Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.com
Page 3
Ministers rally against
dave.kmherald @gmail.com
Railing against “an indus-
try that capitalizes on peo-
ple’s desperation,” a group
of area ministers met last
week to voice their oppo-
sition to a proposed Native
American gaming resort that
is planned for the outskirts of
town.
The 6 p.m. rally, held in
the Life of Worship Minis-
tries’ sanctuary, was timed
to precede a monthly meet-
ing of the Kings Mountain
City Council, whose mem-
bers have mostly supported
a proposed Catawba Indi-
an-run casino.
About 70 people turned
out for the Interfaith Pastors
Coalition meeting, which
was organized with assis-
tance from the Kings Moun-
tain Awareness Group, a
grass-roots organization that
has spearheaded efforts to
rally opposition to the ca-
sino. Many of those in at-
tendance walked the short
distance to City Hall to pub-
licly comment on the issue
at the 7 p.m. City Council
meeting. The meeting also
drew the attention of tele-
vision news crews from
WCCB and WSOC.
The meeting drew more
than 20 ministers, many of
whom took to the church’s
pulpit to denounce the pro-
posed casino and to draw a
bead on gambling in general.
“If you believe in loving
your neighbor, you iii
support gambling,” said
Mark Creech, the Executive
Director of the Christian
Action League, called gam-
bling a get-rich scheme. “We
should care for the poor, the
disadvantaged.”
The ministers who-spoke
at the rally made direct ref-
erences to scripture to illus-
trate their argument that the
casino will sew little good
will.
“The evidence is over-
whelming — casinos make
really bad neighbors,” said
Richard Land, who serves
as President of the South-
ern Evangelical Seminary in
Charlotte and is Executive
Editor of the Christian Post.
“Every crime that the FBI
tracks — from illegal drugs
to assault and prostitution
— rises considerably in the
immediate neighborhood of
a casino.”
Land also said that his re-
search on the matter has in-
dicated that gambling is the
second fastest growing ad-
diction in the United States,
after pornography.
Proponents of the casino
argue it would create jobs
in the short term as well as
the long term and claim the
gaming resort would draw a
fresh wave of tourism dollars
to Cleveland County.
Last week’s rally was at
least the fifth public gather-
ing of casino opponents in
Kings Mountain. Members
and supporters of the Kings
Mountain Awareness Group
have also made repeated
appearances before the
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners, which has
_also robustly supported the
casino as a jobs boon, and
the Kings Mountain City
Council.
Meanwhile, the fate of the
multi-million dollar devel-
opment planned on a parcel
of land located at the inter-
section of I-85 and Dixon
School Rd. still rest with a
small group of bureaucrats
in Washington, D.C.
An application submitted
by the S.C.-based Catawba
Indian Tribe has been in the
hands of the Bureau of In-
dian Affairs since Septem-
ber of last year. The BIA is
a part of the Department of
Interior.
A long delay is handling
such an application is not
uncommon, according to
Joseph Kelly, a New York-
based attorney who special-
izes in gambling law.
“It can drag on for a
long time,” said Kelly, who
teaches business law at the
State University of New
York-Buffalo and co-edits
Gaming Law Review.
He said that the Bureau of
Indian Affairs is very careful
about covering all the envi-
ronmental bases that comes
with putting land into trust,
including wetlands protec-
tion regulations and ensuring
compliance with the Endan-
gered Species Act.
“You can’t put a time
limit on it,” he said in a tele-
phone interview last week.
Crisis Ministry receives donation
CRISIS MINISTRY DONATION - Carol Spriggs, left, a member of Advent Lutheran Church,
presents a check for $1693.00 from the South Blue Ridge North Carolina Chapter of Thrivent
Financial to Lisa Harrison, Executive Director of the Kings Mountain Crisis Ministry. “Thrivent
is honored to present this gift for use in the community," said Spriggs. Members of Advent and
Resurrection Lutheran Churches rang the bell during the holidays and helped other volunteers
from the community raise $9,000 for the Crisis Ministry. The two churches are the only active
churches in the Lutheran South Ridge Chapter.
“We are so blessed to
have volunteers and support-
ers of the Kings Mountain
Crisis Ministry," said the new
Executive Director Lisa Har-
rison.
Harrison said that Christ-
~ mas-season bell ringers. col-
lected over $9,000 and the
South Blue Ridge North
Carolina Chapter of Thrivent
Financial added $1693 this
week on behalf of the two Lu-
theran churches, Advent and
Resurrection, who are active
members of the chapter and
also participated in the bell
ringing.
Stella Putnam, a member
of the Crisis Ministry board,
said Harrison, who was first
hired as financial director in
July, brings a strong back-
ground in missions, working
with people, and finances to
the organization. A licensed
CPA, Harrison formerly
worked for an accounting
firm in Charlotte and at Pres-
byterian Hospital. For the
past 19 years she has oper-
ated a business, “Pampered
Chef," from her home. She
is married to Chris Harrison
and they have two daughters,
Morgan and Paige. The fam-
Photo by LIB STEWART
ily is active in First Baptist
Church.
