By Steven Norris
From the moment that Pastor Grady Caldwell walked into my office, I felt a connection. Maybe it was his ear-to-ear smile, gregarious charm, or the fact that he greeted me with a hug instead of a simple handshake, but I just knew we were connected.
This past week, Pastor Caldwell celebrated a milestone and New Mercy Baptist Church celebrated his retirement. Caldwell was the founding pastor of New Mercy and served that congregation faithfully for 17 years before retiring at the end of December 2024. It is without that question that our community has been profoundly marked by the faithfulness of this man in that relatively short time.
Ministry was not Caldwell’s first calling, though it would become his most rewarding one. He graduated with a degree in business administration and worked for 30 years in business-related enterprises. During that time, he also acknowledges ongoing struggles with chemical dependency and other vices (see Bill Lightle’s book, To Dance With the Devil’s Daughter). Pastor Caldwell developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and began preparing for a call to teach and preach the Word of God in 1991 at New Covenant Church, Albany, Georgia.
New Mercy Baptist was started to minister to the children and families being reached by Kids Explosion, an evangelism outreach of New Salem Baptist in our community. Pastor Caldwell was tapped to gather those families together and begin an ongoing work. He has also served as a chaplain for the Spalding County Sheriff and in ministry through the Georgia Department of Corrections.
I remember sitting in the sanctuary of Rising Star Missionary Baptist with Grady in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. We gathered to pray, grieve, and to open dialogue. Pastor Caldwell said to me, “You have been called to this community for such a time as this.” He has been an integral part of UNITE, the organization that birthed out of those talks to break down walls in our faith community and bring a spirit of unity in Christ.
We haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on every theological matter, but Grady has treated me with the utmost respect. If he heard something about me or the church that did not seem right, he had the integrity to call me up and invite me to lunch so that he could get clarity directly from me. He has been a constant source of encouragement, and I have walked away from every encounter renewed in spirit to serve Christ and the church.
Grady is a man who loves Jesus deeply, loves people without exception, and loves the church passionately. Every time we have eaten lunch together, he would tell our server, “I’m Grady and this is my friend Steven. We are about to pray together. Is there something we can pray for you about?” This simple act opened countless doors for him to share the love of Christ.
The context of Pastor Caldwell’s ministry may be changing with his retirement, but his ministerial calling will remain. Pointing others to Christ and embodying the love of God is just who Grady Caldwell is. As you enter retirement, I say, “Well done, friend. Our community is deeply grateful for you.”