| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Pastor Michael Grady of Prince of Peace Christian |
|
|
Fellowship in El Paso has devoted himself to the betterment of his |
|
|
community and to the spiritual enrichment of his congregation, and |
|
|
over the past two years, he has also demonstrated great strength of |
|
|
character while coping with personal tragedy; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Michael Grady is the father of Michelle Grady, a |
|
|
survivor of the mass shooting that took place in El Paso on August |
|
|
3, 2019; on that day, 23 people were killed and dozens more were |
|
|
injured when a gunman went on a racially motivated shooting rampage |
|
|
at a Walmart store; Ms. Grady, who was shot three times, spent 55 |
|
|
days in the hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries on her |
|
|
long road to recovery; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Pastor Grady and his wife, Jeneverlyn Grady, have |
|
|
been a steadfast source of support to their daughter throughout her |
|
|
ordeal; after experiencing firsthand the devastating consequences |
|
|
of hatred and intolerance, Pastor Grady has spoken out against the |
|
|
rhetoric and ideologies that have fueled division and fomented the |
|
|
kind of violence that occurred on that horrific day in El Paso; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A member of the clergy for more than 50 years, Pastor |
|
|
Grady was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; as a chaplain in |
|
|
the United States Army, he was assigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso, |
|
|
and he also served as the Reserve Chaplains' Training Advisor at the |
|
|
U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey; |
|
|
he pastored the True Vine Baptist Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, |
|
|
and after returning to El Paso in 2004, he was ordained a Presiding |
|
|
Elder of the Arizona-New Mexico Region of the Ninth Episcopal |
|
|
District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Pastor Grady has held numerous leadership positions |
|
|
within his religious community, and from 2005 to 2010, he served as |
|
|
president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of |
|
|
El Paso; in 2015, he founded Prince of Peace Christian Fellowship |
|
|
Church, and in addition to leading the congregation, he has served |
|
|
as president of the El Paso Branch of the NAACP; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, While dealing with the aftermath of a deeply |
|
|
traumatic event, Pastor Michael Grady has distinguished himself as |
|
|
a pillar of strength to his family and a moral compass to his |
|
|
community, and he has earned the respect and admiration of all who |
|
|
know him; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor Pastor Michael Grady for his service to El |
|
|
Paso and for his courage and resilience in the wake of a family |
|
|
tragedy and extend to him and his loved ones sincere best wishes for |
|
|
the future; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Pastor Grady as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |