Reid Chapel Ame

Our Pastor

Reverend Carey A. Grady was appointed the Pastor of Reid Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina by the Right Reverend Richard Franklin Norris, Presiding Prelate of the 7th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at the 7th Episcopal District Post Convocation and Theological Institute on November 14, 2014.

Rev. Carey A Grady is a native of Charleston, S.C. and a product of the public school system. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Howard University, Washington, D.C. and the Master of Divinity from Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA. He is a Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) Candidate at Evangelical Seminary (ES) through the Kairos Project.

While a student at Howard, Rev. Grady was a tutor and afterschool counselor at the Sojourner's Community Center, interned at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in the Duke Ellington Collection, served as a Congressional Black Caucus Intern and later a Patricia Roberts Harris Intern for Congressman James Clyburn and a Communication Intern at Amnesty International in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office.

While in college Rev. Grady accepted the call to Ministry and upon Graduation enrolled at the Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. In Seminary he worked in Student Government and was a Teaching Assistant to Rev. Dr. Mark Lomax, Professor of Homiletics. During his Sr. Year in Seminary Rev. Grady was assigned to pastor Bethlehem AME Church in Belton, S.C. Upon graduation he worked for the Democratic Party of Georgia from 2000-2001

Rev. Grady has pastored 4 Churches including: Bethlehem AME Church, Belton, S.C. Shiloh AME Church, McCormick, S.C. St. Peter AME Church, Decatur, Illinois and Bethel AME Cathedral of Indianapolis, Indiana.

While in S.C. he was named Minister of the Year by the McCormick County Chamber of Commerce for the 2002-2003 year. At Shiloh AME Church he led the Church in the remodeling of the sanctuary, installation of a state of the arts sound system to produce tapes and CD's of the morning worship services and the installation of Stained Glass Windows

In February of 2005 he did the Opening Prayer at the Illinois State Assembly, State Representatives. In October 2006 he was named clergy of the Month by the AME Christian Recorder during National Clergy Appreciation Month, in the summer of 2008 he was named "20 Under 40" by the Central Illinois Midwestern Business Journal for excellence in community and civic activity. While in Decatur, Rev. Grady and the St. Peter family were known for their Community Outreach to young people and their Radio Broadcasts.

Rev. Grady has served on numerous Community and Non-Profit Boards. In McCormick he served on the McCormick Community Development Enrichment Corporation (MCDEC), in Decatur, Illinois he served on the Neighborhood Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) and the Decatur African-American Genealogical & Historical Society (Decatur, Illinois).

While at Bethel, the oldest African American Church in the state of Indiana, Bethel went through an extensive renovation process. Rev. Grady was also the Executive Director of the Friends of Bethel Indianapolis Community Development Corporation. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Capital City Lodge # 47 Prince Hall Affiliation, Ethiopia Chapter #60 Holy Royal Arch of South Carolina, C.C. Johnson Consistory #136 Scottish Rite Masonry of South Carolina.

Rev. Grady was a Wabash Pastoral Leadership Fellow for the 2010-2012 year: Served on the Indiana Villages Healthy Families Advisory Council and is a founding member of the Indianapolis Congregation Action Network (IndyCan), a faith-based Community Organization and affiliate of PICO People Improving Communities through Organizing. He is the founding member of the Midlands Organized Response for Equity and Justice (MORE Justice) and served two consecutive two-year terms as Co-President.

Rev. Grady is the youngest child of Bishop ZL and Mrs. C.R. Grady and is most appreciative that at a Young age he was nurtured in the faith by his parents and siblings. It is important to note that he grew up with a severe Speech Impediment from age 6 until age 20. He knows he was healed by God.

Rev. Grady is married to Mrs. India Clemons-Grady a native of Springfield, Illinois. Mrs. Grady is an accomplished teacher. She was a tenured teacher in the Springfield, Illinois Public School System and was a 1st Grade Teacher in the Lawrence Township School District of Indianapolis, Indiana where she was the 1st Grade Teacher Team Leader. She is a teacher at Pontiac Elementary School in Columbia, S.C. Mrs. Grady holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Illinois, Chicago Campus and a Masters in Reading Instruction from Western Illinois University. Presently she is a Ed.S Candidate in School Counseling at the University of South Carolina (USC).

Rev. Grady lives by these words. "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow, It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable? (Hebrews 4:12-13)

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