Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

Area United Church of Christ Pastors Not In Step With
National Ruling

From Staff & Wire Reports

The president of the United Church of Christ said his denomination “acted courageously to declare freedom” when it passed a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage on Independence Day.
The reaction locally does not mirror the General Synod’s announcement.
Rev. John W. Wilder of Center United Church of Christ described Center church as “locally autonomous”
“We call our own ministers,” said Rev. Wilder. “They have no authority over us.”
Liberty United Church of Christ, like Center UCC, is also a member of the Southern Conference, United Church of Christ. The Rev. Dwight Moore of Liberty UCC shared his reaction to the General Synod’s Fourth of July action.
“For the last 30 years the United Church of Christs’ national leadership has become more and more liberal, some would say radical, in its outlook and programs,” said Rev. Moore.
“Thirty years ago there were seven or eight UCC churches in this district. That is now reduced to two because of the direction the national leadership has gone,” he said yesterday.
“One of the cornerstones of our church government is covenant relationship, and many of us feel that the national church has broken covenant with the membership,” he added.
“I just received an email from a group in our Western North Carolina Association that is meeting to protest the General Synod’s actions and prepare an alternative statement of purpose.”
Caught now in the divisive issue sweeping a number of other church families, including the Episcopalians, Presbyterians and United Methodists, Moore made this observation:“ I agonize over the whole dilemma of homosexuality and the rights of gay people.”
Union Christian Church of Virgilina is unaffected by the ruling.
“About a year ago we pulled out of the United Church of Christ,” said the Rev. Don Davidson. “And the main reason was the ordination of gays. Same-sex marriage ties in with it, one falls after the other. But it will not affect out church. Our church is totally non-denominational,” said the pastor.
The General Synod’s resolution calls on member churches of the liberal denomination’s 1.3 million members to consider wedding policies “that do not discriminate against couples based on gender.”
It also asks churches to consider supporting legislation granting equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and to work against laws banning gay marriage.
The endorsement by the church’s rule-making body Monday makes it the largest Christian denomination to endorse same-sex marriage. The vote is not binding on individual churches, but could cause some congregations to leave the fold.
‘‘On this July Fourth the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has acted courageously to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil rights of same gender couples to have their relationships recognized as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches to celebrate and bless those marriages,’’ said the Rev. John H. Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ.
Roughly 80 percent of the representatives on the church’s 884-member General Synod voted to approve the resolution Monday, a day after a committee recommended it.
A small group of conservative congregations had proposed an alternative resolution defining marriage as between a man and a woman, and suggested that supporting gay marriage could lead to the church’s collapse.
The Rev. Brett Becker, who represents a group of more conservative churches, said it is possible his congregation at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Cibolo, Texas, will leave over the resolution.
‘‘I would like to see us stay in the denomination and network for positive change,’’ Becker said. ‘‘However, many of my members have expressed very clearly that this decision would cause great consternation and that, if this happened, they would want to see us leave.’’
Formed in 1957 and traditionally strong in New England, the United Church of Christ has a tradition of support for gays and lesbians. It is distinct from the more conservative Churches of Christ, which has some 2 million members in the U.S.
UCC churches are autonomous, meaning the General Synod does not create policy for its more than 5,700 congregations.
In the early 1970s, the denomination became the first major Christian church to ordain an openly gay minister. The church declared itself to be ‘‘open and affirming’’ of gays and lesbians 20 years ago.
‘‘This is a significant moment,’’ said the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, of Cleveland, coordinator of a church coalition addressing gay and lesbian issues. She said the decision emphasizes that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are ‘‘spiritual people who love and are loved by God.’’
But Becker does not think Monday’s vote was representative of the wishes of most church members.
‘‘If we had put it to a vote of the people in the pews, it would have failed overwhelmingly,’’ he said. ‘‘This is truly Independence Day for the UCC — we have declared ourselves independent from the teachings of Jesus and the clear teachings of Scripture.’’
Homosexuality also has been a divisive issue for a number of other churches.
The Anglican Communion has been divided since its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, consecrated an openly gay bishop in 2003. The United Methodist Church is also debating a panel’s decision to reinstate a gay minister who had been defrocked.
This summer, a special task force of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is set to finish its report about how to overcome severe disagreements on gay relationships and other issues.

