Walking by faith is not always a clear path. Sometimes it takes 40 years to get around a mountain. For one local pastor, raised in New Iberia, the journey has been colorful and continues to bring unexpected turns. The Rev. Donald Wright Jr. is the pastor at Star Pilgrim Baptist Church, which is becoming more and more involved in community work, now adding a greater focus toward Louisiana and the nation.

What is your background? Did you sing in a church choir?

Absolutely, and at Anderson Middle School with Ms. Evelyn Jones. That was my choir teacher and then at New Iberia Senior High School with Mr. Charpentier. I graduated in 1994. I have a music degree in vocal performance from Southeastern Louisiana University. While in school I started singing and touring with Lamont Jackson. Summer of 1997, we were on tour in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kirk Franklin heard me sing. Right after I got off stage, he made me an offer to go sing with him. After two weeks of pondering, I moved to Dallas and sang with him for about 12 years.

When did you become a pastor?

I went into the ministry in 1998. Nov. 18, in Dallas, my first sermon was entitled, “What happens when the thrill is gone?” Based on Psalm 53, basically after David has his encounter with Bathsheba and all that transpires after that. I came back to New Iberia and became pastor at Star Pilgrim Baptist Church about two years ago.

What is your new assignment?

In November I was offered the position of evangelism pastor for Progressive National Baptist Convention. I’ll represent all the churches around Louisiana to the national convention.

What does that mean?

Where the Progressive Baptist Convention is concerned, there hasn’t been a total concern on outreach, going out there and saving the lost, winning souls, catering to the homeless and those in need. I call it churching outside the walls. We are placing emphasis on that at Star Pilgrim Baptist Church.

What other ministries do you have at the church?

We have what we call Star Touch catering to the homeless and those in need. We do that here in New Iberia and in Lafayette. Every Wednesday we feed more than 300 people meals. We cater to the homeless, senior saints. We have a routing system where people drive and deliver meals to seniors homes. We deliver every Wednesday.

How many people do you have in your congregation?

Right now on a Sunday morning we average between 130 and 150 attending.

How many are the hands and feet?

Not many, but we’re growing. The good thing is we have a lot of new believers so they want to work and get involved. That’s exciting. They want to know what it means to work in ministries. When I first got to this church, there were really no ministries involved doing anything. Now we have six ministries that are active. Outreach, feeding on Wednesday, a missions ministry that is getting acclimated to foreign missions. My pastor from Dallas, Denise Webb, does foreign ministry globally. He is helping. The typical ones like worship and arts; it’s growing. It’s an emphasis for young people to use the gifts God has given them.

“Oh, that salvation for Israel

would come out of Zion!

When God restores his people, let Jacob

rejoice and Israel be glad!”

Psalm 53:6, New International Version