TO CONGRATULATE THEODORE AND JEAN J. WILLIAMS WRIGHT OF GOOSE CREEK ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR FIFTIETH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND TO EXTEND BEST WISHES FOR MANY MORE YEARS OF BLESSING AND FULFILLMENT.
Whereas, the South Carolina Senate is pleased to learn that Theodore and Jean J. Williams Wright of Goose Creek celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on June 9, 2013; and
Whereas, few successes in life are greater than a marriage that endures the test of time and grows stronger with each passing year, for the long-lasting love and support of a spouse are unmatched in their importance and cannot be overestimated; and
Whereas, married on June 9, 1963, in Columbia, Ridgeway native Theodore Wright ("Ted" to family and friends) and his Columbia-born high school sweetheart, Jean Joan Williams, have demonstrated a commitment to one another over the past fifty years that has served as an inspiration to all who know them; and
Whereas, as teenagers, Ted and Jean attended C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia. Jean graduated in 1963, and Ted, who had to drop out to help support family, entered the U.S. Air Force in 1962 and earned his GED, also receiving training in air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance and repair; and
Whereas, having brought them together in marriage, the Lord granted Ted and Jean two children, Thomas E. "Tom" Wright and Roslyn D. "Roz" Wright, and eventually led the family into full-time Christian ministry as missionaries to South America. In preparation for service, Ted and Jean completed New Tribes Mission missionary training in Wisconsin in 1972 and, later, New Tribes Mission language school in Brazil in 1975. Over the years, they also have attended classes at Columbia International University to strengthen their spiritual gifts and ministry skills; and
Whereas, while the Wrights awaited visas for departure to Brazil, both of them worked at Richland Memorial Hospital from 1972 to 1974. Ted, beginning as an air conditioning and refrigeration technician, quickly rose to the position of supervisor. Jean served as a hospital volunteer in the gift shop and on the switchboard; and
Whereas, as missionaries with New Tribes Mission, beginning in 1971, the couple served twenty-five years in Brazil from 1974 to 1999. When the family moved to Brazil, siblings Tom and Roslyn Wright, ages nine and eight, respectively, grew up in that country and learned to speak Portuguese fluently; and
Whereas, the Wrights have been part of planting three churches during their long ministry, one of these being Columbia Christian Fellowship, organized in 1972, with a focus on growing an integrated evangelical church. In addition to Columbia Christian Fellowship, the Wrights helped found Vianópolis Church in Brazil, organized in 1984, and Igreja Brasileira de Crowfield in Goose Creek, organized in 2005; and
Whereas, the only African Americans sent by New Tribes Mission to serve in Brazil, Ted and Jean Wright spent their years there working with the mission's MK ("missionary kid") boarding school, serving as teachers, members of the school board, and dorm parents, and they also served as mission representatives to the Brazilian churches to recruit missionary candidates. In addition, while at the mission Ted oversaw maintenance and construction; and
Whereas, having now returned stateside, the Wrights would not dream of simply sitting around in rocking chairs, although they have earned the rest. Instead, Ted and Jean, still fully active as missionary representatives with New Tribes Mission, additionally serve as pastor and first lady of Igreja Brasileira de Crowfield, an outreach ministry of Goose Creek's Crowfield Baptist Church; and
Whereas, further, Ted serves as an official translator for the federal courts and delights in fishing, while Jean relishes reading and singing, the latter an activity she enjoys at four different local nursing homes every Friday. In 2013, Jean received recognition for her volunteer work at these nursing homes; and
Whereas, Ted and Jean have dedicated themselves to serving God and inspiring others to grow in their relationship with Him. Truly, their lives demonstrate a committed "amen" to God's call through the great Israelite leader Joshua: "...Choose you this day whom ye will serve; ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15); and
Whereas, in recognition of their half century of marriage, Ted and Jean were honored by family and friends with a celebratory event held on June 8, 2013, at Columbia Evangelical Church; and
Whereas, it is with great pleasure that the members of the Senate express their congratulations to these two special South Carolinians on reaching the milestone of their golden wedding anniversary. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate Theodore and Jean J. Williams Wright of Goose Creek on the occasion of their fiftieth wedding anniversary and extend best wishes for many more years of blessing and fulfillment.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Ted and Jean Wright.