Mark Wright, 41 – President of Idols Aside Ministries
Becky Wright, 41 – Staff and Community Relations Director, Idols Aside Ministries
Grace Wright, 15 – Student
Hope Wright, 11 – Student
Tell us how you and your spouse met and how long you have been married.
We went to the same school as children. If we didn’t meet on the playground in Kindergarten, then we for sure met by 1st grade because we had the same teacher that year. We didn’t date until college, but we were best of friends through our school years. We have been married 19 years.
Tell us about where each of you grew up and how you landed in Paducah.
Mark grew up in Lakeland, Florida.
Becky grew up in Auburndale, Florida.
God moved us to Paducah 4 years ago to start a second ministry location for Idols Aside Ministries and serve fatherless youth here!
What is your favorite holiday?
We love all holidays that give us more intentional family time together, but it’s hard to beat Easter. Without the resurrection of Christ, we wouldn’t have the hope of heaven or hope to offer the precious kids we serve.
What is your favorite thing about Paducah?
Every time we go back home to Florida, we say that we love the fact there is a lot less traffic in Paducah! We all value the “small community feel” that we feel was being lost in the craziness that had become central Florida.
How do you spend your summer breaks?
We do try to get away for family vacation, but Mark and the team will still do day fishing trips for ministry kids. Our girls love to go to camp; Grace especially. She would live at camp every summer if she could!
What does your spouse do to make you feel special?
Mark wants time with just me, and I will forever be grateful for that! He puts effort into getting me to himself; I value that more and more the longer we are married. I also feel it’s so good for our girls to see a man that, 19 years later, makes his wife a priority and makes her feel loved, valued, and appreciated.
How do you manage work and family time?
We work together. It May sound cliche, but it’s the truth. We work together, serve together, have fun together, and rest together. When it’s been a busy season, we all set the priority to keep the calendar clear for a day to rest and recoup. If dad has a lot on his plate, we pitch in to see what we can take off of it. If mom is looking overwhelmed, dad grills a few nights, and the girls will jump in and cook and clean with us to get things back where they need to be. We are a team, and it’s a gift!
What are the core values of your family?
Love God
Serve God
Love others
Serve others
Pray Hard
Work Hard
Do you have any family traditions?
On Christmas morning, the parents have to get out and “set up” to be ready for pictures before we let the girls come out and see all that they got for Christmas. Daddy usually has a lot of fun taking his time “setting up” while commenting on how VERY nice these gifts are that the girls can’t see yet! Most Christmas morning videos start with the girls yelling, “are you ready yet? Can we come out yet?” One day they will think it’s as fun as we do!
What brings you the greatest joy as a parent?
We both love watching our girls show God’s love to others; there is nothing like it. To see them see a need and choose to reach out and try to meet that need, on their own, without us telling them to do so – It’s the best. When someone contacts us to tell us our daughters were kind when others had chosen not to be, or that they jumped in and served someone when no one else wanted to – it’s what we pray for in both our girls… hearing of them sharing their faith in Jesus with others (and using words when necessary.)
Tell us something interesting about your family that we may not know.
Mark and Becky were both born in Florida (which isn’t super common, a lot of people move TO Florida or retire there). Also, our kids were super fortunate that our family had Disney annual passes when they were small kids. Grandparents blessed us for a few years with passes as Christmas presents! Mark is not a Disney park fan but would take one for the team, and we spent some really fun family days, or even just evenings after school there when the girls were small. Fun family Florida memories!
Do you have nicknames for your kids?
Gracie and Hopie (So original, we know)
Questions for kids:
What’s your favorite thing to do as a family?
Go on trips together.
