Purity celebration slated for March 19
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on March 9, 2016 1:46 PM
The second annual "I Choose to Pass Purity" celebration will take place Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Goldsboro First Assembly.
The event is free and open to those age 13 and older.
There will be entertainment by Julius Witherspoon, Trayvion Gooding and top 10 "American Idol" finalist Majesty Rose.
Six guest panelists will share their journey of waiting before marriage to become sexually active. They are Terrie Nelson, Chiwanda McLamb, Apriann Sutton, Isaiah Strozier, Immanuel Smith-McKinnon and Emmanuel Holder.
"I thought it would be good to have different stories because my own story may not be able to reach who someone else' could," said organizer Mary Vaughn, who is also the founder of the I Choose to Pass movement, sponsor of the event.
The I Choose to Pass Purity celebration is Ms. Vaughn's way of trying to help others who may be in the situation she once was in.
"At the early age of 13, my family moved her from Indiana," she said. "I did not want to move here and began being involved sexually out of an act of rebellion toward my parents.
"I thought I was hurting my family, but really I was hurting myself. Being involved sexually brought about a lot of emotional instability, low self-esteem, anger and rejection. But after being promiscuous for three years, I decided that I was tired of that life I was living."
In January 2012, Ms. Vaughn rededicated her life to the Lord, and change began to come about.
March 13 of that year, she attended the Rose Banquet in Goldsboro and it then that she committed to being abstinent until marriage.
"I have been on that journey ever since," Ms. Vaughn said. "Three years into my journey of abstinence, March 14, 2015, I hosted the first I Choose to Pass Purity Celebration. I thought it would be a fun, creative way to bring awareness to the importance of waiting until marriage to have sex."
Although the event is free, registration is required by logging onto www.ichoosetopass.eventbrite.com.
For more information, contact Ms. Vaughn at 919-922-4695.