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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Pastor Michael Grady of Prince of Peace Christian |
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| 6 | 7 | | Fellowship in El Paso has devoted himself to the betterment of his |
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| 7 | 8 | | community and to the spiritual enrichment of his congregation, and |
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| 8 | 9 | | over the past two years, he has also demonstrated great strength of |
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| 9 | 10 | | character while coping with personal tragedy; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, Michael Grady is the father of Michelle Grady, a |
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| 11 | 12 | | survivor of the mass shooting that took place in El Paso on August |
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| 12 | 13 | | 3, 2019; on that day, 23 people were killed and dozens more were |
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| 13 | 14 | | injured when a gunman went on a racially motivated shooting rampage |
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| 14 | 15 | | at a Walmart store; Ms. Grady, who was shot three times, spent 55 |
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| 15 | 16 | | days in the hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries on her |
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| 16 | 17 | | long road to recovery; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Pastor Grady and his wife, Jeneverlyn Grady, have |
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| 18 | 19 | | been a steadfast source of support to their daughter throughout her |
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| 19 | 20 | | ordeal; after experiencing firsthand the devastating consequences |
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| 20 | 21 | | of hatred and intolerance, Pastor Grady has spoken out against the |
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| 21 | 22 | | rhetoric and ideologies that have fueled division and fomented the |
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| 22 | 23 | | kind of violence that occurred on that horrific day in El Paso; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, A member of the clergy for more than 50 years, Pastor |
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| 24 | 25 | | Grady was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; as a chaplain in |
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| 25 | 26 | | the United States Army, he was assigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso, |
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| 26 | 27 | | and he also served as the Reserve Chaplains' Training Advisor at the |
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| 27 | 28 | | U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey; |
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| 28 | 29 | | he pastored the True Vine Baptist Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, |
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| 29 | 30 | | and after returning to El Paso in 2004, he was ordained a Presiding |
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| 30 | 31 | | Elder of the Arizona-New Mexico Region of the Ninth Episcopal |
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| 31 | 32 | | District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Pastor Grady has held numerous leadership positions |
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| 33 | 34 | | within his religious community, and from 2005 to 2010, he served as |
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| 34 | 35 | | president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of |
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| 35 | 36 | | El Paso; in 2015, he founded Prince of Peace Christian Fellowship |
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| 36 | 37 | | Church, and in addition to leading the congregation, he has served |
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| 37 | 38 | | as president of the El Paso Branch of the NAACP; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, While dealing with the aftermath of a deeply |
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| 39 | 40 | | traumatic event, Pastor Michael Grady has distinguished himself as |
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| 40 | 41 | | a pillar of strength to his family and a moral compass to his |
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| 41 | 42 | | community, and he has earned the respect and admiration of all who |
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| 42 | 43 | | know him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature hereby honor Pastor Michael Grady for his service to El |
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| 45 | 46 | | Paso and for his courage and resilience in the wake of a family |
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| 46 | 47 | | tragedy and extend to him and his loved ones sincere best wishes for |
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| 47 | 48 | | the future; and, be it further |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 49 | 50 | | prepared for Pastor Grady as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 50 | 51 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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