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Mud Run
The second annual Marine Mud Challenge is Aug. 2 at Belmont Abbey College.
This hardcore physical fitness challenge will be held 7 a.m.-noon and serve as a great team-building and fun activity. But more importantly, it is a fundraiser for the families of combat-injured marines, sailors and the families of local marines. One-hundred percent of the tax-deductible funds raised are donated to the cause.
Organizers are seeking sponsorships, donations, in-kind support and teams for this event. Sponsoring a military team costs $60. Sponsoring a public safety team costs $80.
For more information on the event, contact Aaron Harper by e-mail at president@carolinamarines.org or by telephone at (919) 272-4461.
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New face to lead members of Hood Memorial
By TARA MANJARRES
- Thu, Sep 4, 2008
BELMONT—The Rev. Edward LeRoy White denied his calling to pastor for nearly three decades but eventually reckoned with his destiny.
White is the new pastor at Hood Memorial, arriving at the church in mid-June from Statesville.
“I denied it; I did. I had always felt the urge but was in denial” said White, who’s now in his sixties spending the last 30 years in the ministerial profession. “I told my mama and my family that I would serve the Lord, but I wasn’t going to minister.
He would eventually change his mind. See, White came from a family steeped in ministers. Escaping the ministerialship was possible for only so long. His grandfather, father and two of his brothers preached the good book.
White has early ties to the Belmont community. In fact, some of his first memories revolve around the church and one specifically in Belmont. White’s father, the Rev. Reid Ross White, was the pastor at Old Conner Grove AME Zion of Belmont in the 1950s. Thinking he was around age 7 or 8 at the time, White recalls with tender nostalgia his childhood here.
“I remember this place because of that specific time in my life. There were so many people in the community that were so good to me and my family. I remember the other kids and the fellowship. I have really positive memories. At that age, you’re mostly just playing and enjoying life and that’s what I have memories of.”
The White family would stay in Belmont about four years before moving onto the next church assignment. White never found the opportunity to return to Belmont until he was assigned to Hood on a Sunday evening. On Monday, he drove here to see the town of his blossoming childhood.
On that same Monday, community member Abel Reid helped White get familiarized with the church and Belmont and even took him back to his father’s former house of worship.
“I saw my daddy’s old church, yes, I did. I spent some time there just remembering everything,” said White. “And what I had in my mind about Belmont was what I saw when I returned. I always remembered this as a first-class city, even in comparison with all the other cities I’ve been to and lived in. This is definitely a first-class, clean, all-American city.”
White has an extensive résumé in both of his lives—before and after becoming a reverend. He was a certified barber owning and operating his own shop called The College Corner Barbershop in Winston-Salem. He spent time in the Army in the 82nd Airborne Division, and he’s worked as a certified mechanic—restoring old cars still happens to be a hobby of his, along with fishing. As a pastor, White has lived all over the country, having been part of the Western N.C. conference, west central N.C. conference, western N.Y. conference and the New England conference.
“I wouldn’t take anything for the journey I had, but my decision was right,” he said. “I have a peace now that I would not have had if it had just been a material life.”
Even though he’s well traveled and has lived and worked in big cities, White said Belmont and Hood Memorial is the perfect fit for him.
“This congregation is very strong,” he said. “They are exceptional people. This is a small site but they have big hearts.”
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