 

24th Annual Scottsburg Celebration Nets $20,777

Organizers Credited Milder Weather With Keeping More People At Event Longer

Overcast skies and intermittent showers did little to dampen the spirits of the thousands who turned out for the 24th Annual Scottsburg Volunteer Fire Department Fourth of July Parade, organizers said yesterday.
Parade Chairman Wayne Seamster said the department took in $20,777 before expenses.
“There was more variety in the parade this year than last, and we also had more arts and crafts vendors,” he said.
Seamster said around 35 vendors were on hand selling their wares throughout the day, and 15 fire departments showed their support by appearing in the parade.
But many people came to eat, he added.
“We sold out of all the food and apologize for that,” he said, adding the department estimated the food on last year’s sales.
“In all, we sold 70 gallons of lemonade, 250 pounds of hamburger, 200 pounds of fried chicken, 110 gallons of Brunswick stew and 1,400 hot dogs,” Seamster said. “The cinnamon roll man said it was the best year he’s had out there.
“I hope nobody left hungry, we wanted everyone to have plenty to eat.”
Seamster said the weather had little impact on the crowd, estimating more people came and stayed longer than in the past.
“There were some showers earlier in the morning and light showers in the afternoon, but it didn’t do too much to our crowd,” he said. “They came and stayed because it didn’t seem to be as hot during the afternoon. More came back (for the fireworks), but the whole afternoon we had a larger crowd than last year.”
This year’s inaugural fireman’s competition could have played a role. “I think that drew a lot of interest in the afternoon,” Seamster said.
The event was won by members of the North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department.
In the parade, Billy Parks won the first place award for his antique truck, with Bobby Conner taking second place.
Roger and Linda Chandler took the top honors in the antique car competition.
Other winners were as follows:
• Best appearing clown-Janet Clay
• Best appearing float-U.S. Postal Service; 2nd place-Fork Baptist Church
• Best appearing gaited horse and rider-Bradley Hudson; 2nd-Andre’a Ragland
• Best appearing parade horse and rider-Donna Clark; 2nd-Mickey Anderson
• Best appearing racking horse and rider-David Hudson; 2nd-Ann Wilkerson
• Best appearing Western horse and rider-Wendy Merritt; 2nd-Bobby Garber
• Best appearing youth horse and rider-Clifton Ragland
• Best appearing horse and buggy-Cabel Daniels
• Best appearing antique car-Roger and Linda Chandler; 2nd-Mike Chandler
• Best appearing antique tractor-Bobby Eaden
• Best appearing tractor trailer-K.T. Powell
• Best appearing wrecker-Franklin’s Garage
• Best appearing antique fire truck-Virgilina VFD; 2nd-Cluster Springs VFD
• Best appearing brush truck-Charlotte Courthouse; 2nd-Meherrin
• Best appearing pumper-Chase City; 2nd-Drakes Branch
• Best appearing tanker-Liberty VFD; 2nd-Halifax
• Best appearing pumper-tanker-Clover VFD; 2nd-N. Halifax VFD
• Best appearing salvage and squad truck-Cluster Springs VFD; 2nd-Clover VFD
• Fire truck traveling the longest distance-Meherrin
Raffle winners at this year’s event included:
• Steve Henderson, riding mower and trailer;
• Timmy Alred, leaf blower;
• Bo Conner, Weedeater;
• Tommy Francis, NASCAR sign;
• Floyd Short, Richard Clay, Gary Snead, swimming pool passes sponsored by Staunton River State Park;
• Andrew Hupp, tanning sessions sponsored by Carol’s Beauty and Barber Shop, Clover.
“All in all, it was just a really good day," Seamster said. “We’d like to thank everyone who attended and supported us in this year’s Fourth of July celebration. We couldn’t have done it without the help of all the volunteers, sponsors and vendors. They made it happen."

