An Enduring Work of Love: Henry and Carol Wright

By Benjamin J. Baker

Henry and Carol Wright have been a hard-working duo for the Columbia Union Conference for decades. For the past 20 years, Henry has served as the senior pastor of Potomac Conference’s Community Praise Center in Alexandria, Va., and Carol as the union’s undertreasurer. 

And, that service doesn’t include the decades they shepherded congregations around the mid-Atlantic area (and beyond), which has earned Henry the distinction of being the union’s longest serving pastor.

But, what launched their dedication to the church started as a love story at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala. At the start of his senior year at Oakwood, Henry laid eyes on a freshman from California named Carol Lindsey.

Early in the year, the students from California had a taco party, and each invited someone from the East who had never had the Mexican dish. Carol invited Henry. Voted Ms. Freshman, Carol was very popular. Although petite, she had the kindness, graciousness and talent of someone twice her size.

And, she was beautiful. “A lot of guys were in the way,” Wright remembers. “So, I laid back and developed a friendship. But, I’ll be honest with you, within two weeks, I was in love.”

The two married August 21, 1966. Together, Henry and Carol were a diligent team, although Carol admits, “I learned there is no job description for a pastor’s wife. Because our churches were so tiny, I ended up being the pianist and other things that I wasn’t good at.”

As Henry prepares to take on a new flock at the Takoma Park (Md.) church in May (defying the idea of retirement), Henry says of Carol’s importance to his leadership, “She’s my companion in travel, in prayer. And she’s always been there to inspire and give a word of affirmation.”