Dr. Sam B. Neely

The Reverend Doctor Samuel Bernard Neely was born the third of 10 children to Mr. Lee Andrew Neely, Sr. and Mrs. Pauline Day Neely of Fountain Inn, South Carolina.

He was educated in the public schools of Greenville County. After graduating from Bryson High School in 1967, Dr. Neely began his higher education studies at Friendship Junior College in Rock Hill, SC. Later, he transferred to Claflin College in Orangeburg, SC and graduated in 1971 with the Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education. From 1974 to 1975, Dr. Neely attended Clemson University where he studied City and Regional Administration.

On October 17, 1976, Dr. Neely delivered his initial sermon at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, SC. In 1980, he received a certificate in Christian Training from the American Baptist Theological Seminary Extension Unit, Greenville, SC. Samuel Bernard Neely, Dr. Min. was ordained as minister by the Tumbling Shoals Baptist Association of Laurens County on October 19, 1980. He has served as associate pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, S.C. From November 1980 to July 1985, he was pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Laurens S.C. On December 15, 1985, Dr Neely became the 16th pastor of Welfare Baptist Church in Belton S.C. Since becoming pastor of Welfare Baptist Church, Dr. Neely has gone on to receive a Master in Divinity from Erskine Theological Seminary in 1989 as well as a Doctorate in Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL (1997).

Dr. Neely is very active and concerned in the community's social and religious realm. He is active or has been active of the following:

• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc
• Advisory Board of Wachovia Bank
• The past Moderator of the Rocky River Baptist Association of Anderson County
• Board Member of Clemson University's School of Nursing
• The past Board Chair of Senior Solutions of the Upstate
• In 1995, he served as Co-chair, to establish the Anderson County Human Relations Council.
• He has also served as Dean of both the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. and the Convention's Southern Region.
• Dr. Neely presently serves as the secretary of the Baptist E&M Convention of S.C.

In 1989, He led in the organization of the Anderson County Ministerial Organization. Two of his major accomplishments were:

1. Helping to establish the first community-wide celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King (1989) which was recognized as the largest one-day fundraiser for the United Negro College in South Carolina for a number of years.
2. In 1992, he served chair of the committee to assemble over 300 Anderson County's African-American males to challenge then to rise above life's negatives by the organization's sponsorship of the first Call to Black Man initiative.

In 2002, he led the Rocky River Baptist Association to construct and open the first Assisted Living Facility to be constructed and operated by one of the 80 Associations in the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of SC. The home is located in Belton on the former Union High School property. Senior Solutions of the Upstate manages the 28-bed unit.

He has also received a "Community Service Award" from The Geer Family for assisting them in a Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Franklin LaShawn Greer, a leukemia patient. The drive added an additional 60 potential donors to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program Registry of which Mr. Geer will receive 17 possible matches.

Dr. Neely is married to Christine Alford Neely, formerly of Bennettsville, SC. She renders endless labor to the welfare of her family. They have three sons, Samuel Bernard, Jr. (Natalie), Kazan Bernoxeous (Shoney), Kriston Devorio, and a daughter, Brittany Chrishea (Devarreo) McPhail.