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Page 10A
The Kings Mountain Herald
April 19, 2007
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Reg Alexander's license tag,
JOYSNHIM,” implies his life's
philosophy: that meaning in life
is only found in a right relation-
ship with God.
He says that his purpose in life
is to enjoy growing in his rela-
tionship with the Lord and to
creatively express the joy of that
faith to others. “It’s not just
about going to Heaven,”
Alexander says, “It’s also about
living out His purpose down
here.”
To Alexander, “living out” has
to do with all of daily life, even
his job. In one seminar that he
does called “Taking the Work out
of Work,” he calls on business
people to find more purpose in
their routine by dropping the
term “work” and beginning to
use “minister.” “Work is doing
something you don’t want to do
in order to get paid. But ministry
is something you do to help
someone elses life become bet-
ter.
Alexander says that one of the
best things about “life on earth”
for him is going through it a day
at a time with his “girls,” refer-
ring to his wife, Dianne (Deco)
and their daughter, Kyra, a sen-
ior at Kings Mountain High
School.
Kings Mountain native
Alexander wears many hats. He
is an ordained Baptist minister,
event co-ordinator, humorist,
banquet entertainer, motivation-
al speaker, writer and graphic
designer. His two most recent
successful projects - CrossWalk
and publication of a new maga-
EMILY WEAVER
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
: Melinda Canniff has been
teaching kindergarten at East
[Elementary] for, hinesyeans.| But
this year nas been a trying one
succeeded with the noble honor
Teacher of the Year.
She knew something was
wrong near the end of last school
year, but didn’t want to be tested
until after her vacation at the
beach. Over the summer, doctors
told her it was breast cancer. She
went to Principal Jerry Hoyle
and told him she may need to
take a little time off this year.
The school was very support-
ive, she said, and they worked
around her schedule, trying to
get the same substitute to cover
her class when she was out so the
kids wouldn't get confused.
Canniff found that the day of
and the day after chemotherapy
were not as bad as the third and
fourth day after chemo. “So we
scheduled them on the week-
ends. I would be out Saturday
and Sunday then I would have a
sub on Monday and Tuesday.”
: She had four treatments like
that over an eight-week period.
In October, she had surgery. A
few more treatments followed
after surgery, but it was a differ-
ent type of chemo. “It didn’t
knock me out. I was able to keep
going,” she said.
. Throughout her battle with
cancer, she looked forward to the
time when she could be with her
class and stay. “I like to be here
with them,” she laughed. She
wore a wig for a while, but when
the weather started getting
warmer she put her wig aside
and grabbed a handkerchief.
“They're laughing at me now
because my hair is gray. They
think that’s funny,” she said.
~~
zine, “Kings Mountain Today” -
keep him busier than ever, he
says.
“Actually these challenging
projects = are intertwined,”
explains Alexander. He started
the magazine because he says “it
helps us appreciate more where
we live and nudges us spiritually
to become more what we are.”
The non-profit endeavor also
helps increase revenue to take
care of some of the cost of “Cross
Walk” which is presented each
Easter in downtown Kings
Mountain. CrossWalk’s aim is
not only solid spiritual value to
those who participate and attend
the shows but solid artistic value
to the town and tourism,
Alexander believes. The hun-
dreds of volunteers make it hap-
pen.
Alexander’s creative approach
in ministry and Bible study
began with his first job out of
Seminary. He went back to
Gardner-Webb University and
was active in a campus ministry,
also touring with the ambassa-
dor group SON Company. A
1967 graduate of Kings
Mountain High School, he holds
an AA degree from Gardner-
Webb University, class of 1969, a
BS degree in 1971 from G-W and
a Masters in Religious Education
from Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary.,
Louisville, Ky., 1973.
Alexander’s creative ministry
formed over 30 years ago in
Kings Mountain was headquar-
ters for what he called “a differ-
ent mix” of programs he became
excited about following tours of
the Southeast in a variety of
musical programs, drama and
I ptipier itiaty
“I always liked to venture out
in new ideas and Deco and I
came up with the name Regal
Ventures because of the excite-
ment of our service together in
Christian ministry and were sur-
prised after we chose the name
Regal that it is the first five letters
of my name,” said Alexander
whose first name is Reginald but
everyone calls him Reg.
For 20 years the Kingdom
Youth Conference Series he
founded has provided young
people © throughout the
Southeastern states with inspira-
tion and character development
through innovative stage pro-
gramming and seminars. He
worked with Carowinds
Amusement Park to develop the
ongoing Christian Music Day
event which attracts over 10,000
attendees each year and with the
development of the Extreme
Youth Conference series that
brings together thousands of
young people to Gatlinburg, Tn.
each winter. CrossWalk, the
annual outdoor drama that
depicts the events leading to the
first. Easter, was begun by
Aléxander in 2001 and atten-
dance from all over the country
has swelled as CrossWalk has
been hailed as the Southeast’s
Most Unusual Passion Play.
