Religious Presence at Pembroke Day

 

Booths and tables lined the rectangular brick path around the Quad on Wednesday, September 10 in an effort to bring the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) and Robeson County closer together.  The casual event’s theme was “Food, Fun and Festivities.”  Church groups and religious organizations had a presence at Pembroke Day, and some had more than free food, fun and festivities on their agenda.

The Gideon Ministries booth was setup at the southeast corner of the Quad, to itself, catching many visitors to the festival as they were either leaving or just arriving.  Their table was very simple in design; just a few boxes of green and orange Bibles stacked on top, and a poster displaying their organization’s name hung over the front of the table.  Joseph Locklear, the booth’s operator and graduate of UNCP, said the Gideons are not affiliated with any specific religious group, but are “just passing out the word.”

According to Locklear, the Gideons give out one million Bibles worldwide every six days, and as of 12:00 p.m., he said he had handed out close to 400.  Locklear said their Bibles are printed in 86 languages and passed out by their members and volunteers in 186 countries; in prisons, jails, and hotels.  He said the money from donations they receive goes to purchasing more Bibles.

Locklear said “The students have been very receptive,” and “[he] may come back next year.”  It was Locklear’s first time attending Pembroke Day.

While Locklear and the Gideons were only focused on passing out bibles to the crowd, Diana Price, a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Lumberton, NC was busy networking with students.  The church had a booth setup on the opposite end of the Quad, just beside the Lowry Bell Tower, and was promoting the Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM).  Price, along with St. Mark’s is in the process of setting up the LCM at UNCP and said, “We just want [students] to have an alternative to the Baptist Student Union (BSU)…not that there is anything wrong with [the BSU]; that’s great.”

As of 11:30 a.m. Price said she had collected the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of 18 interested students.  She said the organization held its first meeting three weeks ago, and hope to bring in new members so the ministry can be entirely led by students.  Eventually, they hope to complete service projects around the community.

Price, along with another St. Mark’s member, Maxine Amos, also handed out fliers for a September 11th remembrance service they held Thursday night in the University Center, sponsored by the LCM.