James Rudy Gray, pastor of Utica Baptist Church in Seneca, has confirmed that he will be nominated for president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention at the SCBC’s annual meeting in November.
Rudy GrayGray said he will be nominated by Don Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg.
Gray has been pastor of Utica for 14 years. During his tenure, more than 575 people have been added to the roll, 123 by baptism. The church has conducted a major building program, doubling the size of its facilities, and is completing a debt-free renovation of the education and auditorium.
Utica Baptist Church gives 13 percent of its budget to the Cooperative Program, and last year gave more than $99,000 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and more than $84,000 to world hunger relief. In addition, the church hosts an annual missions conference and conducts several local mission projects and mission trips each year.
This year marks Gray’s fourth year as a parliamentarian for the SCBC annual meeting. He is also current chairman of the Committee on Committees. He has served eight years as a trustee at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, serving as chairman the past two years. He has served two five-year terms as a trustee for The Baptist Courier and one five-year term as a trustee for Anderson University. In addition, he has served as chairman of the Resolutions Committee and completed a five-year term on the Executive Board of the state convention.
He is a regular columnist for The Baptist Courier with his “At Home” column and a monthly contributor to Pulpit Helps with a column called “The Counselor’s Corner.”
In addition to his work as pastor, he is a national- and board-certified Christian counselor. He does referrals for Focus on the Family and has worked with alcoholics and drugs addicts for the past 10 years at a non-denominational residential treatment facility, Home with a Heart, near Liberty. He serves an adjunct professor at Anderson University.
Gray and his wife, Anne, a high school teacher at Oconee Christian Academy, have been married for 31 years. They have three grown daughters and two sons-in-law, all graduates of Anderson University.