By Suzy Alstrin
Grant Perry, Reinhardt’s new chaplain, aims to sustain and enhance the spiritual welfare of those who attend Reinhardt. Rev. Perry arrived at Reinhardt on September 3rd after serving the Trinity United Methodist Church in Austell, Georgia, and earning a Master of Divinity degree at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. “I look forward to helping students, staff, and faculty grow with God,” he explains.
Rev. Perry served nearly eight years of active duty as a captain in the U.S. Army in a reconnaissance capacity and remains a chaplain candidate in the U.S. Army Reserves. At Reinhardt, he leads Common Ground worship gathering every two weeks and sustains the University’s partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), while fulfilling other religious needs of the campus community.
Noting Common Ground’s typical audience of 75 students, and the approximately 500 students involved in FCA, Rev. Perry reflects, “What that tells me is that those students who could be resting or studying, but for some reason they’re going to worship service, are going to be the future leaders of the churches when they leave Reinhardt. So, I think I have a big responsibility to help prepare them for that.” At his first Common Ground on September 10th, Rev. Perry candidly referred to his life’s journey and spoke to students about feelings of unpreparedness and how those affirmed God’s calling.
With a mission to engage all students, Rev. Perry already reached out to meet with area churches of varying denominations, “I have a responsibility to meet with all those faith groups off campus to see how they can better serve the students on campus that have that similar faith background.” He elaborated on the importance, “The spiritual welfare of students fits within what I want to do as a pastor. A spiritually healthy person is going to have a better life. From a campus betterment perspective, if you are spiritually healthy, you are going to be able to deal with the stressors of being a student, while trying to figure out who you are as a person.”
