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Wearing a bridal-white gown and brimming with anticipation, Monica Preston slipped a wedding-style band on her ring finger at church on Sunday - and pledged not to have sex before marriage.

From Preston, 40, down to 12-year-olds, more than 90 youths and single adults at Calvary Revival Church Chesapeake promised to "stay holy" and embrace premarital celibacy.

"Abstinence is no longer a dirty word, a funny word or a joke," the Rev.

Carlton McLeod sai d during the 10 a.m. service at the Chesapeake Conference Center. "Abstinence is the call of God."

For Preston, an insurance claims assistant, it was a nuptial-like commitment.

"We're getting married to Jesus today," she said. "It's a covenant with Jesus today that we will remain pure and holy until we get married."

The Rize Up to Purity celebration was the culmination of a four-week abstinence educational program based on the curriculum of the Silver Ring Thing, a national, Christian-based abstinence organization in Pittsburgh.

Each participant received a ring engraved with a biblical citation, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, linking the wearer to the apostle Paul's teaching of sexual purity for Christians.

"Hallelujah!" yelled Shereen Osbourne, a 26-year-old hair stylist who asked her four children to slip the celibacy band on her finger. "I thank you, Lord, you're so good to me, Jesus.

"I don't see myself taking it off anytime soon," Osbourne said of the ring. "My desire is just for God to work on me and to renew me and make me a better person."

The pledges come amid recent headlines on the birth by 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears - sister of pop singer Britney Spears - and an alleged pact by 17 Massachusetts teens to get pregnant.

Calvary staff also cited national statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that about a third of U.S. girls younger than 20 get pregnant.

"With this wedding-ceremony-type of service, we want people to witness the visual beauty of holiness and purity," youth pastor Bobby White said before the morning service.

The service included an abstinence-themed spoken-word performance, Christian praise music, and a skit portraying girls debating chastity and their upcoming prom night.

"I may not have a date, but I'm not giving up this candy store to get one," a celibate character said, to hoots from the 600-member congregation.

In his sermon, McLeod warned promise-makers to resist a "godless" pop culture containing a "tide of sin" that lauds premarital sex.

"If you're going to be successful in this," he said, " there's some rappers you can't listen to. There's some parties your friends will go to that you should not go to."

The ring ceremony included pledgers and friends or family members who promised to help individuals stay celibate.

Regan and Camille Prince of Newport News stood proudly next to their 16-year-old daughter, Chanae Legrier, as she slipped on the ring.

Her dad praised the celibacy program for its spiritual focus and resistance to "bad influences outside the family unit," such as gangs.

When the three-hour service ended, Preston displayed her ring exuberantly. "I'm going to remain pure and holy until I get married or, even if I don't get married, until I leave this Earth," she said.

Login or register to post comments Submitted by trackermw on Sun, 07/20/2008 at 8:23 pm.

Sad times in Hampton Roads when unimportant fluff like this makes the news.

I wish that more and more single people would attend these conferences and take the vow. You can never go wrong following God's word! I am sure that these that follow this teaching will be alot better off in life than those who don't. We have enough disease, babies that are not properly cared for, abortions (the "ones used by people who do what they want and don't care about the outcome"). I am sure that my posting will bring on the people who think it's their right to kill babies by abortion but guess what.... I don't care. Wrong is wrong.

I congratulate the ones who did this and wish them the best in life and their walk with God.

I also made many promises, I also broke just as many of them.

This is cache, read story here