And Wright also spoke of breaking down the barriers that had separated people by class, gender and race. He ended with a blessing on all of God's people, black, white, yellow, red and brown.
Wright, who is about to retire, took over Trinity United in 1972. It was an odd black congregation, since the United Church of Christ is a mainly white denomination, predominantly in New England, that traces its ancestry back to the Puritans. Over the years, it developed a liberal reputation based in part on the independence of its individual churches.
"They call it Wrightville," Hopkins said of the neighborhood around Trinity United, "though he doesn't like that."
That's because the church is active in so many areas - from Boy Scouts to financial advice to running a school in the hardscrabble area of low-rise projects and small storefront businesses bisected by a train track.
"He has built one of the most substantial institutions in the city of Chicago and in the country and predicated it on service to the community," Walters said. "I can think of some mega-churches that are not that involved in the community. But Trinity United is."
Before his sermon, Wright had identified a member of the congregation who was running for judge, saying that she was going to have a tough time because the Democratic machine had endorsed another candidate.
"I would like to say more," he said of that race. "But I'd better not."
It was about the only time in the service that he held his tongue.
michael.hill@baltsun.com
