The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 22, 2001, Page 3, Image 3
mic (Bamccock
Church
from page 1
* :
“I was like, ‘sure, whatever,’ with no real in
tention to come,” Melissa said
When Melissa left the GMP, however, one of
the members was still there. This time, Melissa
decided to attend the meeting.
' “At the time, I just figured, you know, ‘luck of
t I in Hro\i/ r'ir/'iimctonr'O Kut T mirrKt ec rrn
to oe going 10 cnurcn. i nau never seen anyining
like that before.”
At that first meeting, another church
• member approached Melissa and asked whether
she was interested in doing a Bible study. This was
how the Columbia Church of Christ arid Melissa
found each other.
Melissa met for two weeks with members of
the church, who began to describe the traits of an
ideal Christian.
“They are drilled in taking portions of the Bible
and then painting the picture of what a fully
*■ mature Christian is supposed to look like,”
u Melissa said. She said that prepares the potential
it convert for the question that follows: Do you tliink
you ’re a Christian?
“And of course, [with] them showing you this
picture of a mature Christian, of course you’re
d ' going to say, ‘No, I’m not a Christian,”’ Melissa
• said.
According to Melissa, the church teaches that
A .
unless you’re on the path to becoming a
Christian through the Columbia Church of Christ,
you’re always in spiritual danger. Melissa said church
members advise the potential member to be
careful when walking down the street or when
driving a car, because, “if you were to die at that
point, you would go to hell.”
Melissa was baptized into the Columbia Church
of Christ on Oct. 1. Before her baptism, she said
she was “interrogated” by a woman in the church
to see if she was ready for baptism.
At that meeting, she was told what would hap
■r i i r. ,i i .1
pen n sue evei ten uic uiuiui ua
ing a wall parable as ail example.
“If you start to build this wall,
i.e., you become a Christian,
and then somewhere in the back
of your mind you weren’t sure,
and you stopped building this wall,
i.e., you didn’t want to be a Chris
tian anymore, then you would be
considered a fool. And you’d be considered
worse than somebody who had never heard the
message of Jesus before.”
Melissa’s mother attended the service, but on
ly reluctantly. Melissa was insistent that her moth
er come, partly because the church teaclies its mem
bers are the only true Christians, Melissa said.
“Naturally, the first people you turn to are your
family,” Melissa said.
Melissa was baptized, despite her mother’s
doubts about the church.
“She came, she didn’t like it, but she kept her
mouth shut,” Melissa said. “Figuring... I’m 18 now,
I can make my own decisions if I’m seeking my
faith and I’m making it stronger, then so be it.”
But Melissa’s experience with the church
had only begun. She was about to find out how her
life would change once the church was involved.
The university desk can be reached at
gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom
Melissa said.
What Melissa saw appeared
=. to fill the void she felt in her
earlier youth group.
“I walked in, and there was
this crowd of young people,”
she said. “You know, they’re _
really enthusiastic, really excited
— 0 - 7
On Wednesday:
Inside the Columbia
Church of Christ
I Study might allow airport growth
by Brooke Bryenton
The Gamecock
The Federal Aviation Administration
awarded $71,413 to the Richland/Lexington
Airport Commission on Jan. 5. The grant will make
possible a study of the Columbia Metropolitan
Airport terminal as a preliminary step toward
expansion.
According to the airport’s public relations
manager Laura McMickens, the grant will go
toward a study of the gate areas and ticket
counters by the LPA Group Inc. and P. J. Noble
& Associates to determine the extent of expan
sion needed for future growth. Representatives
from both firms were unavailable for comment on
exact details of the study.
“Since 1998, the airport has added 30 new
nonstop flights and tliree new airlines — Atlantic
Southeast, AC Jet and United Express,”
McMickens said. “More flights were added in [the
past] two years than in any other time in the
airport’s history.” •
1997 marked the completion of a $50 million
renovation project for the airport, according to its
Wfeb site. “Airline service has grown tremendously
at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in the past three
years, necessitating the need for this terminal
expansion,” Executive Director Mike Flack
said.