 

4,998 County Leaf Growers Sign Up For Tobacco Buyout

As the deadline to sign up for tobacco buyout payments passed late last month, USDA Executive Director Kevin Bohon announced that 4,998 county residents signed up to sell their share of the now-defunct quota system.
“We’re listing it as about 97 percent,” Bohon said shortly after the deadline.
Passed by both the House and Senate and signed into law by President Bush in October, 2004, the buyout will end the Depression-era quota system for tobacco producers.
The first checks were expected to be mailed in late June, according to Bohon.
The USDA director said they had originally estimated that 93 percent of eligible farmers and quota holders would sign up for the plan.
“We were expecting that we would have about five percent who won’t enroll because of estate farms where great-granddad died and never left a will,” he said. “So with each passing generation, the number of owners of the farms just keeps growing.”
With a July 15 deadline approaching to report acreage grown in the county this year, Bohon said earlier that his office doesn’t know how many acres of leaf will be produced in the county.
“Right now, we really don’t have any accurate number (of acres grown),” he said. “The farmers are still coming in.”
Bohon said the buyout doesn’t necessarily signal the end of Southside’s tobacco heritage.
“Even people staying in the tobacco business are signing up to receive buyout payments,” he said. “They’re just going to be operating without a quota system.”
Under the buyout plan, quota holders will receive $7 per pound, while growers will receive $3 per pound.
Based on figures from the 2002 quota – the year the buyout payments is based on – Halifax County quota holders and producers are expected to receive around $103 million over the next decade.
For more information about the buyout program, call Bohon at the Halifax County USDA office at 476-6558.

 

Obituaries

Larry Junior Lacks

Larry Junior Lacks, 58, of 14211 James D. Hagood Hwy., Clover, died July 4, at his home.
Mr. Lacks was born September 13, 1946, in Halifax County, to the late Cora Seamster Lacks and Willie Louis Lacks. He was a retired owner/operator of Lacks Grocery, an Army Vietnam veteran, and a member of Solid Rock Praise and Worship Center, Chase City.
His survivors include his wife: Wanda Lacks of Clover; daughters: Suzanne Shotwell of Alton and Krystle Lacks of Cluster Springs; stepson: Jeffrey Martin of Clover; brother: Willie Lacks of Randolph; and grandchildren: Dillon Shotwell, Tyler Shotwell and Madison B. Hailey. He was preceded in death by his sisters: Linda Lacks and Glenna Pugh.
A funeral service will be held tomorrow, July 7, at 2 p.m., at Brooks Funeral Home Chapel, with C.W. Lacks and Rev. Jimmy Lacks officiating. Burial will be held at the Clover Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Brooks Funeral Home tonight, July 6, from 7-8:30 p.m.

Clinton Ray Bomar

Clinton Ray Bomar, 66, of 9012 Clarkton Road, Nathalie, died July 3 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Bomar was born in Halifax County on March 19, 1939, son of the late Eddie Meeks Bomar Sr. and Clara Francis Bomar, and was married to Betty Woosley Bomar. He was a member of Childrey Baptist Church, a former member of the Brookneal Fire Department and meat department manager for King’s and Harris-Teeter Markets.
His survivors include his wife; sons: Kevin (Cindy) Bomar of Scottsburg and Steve Bomar of Nathalie; daughters: Donna (Gerald) Tuck and Pam (Steve) Moore of Nathalie; brother: Fred Bomar of Nathalie; sisters: Louise Henderson of Nathalie, Rebecca Layne of Gretna and Joyce Trent of Manassas; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Kevin Bomar.
A funeral service will be held today, July 6, at 11 a.m., in Henderson Funeral Home Chapel with interment at St. Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery.

