ORLANDO (FBW)-Organizers of the upcoming STAND [Students
Taking a New Direction] Rally in Orlando hope to unmask the
“just do it” philosophy of today’s culture in the
massive event June 4. The God-sized task of teaching sexual
abstinence to America’s youth is a passion for two Southern
Baptist laymen who have years of experience in public service.
Bob Touchston, a resident of Brevard County, first conceived
of star-studded rallies to promote sexual abstinence among
teenagers.
The veteran of Desert Storm and General Norman Schwarzkopf’s
legal office is a civilian federal court reporter for the Air
Force. He and his wife, Diana, home-school their five children.
They are members of The River Church in Palm Bay.
“I love children,” Touchston said. “I really am
just a big kid myself.”
His zeal for the sexual abstinence movement among teenagers
grew from his volunteer work with Florida Right to Life, and his
involvement in the Brevard County chapter led to a term as
president of the state organization. It was there that he met
Terry Kemple who was working as executive director of Florida
Right to Life. The two Baptists struck up an immediate
friendship, sharing similarities in faith, politics and
philosophies.
Kemple, although older than Touchston by 15 years, shares his
friend’s passion for teaching abstinence. Also the father of
five, Kemple boasts of 12 grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
“I want things to be better for them in the future than
it is now,” Kemple said. “I feel God has called me to
make a difference in our culture.”
Kemple became a Christian at 40 and immediately involved
himself in church and church activities. He is a member of Bell
Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon.
Taking “the political route” to change the world,
Kemple worked as executive director of the Christian Coalition of
Florida before moving to Florida Right to Life. He works now as
the executive director of STAND.
Kemple, who Touchston describes as a “fabulous guy in
strategic thinking,” traces his organizational skills to a
career in computer consulting and program management.
“After I was saved, I decided to put all my experience to
work in a Christian environment,” Kemple said.
Kemple and Touchston serve on the organization’s board of
directors along with Mike Crawford and Albert Ethridge, members
of Methodist and non-denominational churches. The four planned
and promoted the hugely successful STAND rally in Orlando in
2002. More than 13,500 teenagers packed the T.D. Waterhouse
Centre to hear popular singing groups, including Audio
Adrenaline, and speaker Austin Rammell, former director of the
Personal and Student Evangelism Department of the Florida Baptist
Convention.
“We believe the reason it was so successful is that God
was honored,” Kemple said. “We were simply overwhelmed
with the response.”
The 2004 event also will feature recording artists Salvador,
Jeff Deyo, Rachael Lampa, Urban D, By the Tree and others.
Speakers for the event will include TV and film actor Stephen
Baldwin; Richard Ross, founder of True Love Waits and a professor
at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas;
Frank Reynosa, pastor of House of Hope, Orlando; and David and
Kris Toyne of Shiloh Place Ministries of Conway, S.C.
“These groups are a hook to draw young people to hear
about God’s love and God’s moral plan for sexual
purity,” Touchston said. “We want it all to be
positive. I believe that even the ‘don’ts’ in the
Bible are positive.”
Admission is free and board members of STAND hope to again
fill Orlando’s T.D. Waterhouse Centre. Sponsorships and
exhibition area rentals will help finance the event. For more
information on how to support the event, contact Terry Kemple at tkemple@integrity.com, or
call 800-613-4822. Doors will open for the general public at 5
p.m. June 4. Students who wear a STAND T-shirt may enter at 4:30
p.m. The shirts are available through STAND’s Web site, www.standtrue.org.
STAND also plans rallies June 26 in Dallas, Texas, and October
2 in Jacksonville.
E-Mail To A Friend
Printer-Friendly Article
Share Your Views
