr. Smith is also professionally involved in media, film and television production. He has produced media and film for over 25 years. He served as a co-host on the first daytime, faith-based panel talk show, produced by Warner Brothers in Burbank, California.
A personable and humble man, Dr. Smith has been honored to share in ministry across the world. He has served as the keynote speaker on some of today’s most renowned platforms. Smith is intentional in his efforts to minister to five generations, and his ministry impacts persons from all socioeconomic classes.
Dr. Smith is married to the lovely former Andrea Fambro, his best friend of over 30 years. They have been blessed with two sons: Kamari Elijah and Kylen Isaiah.
Team Members
Pastor J.C. Howard
Lead PastorBorn August 9, 1986, in the small city and state of Wilmington, Delaware, J.C. Howard has with great perseverance, defied stereotypical labels to succeed as an African American man and minister. The second of three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln Caldwell, J.C., was nurtured and tutored from a very young age to always seek the Lord in all things and to walk righteously with integrity. At age nine, J.C. accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life.
Having been reared in church his entire life, Howard served faithfully in many capacities before accepting his call to the preaching ministry in 2006. In 2007, James was licensed for ministry by the Cathedral of Fresh Fire, Reverend Emma L. Creamer, Senior Pastor.
Reverend Howard went on to graduate with honors from the world-renown Morehouse College (2009), in Atlanta Georgia where he double majored in Religion and History. It was at Morehouse that he was afforded the opportunity to serve as a Martin Luther King Jr., International Chapel Assistant and now has been inducted into the prestigious MLK Jr. Morehouse Board of Preachers. J.C. is also a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
J.C. also effectively served as Youth Pastor of Gospel Tabernacle Church (which has two locations), in Atlanta, GA during his college matriculation, where Bishop Wiley Jackson is the Senior Pastor.
In May of 2012, J.C. graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Divinity degree. While at Princeton, he served as an associate minister under Senior Pastor David G. Evans at the Bethany Baptist Church of NJ. After serving faithfully as Youth and Young Adult Pastor of Mount Bethel Ministries in Fort Lauderdale, FL under Bishop C.E. Glover for over three years, Howard was called to be the Senior Pastor of the St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church in Dania Beach, FL in February of 2016. God has enabled Reverend Howard to share the Word of God and millennial leadership principles with numerous congregations and organizations throughout the country, likely due to his passionate preaching style, and his commitment to leadership and social justice.
He is the father of one daughter, Rhyan, who is his pride and joy. Reverend Howard strives daily to grow as a Christian, as a man, father, and servant of humanity and to daily obey the voice of God and the Word of God.