Waverly Hurt Johnson

Waverly Hurt Johnson, 76, died July 3 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Johnson was married to the late Edith Terry Johnson and was a member of Faith Baptist Church. He was a WWII Navy veteran, a retired Langford Brothers Construction superintendent and tobacco farmer.
His survivors include his sons: Danny and Kenneth Johnson of Clarksville; sisters: Ethel West and Edith Callahan of Clarksville and Gladys Adams and Ann Sangston of Richmond; brother: Clarence Johnson of Clarksville; grandchildren: Sarah Gregory, Jonathan Johnson, Stephanie Johnson and Cecil Johnson. He was preceded in death by his brothers: Clifton, Chester and Wayne Johnson.
A funeral service will be held today, July 6, at 2 p.m., in the Watkins Cooper Lon Chapel, Clarksville. You may express your condolences at www.wclfh.com.

Mattie Hailey Mason

Mattie Hailey Mason, 97, of Jacksonville, N.C., and formerly of Brookneal, died July 5 at Season’s Cove Assisted Living.
Mrs. Mason was born in Halifax County on January 16, 1908, the daughter of the late Willie and Clara Holt Hailey. She was married to the late Lewis Emmit Mason and was a member of Staunton River Baptist Church where she held many capacities. She was the former Aspen News correspondent for The Union Star.
Her survivors include a son: Emmit (Pop) Mason of Brookneal; daughter: Betty Compton of Jacksonville; 10 grandchildren: Wanda Kitchens of Charleston, S.C., Denise Failor of Richlands, N.C., Jeff Compton and Melinda Love of Jacksonville, Rodney Mason, Derrick Mason, L.H. Mason and Cathy Mason of Brookneal, Danny Mason of Sperryville and Daphne Ryezko of Castleton; 15 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sons: Jimmie and David Mason; five sisters and three brothers.
A funeral service will be held tomorrow, July 7, at 11 a.m., at Staunton River Baptist Church with the Rev. Jerry Stanley officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends tonight, from 7-8 p.m., at Henderson Funeral Home, Brookneal. Memorials may be made to Staunton River Baptist Church or your favorite charity.

Wallace Jackson Sr.

Mr. Wallace Jackson Sr., of Weatherford Drive in Gretna, Va., died Sunday at Heritage Hall Nursing Home in Brookneal.
He was 72 years of age at the time of his death.
Mr.Jackson was born on May 15, 1933 in Hillside, N.J., the son of the late Mr. Wylman Jackson and Mrs. Pauline Whitly Jackson.
He was married to Mrs. Connie Boyd Jackson and was a member of the First Church of God in Christ in Hillside, N.J.
Mr. Jackson is survived by his wife, Connie Jackson of the home; three daughters, Regina Hartfield of Mt. Vernon, N.Y.; Michelle Jackson of Eden, N.J. and Meesha Jackson of Danville; two sons, Wallace Jackson Jr. (Mary) of Poconos, Pa., and Douglas Jackson of Newark, N.J.; three step-sons, Derrick, Travis and Darius Boyd of the home; three brothers, Wylman Jackson of Newark, N.J., the Rev. Clarence Jackson (Jeanette) of Hillside, N.J., and Andrew Jackson (Rosemary) of Nashville, N.C.; two sisters, Artheria Taylor (William) of Newark, N.J. and Doris Benson (John) of Englewood, N.J.; five grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Lillie Boyd of Nathalie; one aunt, Ann Marie Jackson of Roanoke; four brothers-in-law, Wallace Body (Patricia) and Emmanuel Boyd (Sylvia) of Long Island; Elvis Boyd and Michael Boyd of Nathalie; four sisters-in-law, Barbara Crews (Cecil Ray) of Long Island, Evelyn Tune (James) of Gladys, and Sandra Scott and Cathy Copeland (Anthony) all of Nathalie; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends, including his caregiver, Wendi Waller of Long Island.
The family will receive friends tomorrow (Thursday) evening at Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel, 304 Lusardi Drive, Brookneal, from 6 to 8 p.m. and other times at the residence, 208 Weatherford Dr., Gretna.
Funeral services for Wallace Jackson Sr., will be Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m. at First Church of God in Christ, Hillside, N.J.
Burial will follow in New Jersey.

