Charles Parker Wright died peacefully on August 14th at Cape Cod, his favorite family vacation place of 56 years, surrounded by his loving wife, children and grandchildren. He’d had Alzheimer’s for three years and a throat tumor known for just a month. God was so very kind in Chuck’s peaceful journey to heaven under hospice care for only three weeks. He was a faithful, grateful witness of Christ’s love to every nurse, doctor and attendant.
The fourth of six children born to Maynard and Ruth Wright, Chuck grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was enrolled in Forestry School at The University of Pittsburgh when he committed his life to Jesus Christ, an event that changed everything, but his love for the woods, hunting and fishing, stayed with him. He graduated from The King’s College. He attended Dallas Seminary, graduating with Master of Divinity from Pittsburgh Seminary and completed a Doctorate from Columbia Seminary. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Hanyang University in Korea.
At his first church in Churchville, Maryland, Chuck began hosting Allied Military Officers from nearby Aberdeen Ordnance School in the homes of church families. Each guest received Scriptures in his own language. The outreach ministry continued at his next church in Paradise, Pennsylvania, at Bethany Collegiate Church in Havertown, Pennsylvania, expanding to other churches and military bases across America. Chuck received the Department of the Army’s highest Civilian Service Award for this work, which gave a positive impression of America to thousands of officers from allied country around the world.
In Chuck’s years as a pastor, the idea of a few following Jesus together, outside church walls, became central to his ministry. He gathered town leaders at the local bank; women met in homes; laborers met at the sewing factory; elementary teachers met after school; and a Senate-Cabinet group started in the Pennsylvania Senate. All of these weekly gatherings were centered around the person of Jesus. Chuck's focus was the Bible as he faithfully prepared Christ-centered sermons. A favorite verse was, “God has exalted above all things, His Name and His Word!” (Psalm 138:2)
Dr. Wright was called to lead North Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta, in 1976. He taught the people, which included hundreds of internationals, that they were the ministry, even as they lived out their lives in business, college, medicine, education, caring for the poor and following Jesus in every part of the city. The thesis of his doctorate examined the question, “How to reach the business mind with preaching?”
As he pastored churches, the beginning of a world-wide ministry began. Chuck first attended The National Prayer Breakfast in 1963 and continued through last February. The Wrights hosted thousands of Parliament Members in their home throughout the years, guests from Scotland, South Africa, Cameroon, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Faroe Islands, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and visited all of their countries in turn. (Chuck and Margie travelled to Kyrgyzstan seven times!) The goal was to encourage these friends to meet around Jesus for their countries, to be a leadership led by God.
Chuck and his family moved to McLean, Virginia, in 1985. As a Parish Associate at National Presbyterian, Chuck devoted all of his time to the fellowship work in Washington and around the world. Six years ago they moved to Knollwood, a Military Retirement Community in Washington.
Chuck is survived by Margie Sweet Wright, his wife of 62 years, and by his daughter Karen and husband Charles Marsh of Charlottesville, Virginia, son Dan and wife GuoWei of Oakton, Virginia, daughter Beth Anne and husband Billy Melvin of Gloucester, Massachusetts, son Keith and wife Heidi of Washington, D.C., and son Christian and wife Sarah of Nairobi, Kenya. Chuck and Margie have 17 Grandchildren, one of whom he joins in heaven.
Memorial donations may be made to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Bill Melvin (https://my.fca.org/billmelvin) and/or to Theological Horizons (www.theologicalhorizons.org/giving).
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial of Worship Celebrating the Life of Charles Parker Wright at National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016, on Thursday, September 5th at 1:00.
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