PREACHING SERVICE - Campers listen attentively as Sidney Dixon of Kings Mountain br-
ings the morning message at Sunday morning's worship service at Kings Mountain State
Park. First Baptist Church of Kings Mountain has been providing the ministry for 10 years.
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WELCOME - Sidney Dixon shakes the hands of campers who attended worship services at
Kings Mountain State Park Sunday morning. Dixon and Paul Fulton, both members of First
Baptist Church, provide a sermon each Sunday for weekend campers at the park.
Laymen Provide Sunday
Services For Campers
By GARY STEWART
Editor
First Baptist Church of Kings
Mountain is providing a unique
ministry for. campers at Kings
Mountain State Park.
For the past 10 years, laymen
from the church have held Sun-
day morning worship services at
the park’s recreation building
during the summer camping °
season. They begin their
ministry the first Sunday in May
and continue until the last Sun-
day in September.
The service is conducted in a
relaxed, come-as-you-are setting,
which worship leaders feel add
to the service.
Sidney Dixon and Paul
Fulton alternate Sundays as lay
speakers. Fulton, a cablevision
salesman, has been involved in
the ministry for five years and
Dixon, a barber, has been in it
for three years. Herman Green
led the services for the first five
years . after it began under the
pastorate of Rev. Robert Mann.
Services begin each Sunday
around 9 a.m., with the laymen
playing taped music for 15
minutes as the campers walk to
the rec building from numerous
campsites at Lake Crawford.
The preaching service usually
runs from about 9:15 until 9:45,
giving Dixon time to get back to
First Baptist to teach his 40 to 50
men’s Bible class, and Fulton
time to get back to the Kings
Mountain Convalescent Center
for his 10 a.m. Bible class.
Both speakers are dedicated,
accepting no pay for their ser-
vices. They go to their own ex-
pense to furnish gasoline, taped
music and sheet music, which
Fulton often uses to lead group
singing.
“It’s just a mission that Paul
and I enjoy doing,” said Dixon
Sunday as he drove to the park.
“The people who attend are
from all denominations and are
just good, dedicated people.
They comes as they are. Some of
them bring their coffee cups and
just sit down and enjoy it.
Sometimes you wish the church
would do that.”
The crowds range from 12 to
75. Before opening the rec
building for services, Dixon
makes a point of driving around
the campground and waving to
the campers who are relaxing
outside their campers or cooking
breakfast. He waves to each as if
he’s inviting them to the service.
“The drive down here is worth it
all,” he says. “It’s so peaceful.”
By the time he’s made his tour
of the campground, campers are
walking toward the rec building.
Most of them wear bermuda
shorts and tennis shoes. Dixon
shakes each person’s hand and
jokes with the children. One
woman from Pleasant Ridge,
N.C, tells Dixon she’s mad at
First Baptist for “stealing” her
preacher, Dr. Joel Jenkins.
“Many of the campers are
here about every weekend,” Dix-
on says. “You get to know them
and look forward to seeing them
again. You often have camping
groups of 40 to 50 who go on
weekend trips together.
Sometimes the size of the crowd
will depend on the weather or
time of the year. This time of the
year is usually good because peo-
ple are wanting to get that one
last camping trip in before school
starts. But you never know what
kind of crowd you’re going to
have. It’s just like going to
church on Sunday morning.
“We could really expand the
ministry if we’d really bring it
out,” Dixon says. “You could
come down here the evening
before and really have a ball
with them. I can see why they
want to come here. It’s quiet and
they have their freedom.”
For his text each Sunday, Dix-
on uses the scripture which is
found in his weekly Sunday
School lesson. “But, I don’t teach
a Sunday School lesson,” he
says. “This is more evangelistic.
When I go into the Sunday
School class, I want it to be more
of a discussion time.”
Dixon uses his entire
30-minute period as a preaching
time. No offerings are taken, no
songs are sung, and no invita-
tions are issued except during
the course of the sermon. “Some
of the people don’t like to sing,
so I just play tapes before the ser-
vice,” he said. Sunday’s special
tapes were by recording star B.J.
Thomas and Rev. Allen Jolley,
minister of music at First Bap-
tist.
At the conclusion of the ser-
vice, the people shake Dixon’s
hand and head back for their
campsites. Dixon locks the rec
building and heads to First Bap-
tist for Sunday School.
“This is a dedicated bunch of
people,” he says. “They’re a good
bunch of people. You'll never
see a more attentive group. The
majority of them are just wan-
ting a quiet weekend but they
don’t want to get away from
worship.”
SYP
KINGS
Thursday, August 25, 1983-KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page 5A
Both the varsity and junior
varsity cheerleaders from Kings
Mountain High won top honors
at the Eastern Cheerleaders
Association Clinic at Shelby
High on August 14-16. Learning
activities included cheers, stunts,
sidelines, chants, partner stunts,
spirit boosters and fund raising
lessons. Competing for awards
were cheerleaders from Kings
Mountain, Chase, Shelby, and
East Rutherford.
Varsity cheerleaders from
Kings Mountain won the 1983
ECA Spirit Meg, showing the
most pep, spirit, enthusiasm,
confidence and cheerleading
ability during the 1983 summer
camp. Their other awards in-
cluded:
Sunday: Superior for Cheer Ex-
cution, SUperior for Cheer
Evaluation, and the spirit stick.
Cheerleaders Win Awards
Monday: Superior in Spirit and
Pep; Excellent in Cheer Evalua-
tion, and the spirit stick.
Tuesday: Superior in Projection,
Superior in Cheer Evaluation,
and the spirit stick.
Varsity cheerleaders include:
Angel Allen (Captain), Spring
Young (Co-Captain), Liza Blan-
ton, Tina Brown, Lee Ann
Turn To Page 6-A
KM Teacher Honored
Lillian Whitworth of Kings
Mountain Senior High Named
North Carolina Master Teacher
in the field of cosmetology. The
award was presented by Leonard
Goforth of the North Carolina
State Department of Public In-
struction on August 3 at the
1983 Summer Workshop for
Trade and Industrial Education.
Prior to receiving this honor,
Mrs. Whitworth was selected to
represent District VI, which is
comprised of nine counties, in
the competiton for the state
award.
“Mrs.- Whitty,” as those who
have studied under her lovingly
know her, has taught at Kings
Mountain High for the past 18
years. She is responsible for plan-
ning and setting up the
cosmetology program at the high
school which is recognized as
outstanding on both state and
national levels.
The recognitions she has
received include Leaders and
Organizer for the Association of
Cosmetology Teachers, Presi-
dent’ ‘of ' High School
Cosmetology Educators of
North Carolina, Chairman of
the Legislative Commission to
High School Cosmetology
Educators of North Carolina,
member. of the District VI,
VICA Advisory Committee, and
Cosmetology Consultant to the
State of Louisiana Department
of Vocational Education.
Always working to improve
instructional programs for
students, Mrs. Whitty has con-
tributed significantly to the field
of education. Mrs. Betty Gam-
ble, Vocational Director of
Kings Mountain Distric Schools,
describes Mrs. Whitworth’s pro-
fessionalism as “a model for
MASTER TEACHER - Lillian Whitworth, left. is pictured
above showing student Marsha Green some of the finer tips of
hairdressing in her cosmetology class at Kings Mountain High
School. Mrs. Whitworth has been named North Carolina's
Master Teacher in cosmetology.
other teachers,” and she also
adds that Mrs. Whitworth shares
expertise and information with
others, shows a positive attitude
in working with others, is always
willing to give more than what is
expected during ‘the normal
work week, and has done a
tremendous job is establishing a
rapport with teachers.
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