Daily Archives: June 10, 2012

The Freedom Hall Civic Center auditorium was a full house Saturday as thousands of Jehovahs Witnesses from Western North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, parts of Kentucky and West Virginia piled inside for their annual convention.

This years convention started Friday afternoon, kicking off the events theme of Safeguard Your Heart!

Zack Self, program overseer for the convention, said the talks focused on the figurative heart.

It has a lot more to do with your emotions, the actions, the things that make you do what you do, Self said. The idea is that you identify the influences, the risks, the threats, the opportunities and then see if you cant help to be more successful in your spiritual life, as well as your other life.

The audience was attentive as speakers took the podium to discuss topics of the heart and then assimilating those topics to scripture. While participants moved freely throughout the auditorium, many sat and listened with their Bibles and notepads in their laps.

Some of the topics discussed Saturday ranged from showing generosity, forgiving one another freely and listening to those who love you from the heart.

Jehovahs Witnesses make trips annually to big conventions like this one and they view it to be a peaceful place to gather with people who share their faith.

We see each other maybe once a year at these conventions and its like a big reunion, he said. If you appreciate spiritual things, this is a gift. Its peaceful, its relaxing, its comforting, its reassuring because you have other folks who care like you do. Families feel comfortable, children feel comfortable together, so its a spiritual haven.

Self said by Saturday the convention had brought in around 3,500 people and they anticipate to have had around 3,800 when it closes this afternoon.

Late Saturday morning, people made their way to the Freedom Hall pool to observe the baptism and ordination of seven members. Jehovahs Witnesses believe baptism not only confirms spiritual beliefs, but also ordains believers as ministers who will help spread the word of Jehovah and his son, Jesus Christ.

See the rest here:
Witnesses at Freedom Hall for convention

Ian Hemphill gets a congratulatory hug from school board member Buddy Armour on Friday night at Freedom High Schools graduations.

MORGANTON Donning white caps and gowns, a sea of young adults marched into Patriot Nation as seniors and out as graduates on Friday night as Freedom High School handed out 236 diplomas.

It was an evening filled with emotions, from proud parents cheering and snapping photos, to happy graduates taking center stage, to snickers as Principal Ken Prichard read Dr. Seuss Oh The Places Youll Go, to tears remembering two classmates who died too soon.

It also was a night of encouragement from members of student government, the salutatorian and valedictorian and Prichard.

In his speech, Marcus Kincaid, SGA president, talked about what makes Freedom unique and encouraged fellow graduates to take life by storm.

Patriots do it differently, and we do it better, he said. We never wasted any time trying to become something we arent.

Salutatorian Stephanie Norman, who finished her high school career with a 4.71 GPA, charged her classmates to make the world a better place.

Our lives are full of endless possibilities, she said, encouraging fellow graduates not to look back in 20 years and have regrets and not be afraid of failure.

Valedictorian Melissa Pressley, who finished with a 5.0 GPA, urged classmates to find that unique dream and pursue it whole heartedly no matter what others may say.

After recognizing Anah Phillips for perfect school attendance from kindergarten through 12th grade, Prichard asked senior Ben Lee to accept Alex Burlesons diploma on behalf of Burlesons parents. Burleson was killed in an off-road truck incident during spring break.

Link:
Freedom grads ready for their futures