Pastor Roberta Kay has devoted her life to God in faithful worship and ministry for over 30 years. After giving her heart and life to the Lord in 1986 at Calvary Worship Center in Jensen Beach, Florida, she began her spiritual journey in walking with Christ and ministry.
Pastor Roberta married Pastor David Paul Smith in 1999 and had two wonderful sons, Caleb David, and Michael Paul. In 2001, she founded Little Lambs nursery, which later became Kidzone Preschool Academy, one of the largest VPK providers on the Treasure Coast. With the favor and grace of God, Pastor Roberta stood alongside her husband as Senior Pastors at The River of Life International. She is a true example of the Proverbs 31 woman. She is virtuous, strong, and selfless, a loyal servant to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In 2011, Pastor Roberta and her family received heartbreaking news.
Her husband became very ill with MRSA – a staph infection that can enter the bloodstream and is resilient to some antibiotics and was near death. After overcoming the infection, he was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer and went to be with the Lord in January 2016. This left Pastor Roberta a widowed, single mom with two teenage boys.
However, as 1 Timothy 5:5 states, “The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.” Through facing many adversities both in the ministry and her personal life, she experienced and saw the Lord continue to uphold, strengthen, and support her. She felt the Lord tug at her heart to tell her story and share with others the power of God in a new and deeper way. As the Spirit led her, Pastor Roberta in obedience, continues to encourage and empower others to reach their destiny in Christ.