Pastor

Pastor Antonio Neely was born on May 6, 1979, at Jackson Madison General Hospital to William and Stella Neely, the second of twin. His parents instilled Christianity value and a strong work ethics. As a child, he attended Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Medon, TN. Then in March 1992, he felt and sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit speaking and convicting his heart, so he accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. During high school years, Neely was active in ministry: youth ministry president and an usher. In May of 1997, Antonio graduated from South Side High School. He began at Jackson State Community College in August 1997. At JSCC, he received numerous academic achievement awards. Additionally, he was also active in extra-curricular activities, which included Student Government Association. As the SGA president, he facilitated the rewriting of the Constitution and gave the Student Government's Presidential Address at the 2000 Commencement. On May 5, 2000, he received an Associate's of Science degree in Information Processing. In the fall of 2000, he began attending Lambuth. His academic achievement continued at Lambuth as he received a transfer scholarship. In the spring of 2002, he finished his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, concentration in Marketing. Upon completing this degree, Antonio dreamed of owning a retail store, but God had other plans. However, on July 3, 2004, that changed when God called him to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On December 5, 2004, Antonio announced his calling to the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church congregation. He preached his first sermon on February 5, 2005. The biblical text was Habakkuk 2:4, and its title was ''How do you know if you have this faith". From 2005-2007, Neely served as an associate minister and men's ministry president at Bethlehem. Also, Neely volunteered as a chaplain.

In the summer of 2006, the move of God took Antonio to a new location, Memphis, Tennessee and to Harding School of Theology as a M.Div. student. The Lord was at the work at Harding. During the first day on campus, he met a woman, Veronica Day, who will change my life. Three years later, he married her. Through the inspiration from my roommate at Harding, Antonio completed two units of CPE: (1) Methodist Hospital in Memphis, TN and (2) Veteran's Hospital in Memphis, TN. Also, at Harding School of Theology, Neely met Pastor Artis McKinley Royal and became a member of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. From 2007-2014, he served as an assistant pastor/resident seminarian at Pilgrim Rest. During his time at Pilgrim Rest, Min. Neely participated in several ministries, such as the following: (a) Youth Ministry, (b) Preaching Ministry, and (c) Teaching Ministry. On January 15, 2012, Min. Neely was ordained into ministry. While at Pilgrim Rest in June 2013, Antonio became the prison chaplain at East Arkansas Regional Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction. As a prison chaplain, he instituted a noon-day prayer., helped to start a prison choir, a prison seminary, and a literacy program.

In June 2014, his divine assignment at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church ended. Cornerstone Institutional Baptist became the new assignment in that same year. At Cornerstone, Rev. Neely was involved in the Boys to Men Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Evangelism Ministry. He stayed there for two years, when God moved him to Dallas, TX. In May of 2015, he became a Certified Correctional Chaplain with American Correctional Chaplain Association. The committee that certified him as a chaplain recommended a CPE Residency. On August 21, 2015, he completed his assignment as the unit chaplain of the East Arkansas Regional Unit and started a residency at the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, MS the next Monday. He completed this residency August 2016. In that same month, he began a 2nd Year Chaplain Resident at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where Neely continued to develop his ability as pastor. A few months later, he became an Assistant Pastor and Minister of Christian Education at Emmanuel Fellowship Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. While at Emmanuel in March 2019, he became an overnight prayer partner with Daystar Christian Television Network. Three months later, the management team elevated him to lead overnight prayer partner. After two years, Rev. Neely officially accepted God's call to be the Senior Pastor of Pleasant Green Baptist Church on March 30, 2021. Pastor Neely is married to Veronica Day­ Neely. He has one son, Tedarius and four grandchildren: Terran, Bryson, Cameryn, and Amarra. Also, he has a twin brother, Anthony (Jai), an older brother, Kenrick (Tonya), and a sister, Yolanda.