Harrison said that volun-
teers are needed at the Cri-
sis Ministry which operates
a food pantry and clothing
closet and assists people with
utility payments, medicine
and fuel bills. The ministry is
supported by donations from
the City of Kings Mountain,
the community and many
churches.
Kings Mountain Minis-
terial Association sponsors
the Crisis Ministry and Rev.
Eddie Gray is chairman of the
board of direttors.
Rev. Mark Creech speaks at meeting of the Interfaith Pastors Coalition last week downtown.
He joined more than a dozen ministers in denouncing gambling and a tribal casino planned
for south of Kings Mountain.
Photo by DAVE BLANTON
75 pastors sign letter, ask city
to withdraw support of casino
: ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald @ gmail.com
A letter signed by 75 pas-
tors calling for city council
to withdraw support of a pro-
posed casino was presented
to Mayor Rick Murphrey last
Tuesday night.
Rev. Steve Taylor also
presented the results of an
anonymous survey sent to
250-300 pastors and 111
pastors responded. The sur-
vey asked two questions: "
do you believe gambling is
right, wrong, depends, un-
decided" and do you believe
a gambling casino in Kings
Mountain would be good,
bad, neutral, undecided?” He
said that 101 believed gam-
bling is wrong while 10 said
it depends on circumstances
and 102 believed a gambling
casino would be bad for
Kings Mountain while four
were undecided.
“I hear what you're say-
ing, I hope someday my fel-
low councilmen will hear you
too," Ward III councilman
Tommy Hawkins interjected.
A half dozen pastors
spoke out against the casino
project in a standing-room-
only city council chambers,
urging council to withdraw
a letter of support that went
out last year with the signa-
tures of the mayor and six of
seven councilmen.’ At-large
councilman Keith Miller re-
fused to sign the letter and
in October a second council-
man, Hawkins, also stated his
opposition.
“Why don't you make a
trip to Cherokee and ask the
residents what they think of
the big casino there? asked
Jim Bishop of Shelby. “A ca-
sino is wrong wrong, wrong."
He said he realizes that coun-
cil loves this’ community and
wants to better it but he says
a casino won't do that.
Rev. Scott Whitney, pas-
tor of East Gold Street Wes-
leyan Church, said “We don't
consider you ( council) our
enemy, you are just on the
wrong side of the issue. He
said three councilmen had
asked him 'where are the
ministers and their stand on
this'issue. “Well, here we are
and the opposition is grow-
ing.”
Rev. James Lochridge,
pastor of Second Baptist
Church, told how he ( as a
boy of 14) took money his
dad gave him and sampled
a one arm bandit on a ship
coming to the United States
from England. “I didn't have
any money left and like a
child I wanted more.” Pride
comes, then comes the fall
and shame, he said quoting
Proverbs 11:2.
“Can you say you rep-
resent the people?” asked
Adam Forcade of Bessemer
City, who has led the Kings
Mountain Awareness Group
since its inception last year.
“We have filled this room
for every council meeting
and will continue to fight for
what's right. We're not small,
we're not agitators.”
He asked council to with-
draw its support of the casino,
as did Jed Duarte, Acton Beal
of Lattimore, and Paul Pruitt
who added he wants to focus
his energy and time on more
positive things. “I love this
area and I know you do too,"
said Pruitt.
BRIDGE BUILDER AWARD
— Ronnie Hawkins, right,
received the Bridge Builder
award from Cleveland
Chamber recognizing him
for working to unite peo-
ple in Cleveland County to
accomplish goals. Calvin
Hastings, left, a winner last
year, presented the award
at the recent Chamber
awards banquet. Hawkins
is general manager of Har-
ris Funeral Home, a county
commissioner and long ac-
tive in the Kings Mountain
community and county.
Photo courtesy
Victoria Rose Studio
Kings Mountain
Rotary Club
The Kings Mountain
Rotary Club meets every
' Thursday, noon, at the Pat-
rick Senior Center, 909 E.
King St., Kings Mountain.
Harris Funeral 2 Home, Inc.
ll Serwico Fiera! Hime & Gremation Services Semce 1947
Funeral Directors
Ronald Hawkins
40 years with Harris Funeral Home
Eric Wright
Bradley Ellis
20 years with Harris Funeral Home
Monty Thornburg
16 years with Harris Funeral Home
27 years with Harris Funeral Home
108 South Piedmont Ave., Kings Mountain
In this, your time of need, we at
Harris Funeral Home guarantee su-
perior service at the best price.
Our funeral professionals are avail-
able 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We have been a part of this commu-
nity for over 67 years, serving fami-
lies of every financial situation with
Respect and Dignity. We are Kings
Mountain owned and operated with
a dedication in giving back to our
community.
We off
with a dedication to all of our friends
and neighbors.
che most experienced staff
Phone — 704-739-2591 « Fax — 704-739-7601
Obituaries and condolences online at www. harrisfunerals.com