[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E526-E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE TO REVEREND WILLIAM F. WRIGHT, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 5, 2005

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Reverend William F. 
Wright, Jr. who has been a leader in his community and is celebrating 
his 25th Pastoral Anniversary at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
  Reverend Wright was born in Aiken, South Carolina to William Frank 
Wright and Willie Weaver Wright. He was reared in Nash County, North 
Carolina and graduated from Nash Central High School and North AT&T 
State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In 1979, 
he received a Master of Divinity Degree from Shaw Divinity School in 
Raleigh, North Carolina.
  Rev. Wright was called to the gospel ministry in 1975 and was 
licensed to preach by the East White Oak Baptist Church that same year. 
In 1977, Rev. Wright was ordained by the Guilford Association. His 
pastorate was at West End Baptist Church in Reidsville, North Carolina. 
Under his leadership, West End extensively renovated the sanctuary. 
After nineteen years with Lorillard Corporation, Rev. Wright retired as 
a manager to become the full-time pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist 
Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a past member of the Board 
of Directors of the Lorillard Credit Union.
  As a gospel preacher and community servant, Rev. Wright has served 
with and led many community and interfaith coalitions and groups. Under 
his leadership, the Greensboro Pulpit Forum undertook some of its most 
challenging work, including the community buying and stewardship 
program, which led to a decent labor contract between the K-Mart 
workers and Unite, their labor union. From the helm of the Pulpit 
Forum, he has served his fellow preachers as motivator, leader, and 
confidant. Rev. Wright has served on the Board of Directors for 
Greensboro Urban Ministries, the Greensboro Housing Resource Board, the 
Greensboro Fair Housing Board, the Greensboro Human Relations 
Commission, the Greensboro 100, and the NAACP.
  His honors and awards are many. Under his leadership, New Zion has 
been named ``Church of the Year'' by the NAACP more than five times. 
Rev. Wright, himself, has been named ``NAACP Man of the Year'' for 
1995. He was recently honored at the NAACP National Meeting with a 
community service award for his role in the K-Mart struggle.
  Rev. Wright's leadership in the church is matched by his leadership 
in the community. Five years before it became fashionable, Wright had 
the Pulpit Forum release a thirty-two (32) page position paper in which 
the church was challenged to enter into the business of confronting the 
problem of youth and drugs in the community. This work included 
workshops, direct contact actions, and visits into the communities 
where our youth suffer. In the spring of 1993, there was a daylong 
event where thirty young men admitted to gang involvement and being 
members of rival gangs. Everyone joined together in a joint statement 
declaring an end to his gang rivalries.
  On a personal level, this Pastor is known in the Greensboro community 
as a ``Pastor's

[[Page E527]]

Pastor,'' a mentor, and a friend to all. His ready demeanor makes him 
readily available to pastors for counseling and friendship. He is often 
called upon for advice by struggling congregations and has more than 
once been called upon to present leadership training to churches and 
deacons.
  Rev. Wright is married to Narcissus Hargrove Wright of Henderson, 
North Carolina and the proud father of four children: Billy, Wendi, 
Nicole and Ashley. The Wrights presently make their home in Greensboro, 
North Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, Reverend William F. Wright, Jr. has used his position as 
a spiritual and community leader to improve the lives of those around 
him, and his 25th Pastoral Anniversary is yet another reminder of all 
of the good work he has accomplished. As such, he is more than worthy 
of receiving our recognition today. Thus, I urge my colleagues to join 
me in honoring this truly remarkable person.

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