[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1232-E1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO BISHOP ZEDEKIAH LAZETT GRADY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2004

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Bishop 
Zedekiah Lazett Grady, one of eight legendary leaders of the African 
Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church who will be retiring this year at the 
Quadrennial Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  Bishop Zedekiah Lazett Grady was born in Loughman, Florida, the son 
of the late Walter and Sylvia Bynum Grady. He was educated in the 
public schools of Sanford, Florida and is a graduate of Crooms Academy. 
He further matriculated at Edwards Waters College and the B.L. Lee 
Theological Seminary, where he received an Associate of Arts and the 
Bachelor of Theology degrees. He also attended Allen University, where 
he received the Bachelor of Arts degree and Dickerson Theological 
Seminary, where he earned the Bachelor of Divinity and Masters of 
Divinity degrees. He furthered his graduate theological studies at the 
Union Theological Seminary in New York, New York and the Urban Training 
Center in Chicago, Illinois. He has received honorary doctorate degrees 
from Kittrell College in North Carolina, Allen University, and Edwards 
Waters College.
  Bishop Grady has served the church and African Methodism for well 
over 40 years as a distinguished pastor, capable administrator, civic 
organizer, ecumenical leader, social reformer, teacher and Presiding 
Elder. He has served as pastor in Florida and South Carolina. For 
almost twenty years he was pastor of my home church, Morris Brown in 
Charleston, South Carolina. During his tenure there, Bishop Grady 
burned several mortgages, renovated the sanctuary, purchased and 
developed additional property, organized and developed several social 
service programs, and added 1,100 members to the church roll.
  While serving as Presiding Elder of the historically rich Edisto 
District, the South Carolina Conference in the 7th Episcopal District, 
Bishop Grady distinguished himself by realizing a 10 percent increase 
in membership each year and increasing the number of pastoral charges 
from 24 to 35.

[[Page E1233]]

  Bishop Grady has been lauded for his services as a key negotiator in 
the 1969 hospital strike in Charleston, South Carolina. He has also 
served as chairman and vice-chairman of the South Carolina Juvenile 
Parole Board, strategist and advisor of several State and municipal 
elected officials, and is a past Chairman of the Charleston Community 
Race Relations Committee. Bishop Grady was a member of the Charleston 
Housing Authority and has served as a delegate to five World Methodist 
Conferences. He also served on the local boards of C&S National Bank 
and NationsBank. He holds life memberships in Beta Mu Sigma Chapter, 
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the NAACP.
  On July 14, 1992, Bishop Grady was elected the 111th Bishop of the 
African Methodist Episcopal Church and has served in the 16th and 9th 
Episcopal Districts and currently serves the 1st Episcopal District.
  Bishop Grady is married to Carrie Etta Robertson Grady of Winnsboro, 
South Carolina. They have four children.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in paying 
tribute to Bishop Zedekiah Lazette Grady upon his retirement from the 
Bishopric. In addition to being a great religious leader, he has been a 
trusted personal confidant. I am proud to have called him my pastor and 
even prouder to call him my friend.

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