Post 8 Falls To Late Lynchburg Rally

Lynchburg Post 16 South Rallied For Five Runs In Its Last Two Trips To The Plate And Blanked South Boston 6-0 Sunday

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

For two thirds of the game, South Boston Post 8 gave Lynchburg Post 16 South all it could handle in Sunday’s game in Rustburg.
But a grand slam homer by K. Beasley off of Post 8 hurler Dex Seamon in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Lynchburg Post 16 South to a 6-0 win over Post 8.
Sunday’s loss was the fifth of the season for Post 8 whose record dropped to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in district play.
Post 8 has two chances this week to get back to .500 mark. Last night Post 8 was to face Danville Post 325 last night in Danville and, on Friday, the two teams will meet again, this time here at the Halifax County High School field.
After having gotten its offense get on track in recent contests, the Post 8 bats fell somewhat silent in Sunday’s game against Lynchburg.
Post 8 had only four hits in the contest with Kaleb Long leading the way for Post 8 with a 2-2 effort at the plate. Brent Long and Blake Waller had one hit each.
Twice Post 8 saw potential scoring opportunities slip away.
The first came in the top of the fifth inning when Long smacked a double with two out and Chris Sizemore followed with a walk. The inning ended, however, with Robert Carter sending a fly ball to the outfield that was snared by the Lynchburg leftfielder.
Post 8 managed to load the sacks in the top of the sixth winning with a leadoff walk to Travis Powell, a two-out single by Waller and a walk to Ryan Gieselman.
Lynchburg changed pitchers at that point and the next batter, Kyle Long, went down on strikes to end the inning.
In all, Post 8 stranded eight runners in the game.
Lynchburg picked up its first run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning after tagging Post 8 starter Tyler Clarke for a pair of hits. A Post 8 error opened the door for Lynchburg to add another run with a hit in the bottom of the seventh inning that made the score 2-0.
The grand slam homer in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed Lynchburg Post 16 South to seal the game.
Post 8 used three pitchers with Clarke opening the game and going the first six and two-thirds innings. Clarke turned in a good performance, fanning eight batters while allowing six hits.
David Lacks came to the mound to relieve Clarke with two out in the seventh inning. A hit off of Lacks allowed Lynchburg to score its second run of the game but Lacks fanned the following batter to end the inning.
Lacks faced the first three Lynchburg batters in the bottom of the eighth inning, yielding a walk and a hit.
Seamon then came to mound and got a strikeout for the second out of the inning with two Lynchburg runners on base. A walk loaded the sacks and the grand-slam homer by Beasley emptied the bases and gave Lynchburg the 6-0 win.

Halifax Wins AAA Dixie Youth Sub-District Tourney

Halifax Wins The District 2 Dixie Youth AAA Sub-District Tourney For The Second Year In A Row; Will Host Opening-Round District Playoff Game Saturday