The airport’s Web site showed that more than
1.1 million passengers pass through the 2,600-acre
airport each year. Also, UPS lias operated its South
eastern Regional Hub from the airport since 1996.
A 108-acre foreign-trade zone
located on the grounds allows foreign goods to
enter the country duty- and quota-free for assembly,
storage or display without having to pass through
formal U.S. customs.
The airport began in the early 1940s as
Lexington County Airport, which was little more
than a landing area for local planes. The.U-S.
War Department took control of the airport in
1941 to use during Wirld Wir II, according to the
airport’s Web site. In 1943, famed World W&r II
bomber Jimmy Doolittle trained men at the
expanded air base for his secret military mission
to bomb Tokyo. The airport acquired its present
name in 1962.
In light of the expected renovations and
expansions for both USC and the City, of
Columbia, the commission’s terminal study is
timely. U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, a senior
Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and.
Transportation Committee which oversees the
FAA, said, “Every improvement helps to bring
more business to the airport, and more business
means increased airport traffic and, ultimately,
economic development. This is excellent news
for Columbia and its surrounding areas.”
Visit www.columbiTsouthcaroiina.ccntfeirpoithtml
for more information about the airport
The city desk can be reached at
gamecockcitydesk@hotmafl.com
Grant
from page 1
Government project lias ever received,” Eaddy said.
The Student Incubator Center, which will be
housed at 1233 Washington St., home of the USC
Columbia Technology Incubator, will eventually
give 10 student businesses $1,000 in start-up
money. The businesses will also have access to
office space, computers, faculty members,
research and other resources of the university. The
center will be run as part of the USC
^Technology Incubator.
By allowing students to run their own
business, the project also gives students an
opportunity they might not otherwise have,
Eaddy said.
“They don’t have the space at USC to do this,”
she said. “This will give them the opportunity and
space to give them a hands-on training within the
business world.”
There will a briefing session Jan. 29 and 31
for interested students.
Those who want to apply for incubator
funding must do so by Feb. 15, and on March 1
SG will announce 15 finalists.
Those finalists will go through a month-lOng
consultation process with USC faculty and the
manager of the Columbia incubator. They will
submit their business plan by March 31, and the six
selections and two alternates, chosen by the SCRI
Incubator Advisory Committee will be announced
April 16.
The companies must begin operating some time
between May 1 and Aug. 31.
On Sept. 1, the second phase of the project will
begin. Four more businesses will be chosen in the
second cycle.
The businesses will have access to the univer
sity’s resources for up to two years.
The university desk can be reached at
gamecockudesk@hotmaiLcom
: s a week
]*■ 'dewpoints
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orts
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Do your part, be a part of Student Government
If you are interested in running for Student Senate or an Executive
Candidate Position, attend the pre-candidates meeting on Monday,
January 22 and then file for candidacy in the Student Government
Office January 29 until February 2. ■
Pre-Candidates Meeting
January 22, 2001
4 pm
Russell House Rm 203
Filing
Jan. 29 until Feb. 2
9 am - 5 pm
Student Government Office
RHUU 110
Visit our Website at www.sg.sc.edu or call 777-2654
III
I-__ _I
'
> Has your partner's jealousy and possessiveness kept you from
seeing your family and friends? < ;
> Does your partner constantly put you down, humiliate you in
|| Jk public and make you feel inferior? f§| f§
> Does your partner’s temper or explosive anger frighten you?
> Does your partner shove, hit, kick or throw objects at you?
If you answered yes to any one of the above, then you may be in an abusive
relationship. Relationship violence is a cycle of abuse and will not end unless
something is done to interrupt the cycle.
ag_
^The Office for Sexual Health A Violence Prevention offers assistance with
these issues. A confidential relationship violence support group is forming
j now. For more information call Della at 777-5223 or Amy at 777-1835.
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