THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412150417
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Marc Tibbs
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
While some parents hope school prayer can help their teenagers find their way, a group of young people at a Norfolk church has taken matters into its own praying hands.
Youngsters from the Mount Zion Interdenominational Church have bonded on several fronts to fight against negative peer pressure.
The group has started a ``Step Club,'' which has performed all over the area, and has organized a semiformal ``Christmas Celebration,'' to be held Friday night. For five bucks each, the kids will party down in a drug- and alcohol-free environment.
Candace Alexander, a 15-year-old 10th-grader at Bayside High School, already has purchased her ``after-five'' dress, even though she's a bit apprehensive about going to the ball without a date.
``I didn't want to go by myself, but I still hope to have fun,'' she said.
The teens came up with the idea of a semiformal Christmas ball - something to keep them away from the violence they see day to day.
``We want to show people that kids like us aren't in the streets,'' Candace said. ``We want them to know that we're doing things with the church.''
In era where youth violence is rising and more young people are turning to drugs, Mount Zion Pastor Willie R. McNair beams with the pride of a brand new father when he talks about the church youth group.
He says leadership is what makes his young people go.
``They are the backbone of the church,'' McNair explains. ``They like leadership. They can see that the older people are committed and they want to do the same.
``We have enough confidence in them to know they're not going to do anything that's not tasteful.''
During one of the group's recent step rehearsals - a fast-moving routine that flowed with the precision of a tap-dancing drill team - Brian Harding, 16, handled a suggestion about changing one of group's moves.
``We don't have to do it,'' he told one of the team members. ``We just need to know how everybody feels about it.''
Brian's activities at Mount Zion - the youth group, the church choir, the usher board - are just part of his busy lifestyle. He also is a drum major for the Booker T. Washington High School band, and once was a member of the school's ROTC program.
He says some schoolmates still pressure him about his Christian lifestyle.
``Sometimes kids say `You're not supposed to go to the movies,' or `You're not supposed to listen to certain kinds of music.'
``All I know is that being (a Christian) means you have to know where to draw the line,'' he said. ``There are certain things that I can do and certain things that I can't.''
With a wisdom well beyond his years, Brian says his friends at Mount Zion are the friends who really matter to him.
``I'm human,'' he said, ``I feel down sometimes. But coming here, we're like a family. We have problems, but we solve our problems by praying.''
And if that doesn't explain it, perhaps Candace can:
``My friends ask a lot of questions about what we do,'' she said. ``They think it's unique. But I don't really care what other people think about me. Most of my friends are in the church anyway.'' by CNB