Our Ministry Leader, Dr. Keith D. Ray II is an English teacher for Greenville County Schools, currently teaching at Greenville Early College, a program that advances at-risk high school students to access college in their junior and senior years.
Prior to this work, Keith served as a United Methodist pastor in South Carolina for 28 years. His last pastoral appointment was as senior pastor of Clemson United Methodist Church, Clemson, SC. He previously served as Associate University Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion at Furman University.
Teaching has been a part of Keith’s vocation throughout his ministry. He served as Thesis Director of Doctoral Studies for the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, Orange Park, Florida (www.iws.edu), where he guided students in the process of developing doctoral theses in the area of Christian worship.
Keith is a graduate of Marshall University (B.A., Economics), Candler School of Theology at Emory University (M.Div.), and Northern Seminary (Doctor of Ministry in Worship Studies). He has done additional graduate work in liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame.
In 2004 Pastor Keith was elected to the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees from the Simpsonville/Fountain Inn area. He served as vice chairman of the board in 2007. He served as chairperson of the Board in 2008. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Public Education Partners of Greenville County and United Ministries in Greenville.
He has just finished two terms on the board of directors of Colibrí Center for Human Rights, a nonprofit working to identify the remains of persons who die in the desert at the US/Mexico border.
He currently serves on the board of directors of Mosaic Educational and Arts Program, an after school enrichment program for elementary and middle school students for whom English is not their first language.
Keith is also a member of Triune Mercy Center, Greenville, SC.
He is the proud father of three adult children: Rebecca, Jonathan, and Elizabeth.