In 1984, Wilson became an ordained minister, fulfilling his childhood vow. Later, in 1995, he founded Restoration House, a center that helps rehabilitate former prison inmates by providing mentoring, spiritual guidance and vocational training.
[edit] Literary works
[edit] Author of Christian books
Wilson has written several Christian books concerning the New Age Movement and its hidden dangers to society. New Age Millennium by Wilson was released by CAP Publishing & Literary Co. LLC on December 1, 1998. (Demond's first name is misspelled "Desmond" on some book selling websites.) Wilson, who has also authored numerous children's books, stated the book to be an "exposé" of certain New Age "symbols and slogans".
[edit] Second Banana: book about Sanford & Son TV show
Wilson has also authored the book Second Banana: The Bittersweet Memoirs of the Sanford & Son Years, which was scheduled for release on August 31, 2009.[dated info] According to an interview on the CelebrityCafe.com website, Wilson said: "It's just a documented truth, behind the scenes factual account of what happened during those years. Redd (Foxx) and I were making history back in those days. We were the first blacks to be on television in that capacity and we opened the door for all those other shows that came after us." The book can be purchased at its official website.[4][5]
[edit] Recent TV and film appearances & projects
Wilson has also made numerous guest appearances on the Praise The Lord program aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and is a good friend of Clifton Davis. He has also appeared as a guest star on the UPN Television Network sitcom Girlfriends, playing Lynn's biological father, and Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor (1/30/09).
In summer of 2011 Wilson started appearing with actress Nina Nicole in a touring production of the play The Measure of a Man by playwright Matt Hardwick. The play is described as "a faith-based production" and is set in a small town in south Georgia.[7]
[edit] Faith Ties film project
Wilson is slated to appear in a melodramatic family film titled Faith Ties, made in the genre of the classic Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life. Says Wilson of the project: "It's kind of like that. I play a broken down old drunk whose wife and daughter are killed and he's given up on life. The protagonist is a pastor who is in the middle while he watches the lives of people crumbling around him. It's a wonderful story." The film, which was still in pre-production as of early 2009, is scheduled for a fall 2010 release.[dated info]