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

The Halifax Dixie Youth AAA (Minor League) all-star team has done it again.
For the second year in a row, Halifax has claimed the District 2 Sub-District title, this time with a 10-0 four-inning win over Scottsburg.
With Monday night’s win over Scottsburg, Halifax, the West sub-district champion, will host the East sub-district tournament winner Saturday at 2 p.m. in the first game of a best-of-three game playoff series to determine the District 2 championship.
The second game of the district tournament playoff series will be plated Sunday at the home field of the East sub-district champion. If a third game is needed, it will be played Monday at Halifax.
If Halifax can win the district tournament playoff series, it will advance to the state Dixie Youth AAA tournament which will open on July 15 at the Halifax County South complex at Cluster Springs.
The Halifax County South Dixie Youth AAA all-star team will be in the state tournament field as the host team because Halifax County South is hosting this year’s state tournament.
Halifax had the edge all the way in Monday’s sub-district title game against Scottsburg, scoring three runs in the first inning, adding six more runs in the third inning and capping the game with a run in the fourth inning.
The winners had six hits in the game with Trey Crews leading the way with two hits. Ryan Yates, Andrew Hamlett, Galantre Thaxton and Michael Barclay each had a hit in the winning effort.
Hamlett also had a night on the mound, holding Scottsburg to just four hits, one each from Nicholas Anderson, Avery Anderson, Elijah Hudson and Hunter Watts. In addition, hamlett fanned seven batters and allowed just three walks.
A run-scoring double by Crews opened the scoring for Halifax in the first inning with a two-RBI double by Thaxton capping the big inning.
An error by Scottsburg opened the floodgates for Halifax in the top of the third inning. A run-scoring hit by Hamlett and a two-RBI hit by Barclay added fuel to what was a six-run inning.
Three Scottsburg errors allowed Halifax to score its final run of the game in the top of the fourth inning.
Even with the big innings, Halifax stranded eight runners on the sacks.
Scottsburg got two of its four hits in the first inning with back-to-back hits from the Andersons but was unable to push a run across the plate.
Two Halifax errors and a walk allowed Scottsburg to load the sacks in the bottom of the third inning but Hamlett got Halifax out of trouble by retiring A. Anderson on strikes to end the inning.
Scottsburg advanced to Monday’s title game by eliminating South Boston on Sunday night with an 8-5 win.
Scottsburg had eight hits in the game with A. Anderson, Jacob Stephens and Nick Lewis getting two hits each. Rufus Jeffress Jr. and Nicholas Anderson each had one hit.
South Boston had the edge in that statistical column with nine hits that included three safeties each from Stephen Davis and Chris Baisch, two hits from trey Showers and one hit from Joshua Balducci.
Scottsburg took the early lead in that contest with two runs in the first inning, one on a run-scoring hit by Stephens and the other coming when Anderson scored as Hunter Watts reached base on an error.
South Boston answered with a run in the bottom of the frame with Davis reaching base on a double and scoring on a hit from Baisch.
A six-run fourth inning rally allowed Scottsburg to bolt to an 8-1 lead. Three South Boston errors, two walks, and a run-scoring double by Lewis effectively put the game out of South Boston’s reach.
South Boston scored a run in the fourth inning with a run-scoring hit by Baisch, tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning with the help of a two-RBI hit by Balducci and added a final run in the sixth inning on a run-scoring hit from Showers.

Halifax American Angels Hold Off Nationals 16-15

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

The Halifax American Angels all-stars held off a furious last-inning rally by Halifax National to claim a 16-15 win in a three-hour marathon Monday night in Halifax.
American remained the only unbeaten Angels team in the double elimination tourney, while National took its first loss. Both teams were in action again last night.
Brianna Pierce had two singles and five RBI’s to lead Halifax American, Meg Bane a double, single and three RBI’s, Shannon Smith a triple, single and two RBI’s, and Kendall Lloyd two singles and two RBI’s. Mikaila Hudson had the other hit for American, a fourth inning single.
Cori Campbell had two base hits, and Peyton Myers, Kelsey White and Kayla Cole each a base hit to lead Halifax National, Campbell’s first single coming in the team’s first at-bat, when National used it and walks to take a 2-0 lead.
American responded with singles by Lloyd, Bane and Smith to score three runs in the bottom of the inning, before National added four runs in the top of the second, again drawing walks and scoring.
Pierce’s two-RBI single brought American to within 6-5 after two innings, and American tallied four runs in the fourth to take a 9-6 lead, highlighted by Hudson’s single, a two-RBI hit by Pierce and a two-RBI triple by Smith.
National responded with a single run in the top of the fifth, and American added seven big runs in the bottom of the inning for a seemingly safe 16-7 lead, Lloyd’s two-RBI single and Bane’s two-RBI double the big blows.
National got three of its five hits for the game in the top of the sixth inning. Singles by White, Campbell and Cole, along with several walks, got National close. A sharply hit ground ball by Selena Seate past third base made it 16-15, but a National runner was caught off base for the final out of the game.
Lloyd, Pierce, Courtney Epps and Bane shared pitching duties for Halifax American, while Halifax National used three pitchers, Amber Oakes, Abby Woltz and Miyana Ross.