Carlton Wright, ambassador-designate of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to the Republic of Cuba, feels there is a greater purpose behind his transfer than just diplomatic business.

“We are going to first of all represent God, then second, our country,” says Wright.

Wright, a Seventh-day Adventist, is set to be the first resident Bahamian ambassador in Cuba. Wright, his wife Audrey, and their teenage son plan to travel to Havana by the end of August.

“I’m hoping, as a result of being physically present, to broaden and strengthen the relationship between the two countries,” he says. “And, [as] a Seventh-day Adventist, to strengthen the relationship between our church and the Cubans.”

Working with the Bahamian government in various roles since 1972, Wright was asked to take up the position based on his diplomatic experience in volatile areas including Haiti and El Salvador.

Wright graduated from La Sierra University in 1972 with a modern languages degree and has a graduate diploma in international relations from the University of West Indies.

Admitting that being a committed Christian in a government position can lead to complications, Wright believes that setting a standard ensures that one’s beliefs are understood. “They might not accept it, but they respect it,” he says.

The Adventist community in Cuba has grown rapidly in the past few years, though restrictions exist.

“Everything must be done within the walls of the church,” says Wright, adding, “but the Lord finds ways and means.”

Wright believes that the strict political environment may in fact aid the work of the Adventist Church in Cuba. “Where work is difficult, interest is higher,” he says. “Our work spreads much more quickly.”

Despite the differences in cultures, Wright feels that in going to Cuba he will be entering “familiar territory.” He has been visiting Cuba for the past 30 years, both for work duties and for his wife’s musical ministry.

Choirs directed by Audrey Wright sing regularly at churches in Cuba and in the Bahamas. After the death of Bahamian Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling, also an Adventist, she was asked to form a group to perform at the state funeral. “People associate music with Seventh-day Adventists,” she says.

Currently director of the Bahamas Seventh-day Adventist Meistersingers, who performed twice in St. Louis, Missouri yesterday, and co-director of the Bahamian National Children’s Choir, Audrey Wright hopes to take her musical mission to her husband’s new post.

“Music is a very important part of our ministry,” she says.

“We are very honored to be given this opportunity by our country, and more importantly God, to go to Cuba,” Carlton Wright says.