News Articles on OSA and South Rowan High School

As Christians with OSA take God back to school, the news media takes note with two articles posted below. Both articles are from the Salisbury Post in North Carolina.

News Stories on OSA and South Rowan High School

Article One:

http://salisburypost.townnews.com/articles/2004/09/16/news/16-1_rss_srhs_evangelists.txt

Thursday, Sep 16, 2004 - 11:49:50 am EDT

Evangelists stir controversy outside South Rowan

By Steve Huffman, Salisbury Post

LANDIS -- Evangelists with a microphone and loudspeakers have caused a stir here at South Rowan High School this week.

"It's almost a circus-like atmosphere," said Dr. Ron Turbyfill, the school's principal.

One of the evangelists, the one manning the microphone, is Scott Hildreth, a member of Kannapolis ' Truth Temple , a non-denominational church.

Accompanying Hildreth is the Rev. Flip Benham, also a member of Truth Temple and executive director of Operation Save America, an organization based in Dallas, Texas.

Since Monday, the pair have stood along the road in front of South Rowan every morning and afternoon, with Hildreth using the microphone to preach -- loudly -- as students arrive at the school and leave.

Benham and a handful of other church members pass out brochures -- detailing what they call the wickedness of homosexuality, Islam and abortion -- and speak individually to students while Hildreth preaches.

Turbyfill has spoken with the school system's attorney and local law enforcement officers about the evangelists, but those officials advised him the evangelists aren't doing anything to break the law. The pair stay off school grounds, standing on the highway right-of-way in front of the school. They don't preach during school hours, which could be considered disruptive.

"These people are real familiar with their First Amendment rights," Turbyfill said.

Wednesday morning, Hildreth and Benham drew more than their share of curious -- and, oftentimes, angry -- stares from parents dropping their children off at the school.

Also on Wednesday, a number of students went out to speak with the evangelists. Some of those meetings bordered on confrontation.

Josh Carpenter, a 16-year-old junior, spoke with Benham at length but said the two didn't come to any kind of agreement.

"They're taking the Bible incredibly literally," Carpenter said.

He spoke with Benham to "hear his point of views and to share mine." Benham welcomed Carpenter and the other students with handshakes. Throughout their conversations, Benham continually called the students by name. He quoted from a well-worn Bible that had been marked extensively.

"You can believe what you want to believe, but Iknow the truth," Benham told the students. "You can believe that donkeys will fly, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. They believed the Titanic was unsinkable, and they were wrong about that, too."

Carpenter said he didn't feel the meeting accomplished . "He had answers to everything. We went in circles."

Other students stood several feet away on school property and observed the proceedings with an apparent mix of curiosity and morbid fascination.

Samantha Kearns, a 15-year-old sophomore, said she spoke with Benham and admitted, "He seems like a pretty nice guy."

But she couldn't help but question his tactics. "It's kind of uncalled for what they're doing right here," Kearns said.

As she and other students watched, Hildreth continued to preach at a fever pitch, his microphoned words drowning out the sounds of virtually everything else taking place around them.

"There is an opportunity at this school to call what's right, right, and what's wrong, wrong!" Hildreth shouted, speaking almost nonstop from about 7 to 7:30 a.m., when classes start.

"The path we're walking down leads to destruction!" Hildreth continued, again shouting.

Benham said he's a native of Texas who has lived in North Carolina for two years. Hildreth is a former resident of Chicago who moved to Kannapolis a year ago.

Benham said Operation Save America -- whose members have protested at numerous abortion clinics and gay rights parades -- is moving its headquarters to North Carolina .

Benham said he's been arrested more than once for protesting at abortion clinics -- he referred to them as "abortion mills" -- and such.

He said a number of students from Truth Temple attend South Rowan and asked him and Hildreth to do what they're doing there.

Benham said the stop at South Rowan is just the first of many planned for area high schools. He said he doubted he and Hildreth would return to South Rowan today or Friday because of predicted rain. But they'll come back next Monday and Tuesday.