Long active in First Baptist
Church where he has also worn
a lot of hats in ministry, he is
active in the community. Kings
Mountain Rotary Club cited him
multiple years for service, he
lelinda Canniff Teacher of
Mrs. Melinda Canniff, East Elementary's Teacher of the Year,
stands with her Kindergarten class. Front row, I+: Halley Lockard,
Joseph Ruffalo, Jacob Korch, Logan Webb, and Ethan Timms.
Second row, Hr: Brandon Quevedo-Johns, Ty'Lazha Rhodes, lllana
Bryan, Delyah Capps, Evan Rogers, Faythe Thompson, Hannah
Oliver, and Abby Davis. Back row, kr: Christian Plikington, Alyssa
Thompson, Melinda Canniff, and Tyron Thompson.
Canniff said that she did not
tell her class too much because
she didn’t want them to get
upset. “I just told them I was
going to a doctor and I told them
that the medicine they gave me
made my hair come out,” she
added.
Doctors were able to success-
fully remove all of the cancer and
right now she is glad to be in the
clear. Beating cancer was a hard
battle, but as a teacher she’s no
stranger to challenges.
“(Being a teacher) you have
homework too, just like the
kids,” she said, adding that there
is a constant cycle of planning for
what comes next. Before her class
of kindergartners leave at the
end of the year, the next group
has already popped in for orien-
tation and different kids require
different lessons.
There is not a lot of money in
being a public school teacher, she
said, “but 1 don’t really even
think about that anymore. I
mean, that’s not why I chose this
career.”
Teaching was her third career
choice. But as the saying goes,
“the third time is the charm.”
Now Canniff wouldn't trade it
for the world. The path she took
to the schoolhouse was a little
longer than others, but she made
it and her reward is teaching.
“I like doing the arts and crafts
with them and all of the hands-
on activities we get to do,” she
said. “I just like that they're still
so eager to learn and they're
excited to be here. I enjoy the
excitement that they have.”
Canniff loves it when her pre-
vious little ones return for a visit
and when she gets to teach their
siblings. “I get to see their fami-
lies grow sometimes and I know
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served on the KM Patriots Park
renovation committee, and is
founding member of KM
Historical Drama Development
Committee which is in the
process of establishing a continu-
ing theatrical attraction depict-
ing the Revolutionary War Battle
of Kings Mountain. A certified
presenter with Carolina Health
and Humor Association, he is a
member of the Religious
Conference Meeting Association,
a charter member of North
Carolina Center for non profits,
designed the Kings Mountain
city flag and contributed that
design to the city, served on the
publicity committee for the city’s
Kids Park Project, and was hon-
orary chairman of KM'’s Relay
for Life in 2001.
Currently he is developing a
training conference for youth
entitled Student Leadership and
Ministry (Slam) to be presented
in June by Tomorrow's America
Foundation = and Broyhill
Leadership Conference. He is
handling the national scheduling
of author/speaker Cindi Wood,
his sister, and developing the
organization’s first regional
women’s conference, Frazzled
Female Break-Away, in
Gatlinburg, Tn. this September.
Son of retired Kings Mountain
Postmaster Charles Alexander
and the late Ruby Moss
Alexander, he counts his close-
knit family as his support net-
work. In 2005 he was honored as
Distinguished ~~ Alumni at
Gardner-Webb University and he
was the first Kings Mountain
businessman to receive the
some of them have had babies
and I'll say, ‘I'm gonna see your
little brother or sister in a few
years,” she said with a smile.
The most rewarding thing
about being a teacher?
“Watching the children’s growth
from the beginning of the year to
Reggle Alexande”’s creative approach to ministry Includes
CrossWalk, seminars, Bible studies, speaking, music and more.
Region C Citizen of the Year
Award, a four-cqunty recogni-
tion by the Criminal Justice
Advisory Commitige.
What is his primiiry vocational
the end of the year..\You see them
change so much any grow up so
much in that one yor!
Just as rewarding is making a
difference in, their, lives, When,
you, gome, in that] morning, I
don’t think you mgke or break
their day, but youl have a big
}
i
Kings Mountain Hospital presents:
Healthy You... Healthy Community
and life’s goal? “To creatively
communicate the joy of being a
member of God's family through
a relationship with Christ.”
the Year at East Elementary
influence on how their day is
going to go,” she said, meekly.
Just helping the little ones learn
about the world and to be able to
succeed. in it is worth more than
a paycheck, she added. :
says Dr. Langley.
A Health Awarenesy Program
Meet Dr. Charles Langley
Thursday, April 19 - 6 p.m.
The Community Room at Kings Mountain Hospital
Kings Mountain Hospital cordially invites you to meet Dr. Charles
Langley. Also, Dr. Harmohan Singh will introduce Kings Mountain
Hospital's new hospitalist program and discuss how it will benefit
you during your hospital stay.
Meet Dr. Charles Langley - After 28 years
of practicing internal medicine at Shelby Medical
Assqciates, Charles P. Langley III, M.D., is joining
Cleveland Medical Associates, in Kings Mountain.
The move, effective April 16, will make Dr. Langley
the permanent physician at Cleveland Medical
Assoxiates, replacing David Johnson, M.D. “I look
forward to working in Kings Mountain and meeting new patients,”
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Give Aways
Light Refreshments
For additignal information contact: 704-730-5193
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Free to the public
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