Neil Patrick Carrick

Neil Patrick Carrick born October 20,1965 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is an American clergyman, writer and technology consultant.

He was a whistleblower involved in the 2004 scandal of Greater Grace World Outreach; a ministry founded by Pastor Carl H. Stevens Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland, for which he was previously employed as the Manager of Information Systems.

He was a social activist in the late 1990s through 2001 in South East Baltimore with efforts that included school reform and refugee work.

He has served in various ministry roles with several different denominations including: Unitarian Universalist Association, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Southern Baptist Convention, and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Biography
Early life
Born October 20, 1965 in Myrtle Beach, SC to Charles Bryce Carrick Sr. and Carole Faye Bolton. His father was a local Realtor, salesman, and developer. He would attend local schools in Myrtle Beach through High School 1985, and then for a brief period the nearby Horry Georgetown Technical College in Conway, SC.

At 13 his parents would divorce, and it would have a lasting effect on his family and emotional life.

As many locals do he would pursue the culinary trade working in various positions, and eventually managing local restaurants.

Move to Baltimore, Maryland

In 1989 he would move to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Baltimore's International Culinary College, now known as Baltimore's International College. He would work in downtown section of Baltimore where he would eventually meet both of his early career ministries while woking in the culinary trade.

Early ministry career

In 1991 on a walk home from work he was shocked to hear a southern hymn echoing down the Charles Street emitting from the sanctuary of The First Unitarian Church. After contacting the church Minister he would eventually attend and join a church that from his youth he understood the denomination to be distant from his upbringing as a Christian. At the encouragement of the church Minister he would along with a fellow Unitarian Christiana Sasaki would start and co-minister a UU youth ministry that would include coffee house concerts with regional acts like Lungfish.

With the encouragement of the Parish Minister he would study the New Testament, organize worship services and social activism. He would be "Licensed to Preach" by the American Fellowship Church" on November 17th, 1991. He would study and be influenced by the writings of Adin Ballou, Hosea Ballou, John Murray, and other early American Universalist.

In 1992 while working in a local restaurant he would be approached by a member of Greater Grace World Outreach. Asked about his salvation he was taken aback and informed the individual that he was a born again Christian and a youth minister of a local church. The lady upon notice of what church took steps back from him, handed him some materials concerning the church and its radio show "The Grace Hour".

He would listen to the radio show with the hosts Carl H. Stevens Jr. and Paul Stevens. The show featured a sermon usually by the Carl Stevens and then call in and discussions of theological, church, political issues.

In early 1993 he would visit the campus of the church and its affiliated Maryland Bible College & Seminary. After meeting with a then professor Ed Lutz and eventual Seminary President he found the school to be too conservative, strict, and legalistic for his liking and decided not to attend. He would however begin correspondence with the founder and Senior Pastor Carl H. Stevens Jr.

Later 1993 he would move to Pasadena Maryland to work at a local restaurant while living on a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. On occasion he would attend Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington D.C. and the nearby Annapolis Unitarian Church in Maryland's state capitol.

He would make efforts to start a local Universalist Congregation in Pasadena Maryland called All Souls Church.

Greater Grace Employment

In 1994 after a devastating relationship and bout with depression move to Joppatown, Maryland. In two short days after moving he would be attending and working at the offices of the campus of Greater Grace World Outreach. Within a month he was paid staff member becoming the organizations Manager of Information Systems. He would oversee the efforts to place the ministry its affiliated ministries on the web including its Seminary & Radio Show. The Grace Hour would become one of the first streamed and eventually live streamed Christian Radio broadcast of its kind.

In 1995 he would meet his eventual wife Keri Odahara. After a series of heated conflicts both personal and professional with church leadership the couple would elope.

After several attempts to leave both his position and membership he and his family stop attending in 1998. He would focus his career with positions in technology with Company Entier which help develop the Baltimore Ravens Stadium and later with his own technology startup Shepherd Internet and Information Services.

Social Activism and related work

In 1999 he would begin efforts to start a federated or united church eventually known as The "Chesapeake Church of the Good Shepherd" in the Canton area of Baltimore that was known more for social activism than Sunday services. This included political and social activism that met and sometimes were organized in the church.

In 2000 He would become part of the school reform efforts of Southeast Baltimore, Maryland; including efforts to start an International public school. As a result he would also work as an Associate Pastor of an African American Congregation.

He would as well work for Lutheran relief and social service agency Tressler/Diakon as the Special Social Service Worker for The Baltimore Refugee office handling special cases such as the INS/American settlement of the children of Sam Dokie of The National Patriotic Front of Liberia.

In 2001 he would become part of an effort to emancipate a 16 year old from her parents as well as the State of Maryland. Eventually Rev. Carrick and his wife Keri would become placed guardians for the child and her infant daughter, and it would lead to one of the first court ordered emancipations in modern Maryland Courts. This effort would take a horrific tole on the Carrick marriage and the couple would separate in June 2001 and they would eventually reconcile and move to Rev. Carrick's hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where he would return to both the technology trade and Universalist Christianity.

Whistleblower
2004 Greater Grace World Outreach scandal
:see also Greater Grace World Outreach

In early 2004 while living in Myrtle Beach, SC he would be contacted by former friends and associates of Greater Grace. After conversations with various media outlets the News Editor of The Baltimore Sun would contact him regarding leads and contacts concerning a reported scandal involving The founding and then Senior Pastor Carl H. Stevens Jr.

In a series events unknown to the Carrick's; 2-3 families had sent 600 postcards to individuals and families attending Greater Grace World Outreach in Baltimore, Maryland. There were postings on the anti-cult web discussion board FACTNET discussing alleged improper behavior by the ministry's top leader Rev. Carl H. Stevens Jr.. The week following the mailing the Carrick's were contacted by 3 families, 2 of which had left the ministry and one still on staff directly involved in the controversy.

Initially the Sun editor placed a city or crime reporter on the story. But while in the emergency room one night, along with his wife Keri Carrick and sick daughter he received a call from Frank Langfitt, the religion writer for the Baltimore Sun. At his wife's insistence he takes the call.

In the following days and months the Carrick's would be directly involved in both discussions and negations with staff and former members of the ministry.

Shortly after failed attempts to have the leadership of the church to mediate with the former families that had attended Greater Grace with the support a leader from the Baptist and a church mediation group, the Baltimore Sun ran a front page, multi page story on the church leadership, inquiries into its leaders possible misconduct and its then Senior Pastor's addiction to pain killers as well as a possible payoff of nearly $500,000 to a former member whose wife had been in an affair with a church leader.

In the months that followed, many of the members and affiliated ministries including missionaries and congregations would either leave or affiliate with a splinter organization that became known as The International Association of Grace Ministries.

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