"We're going to go to all the high schools," Benham said. "We've got something to say. We want God back in the schools."

He said he understood and expected students to be upset about what he and Hildreth are doing in front of the school.

"They're going to get riled up, and that's all right," Benham said. "When you face the truth, it's going to rile you up."

Benham, who wore blue jeans, a solid-colored shirt and a tie inscribed with books of the Bible, is 56 but looks younger. He displayed a sense of humor through all that transpired Wednesday, even when confronted by Charles King, a parent of two South Rowan students.

King pulled his car to a stop in the school parking lot and climbed out to tell Benham he didn't like what he was doing.

"Why'd you choose South Rowan?" King demanded.

"I don't have any idea," Benham replied. "Why don't you ask God?"

The conversation continued.

"I don't like your method, but I can't stop your method," King said. "Do you honestly think you're doing any good?"

Benham asked King what method he used to bring people to Christ.

"I talk to them," King answered.

"That's what I'm doing," Benham said. "I'm talking to these kids."

King said his wife came home after dropping their children off at school and told him that Benham and Hildreth were using the microphone and loudspeakers to tell students dressed in gothic -- black -- garb that they were going to hell because of what they were wearing.

Benham and Hildreth said that was anything but the truth.

"Look," Hildreth said, pointing to his black pants and shoes, "I'm wearing black. Black doesn't send anyone to the devil."

King didn't seem satisfied with everything Benham said to him but left agreeing to disagree.

"Obviously, you have a high moral character," King told Benham before returning to his car.

Landis Police Officer K.D. Honeycutt, the high school's resource officer, said Hildreth and Benham have complied with his requests to stay off school property.

And while Hildreth and Benham were packing up their gear following the start of school Wednesday morning, a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper pulled his car to the side of the road, rolled down the passenger-side window and thanked the two for staying out of the roadway.

Then the trooper drove toward toward China Grove.

"God bless you!" Benham called as he drove away.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4253 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.

Article Two:

http://salisburypost.townnews.com/articles/2004/09/16/news/16-2_rss_see_you_at_the_pole.txt

Schools become sites of students in prayer

Thursday, September 16, 2004
By Steve Huffman, Salisbury Post

LANDIS -- While a controversy involving evangelists with microphones and loudspeakers took place in front of the school, hundreds of South Rowan students held hands and quietly prayed on the football field Wednesday morning.

The event was "See You at the Pole," an annual nationwide happening where students from all grade levels gather to pray.

"God is what made this happen," said Evan Sheets, a 16-year-old junior at South Rowan and one of the organizers of South's gathering.

In addition to holding hands and praying, the students sang and listened to Christian-oriented rock music. Some students gave testimonies about their faith.

Students of both sexes and any number of ethnic origins participated.

"They haven't influenced us at all," Sheets said of Scott Hildreth and Flip Benham, a pair of evangelists who have stood on the highway right-of-way in front of the school all week, using a microphone and loudspeakers to preach to students.

Whereas a number of parents have complained about the actions of those evangelists, no one fussed about the activities of Sheets and hundreds of others who stood on the track behind South Rowan to quietly pray Wednesday.

Their activity was a far cry from the relative circus in front of the school.

Still, students at See You at the Pole refused to condemn the evangelists' actions. Daniel Wagner, another 16-year-old junior and a fellow organizer of See You at the Pole, said he belongs to Kannapolis ' Truth Temple, along with Hildreth and Benham belong.

Wagner said he was glad to see the evangelists at South Rowan. "We've started a campaign to get God back in school," Wagner said.

Asked if he was pleased with the hundreds who turned out for Wednesday's See You at the Pole celebration, Wagner replied, "Absolutely."

He and Sheets said planning for Wednesday's event had been weeks in the making.

"We couldn't be more pleased," Wagner said. "The Lord is working here."

Several other area high schools also staged "See You at the Pole" gatherings. The event wasn't limited to the high schools. Students at Hanford Dole Elementary School also staging their own event.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4253 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.