Chris Pratt visits Greenville for food, fellowship with Relentless pastor John Gray, family

Actor Chris Pratt got the chance on Sunday to meet up with an old friend and attend church with him before finishing his day by eating at Southern Culture Kitchen in Greenville.

Pratt, who is known for his character Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie series "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Avengers" and the sitcom "Parks and Recreation," was in town to visit Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church. He attended Gray's church service on Sunday and went to dinner with Gray, his wife, Aventer, and others.

It wasn't a coincidence that Pratt was in town. The appearance was governed by a relationship fostered years ago between Pratt and Gray.

"We've been friends for about six years," Gray said. "We first connected when I did ministry in Los Angeles. (Chris) is like a brother. For us, he's just a friend who wanted to visit our church."

According to Gray, over the weekend, Pratt was more than an hour outside of Greenville, filming for a role in an undisclosed location, and decided to call his friend, and temporary preacher, to attend church. Gray offered to have a driver chauffer Pratt to Greenville for service, but Pratt insisted on making the drive to Greenville on his own.

"Chris didn't ask for anything special because of who he is," Gray said.

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A late reservation landed them seats for a party of 13 near the fireplace at Southern Culture Kitchen as Pratt, Gray and their party fellowshipped among the other patrons, as their Sunday of friendship, church and food came to an end.

A few patrons of the restaurant walked up and asked Pratt for photos, but most diners allowed the friends and family to sit and enjoy their meal.

"I had the shrimp and grits, and Chris had a bit of everything," Gray said. "We even had the chef make him some ribs and he loved it."

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Pratt arrived at Relentless Church in jeans instead of a suit, which was given the OK by Gray in the conventional Christian 'come as you are' fashion, and as an ode to the casualness of their friendship.

While churchgoers noticed the celebrity in attendance at the church and restaurant, to Gray, Pratt is just a friend, whom he shares a strong brotherly connection with, as they often discuss fatherhood, marriage, and share their faith.

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To Gray, Chris Pratt more than just the star of "Jurassic World," "The Magnificent Seven" or "Zero Dark Thirty."

"Me and my wife, we have friendships and relationships with people in different industries," Gray said. "I don't talk about all the people I know, but I call Chris my friend."

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While a celebrity being in town may be casual for Gray, he said it was the word of God, the culture and the people of Greenville that he wanted Pratt to experience the most.

"What is important is that we show the love we have for this community with others," Gray said. "The love we have for our church, showcases that the people are kind, that the food is good, and that it (Greenville) continues to build a beautiful picture of influence."

– A.J. Jackson covers arts, entertainment and more for The Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on Twitter @ajhappened.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Chriss Pratt makes trip to Greenville for food, fellowship with Gray