Chaplain Sundria Sam Wright

Chaplain Sundria Sam Wright was born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi—a small rural town where identity was shaped by family lineage, community ties, church affiliation, and faithful service. Those early roots grounded her in the importance of belonging, legacy, and ministry. As a child, her family transitioned into a new chapter as a blended military family, relocating to an Air Force base in Northern California. There, she encountered a different kind of social structure—one shaped less by race and more by rank, culture, and mobility. Yet in every setting, the church remained her anchor.

For over 40 years, she was nurtured and formed at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Suisun City and Fairfield, California, under the leadership of Rev. Claybon Lea and Rev. Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr. It was there that she learned not only how to serve, but how to be—how to listen for God, follow faithfully, and grow in spiritual discipline and leadership.

Chaplain Sundria's life journey has been marked by both deep love and profound loss. She is the proud mother of two adult children, Donte’ and Sheria, and “Grandma Sun” to six beloved grandloves, with the added blessing of a bonus son, Zurich. Ten years after becoming a widow, God, in divine timing, restored love in her life. In August 2024, she married Rev. Richard Wright, Ph.D., and together they faithfully serve at Shiloh Baptist Church in Hayward, California. Their shared ministry reflects a commitment to partnership, purpose, and the embodiment of unity—modeling love, service, and spiritual harmony.

Chaplain Sundria answered her call to ministry on March 27, 2016. She was licensed to preach the Gospel on November 24, 2020, by Rev. Dr. Dante Quick of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, and ordained on July 9, 2023 at the same church by Rev. Dr. Justin R. Lester and Pastor Emeritus Caroll Broadfoot, Sr. Since then, she has committed herself to a life of study, service, and spiritual formation.

Under the mentorship of Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Bernstine, she deepened her engagement with Scripture and theological reflection. Her academic journey includes certification in Bible Teaching from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Responsible Preaching training through the Leadership Institute at Allen Temple, and dual Master’s degrees in Divinity and Social Transformation from Pacific School of Religion (PSR). Chaplain Sundria is currently completing her Doctor of Ministry (DMin) at PSR, with a projected completion in 2026. In Fall 2025, she completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) through a residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center—an experience that further shaped her identity as a compassionate, ethical, and reflective spiritual care provider.

Chaplain Sundria believes that nothing is truly birthed without first being labored over. Her life began in underserved and marginalized communities, and that reality continues to shape her ministry. She carries a deep commitment to those who have been historically overlooked, underrepresented, and pushed to the margins. Her work is rooted in the understanding that theology is not abstract—it is lived, embodied, and contextual.

As a preacher, chaplain, and theological practitioner, she approaches ministry through a lens that honors intersectionality, affirms human dignity, and seeks justice. She is committed to creating spaces where people can encounter God authentically, be seen fully, and experience healing holistically. Her desire is to integrate faith, lived experience, and theological insight in ways that reflect the life and ministry of Jesus—advancing a more just, inclusive, and compassionate world.

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“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ― Herman Melville