Her healing ministry attracted large numbers of followers and her church grew to have 3,000 members.
Shortly thereafter, her husband left, and Lucy began to earn a living by taking in sewing.
She believed she had a gift for faith healing, and in 1916, she started prayer meetings in her home with two other women.
As the meetings grew, Elder Smith established the Langley Avenue All Nations Pentecostal Church in 1920.
She developed an active community outreach program, feeding thousands during the Great Depression.
Her granddaughter, "Little Lucy" Smith Collier was a classically trained pianist and organist, and a highly regarded gospel accompanist and singer.
"Elder Lucy Smith" in African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness.