He will need to use everything he has learned in those jobs, and more, for his latest task: deciding how best to revive the interfaith community in the storm-ravaged Gulf region.
In December, the Katrina Fund administered by former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton awarded $20 million to an alliance of ministers led by Gray and Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of Potter's House in Dallas, one of the nation's largest megachurches.
"Imagine my church with 5,000 members," Gray said last week, "and suddenly the building is gone, and the congregation has moved to Pittsburgh, New York, Washington, Chicago and Baltimore. Where do I start?"
Gray started his mission as any former member of Congress would - he held a hearing.
On Dec. 17, Gray and Jakes convened a meeting in a New Orleans hotel ballroom attended by more than 1,000 clergy. More than 100 spoke, and all who attended filled out a "needs assessment" questionnaire that asked, essentially, what they needed to get their houses of worship up and running.
The three-hour session was part reminiscence and part revival, buoyed by the Bush-Clinton directive that a community cannot be built without religious anchors.
"There were very tragic stories and moving stories," Gray said. "We sang hymns with the ministers, and it was almost like a prayer meeting in the Baptist church. They were filled with energy and hope, not depressed and despairing."
One minister stood up and told the advisory panel that he needed $1 million.
"Bishop Jakes kind of smiled and said, 'Well, we could give $1 million to 20 churches, or $500,000 to 40 churches,' and he went through the arithmetic," Gray recalled. "Then he said, 'Would you settle for a sandwich instead of a steak dinner?' And everyone laughed and said, 'Amen!' "
Said Jakes in an interview: "Twenty million dollars sounds like a lot until you look at the devastation."
