Staff Report

The last time organizers scheduled a black history program at a local church, Old Man Winter interrupted those plans.

But with this area in the midst of a heat wave and no mention of snow in the forecast, a second attempt will be made this weekend at Paynes Memorial Triumphant Pentecostal Holiness Church.

The annual program will be held Sunday, beginning at 6 p.m. The church is located at 183 Marshall Farm Road.

It will feature a special guest speaker, attorney S. Wayne Patterson, the president of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 25, the program had to be postponed because of the only snowstorm to strike Surry County all winter. At the time, organizers said it would be rescheduled.

Patterson is expected to deliver an inspiring address during Sunday’s event, which is sponsored by the Surry NAACP and is free and open to the public. The local organization is celebrating its 50th year of existence during 2012.

A native of Winston-Salem, Patterson established Patterson & Associates in 2004, which consists of two law firms in Atlanta and Winston-Salem. Before that, he was associated with other legal firms in addition to working with magistrates and state courts in Atlanta/Fulton County.

The married father of four children graduated from John Marshall Law School in 2002. His academic career also includes graduate studies at North Carolina A&T State University, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and an associate degree from Louisburg College.

In 2008, Patterson received a honorary doctor of human letters degree from United Cornerstone School of Divinity.

Marie Nicholson will emcee Sunday’s program.

Bishop Tony O. Carter, the pastor of Paynes Memorial Triumphant Pentecostal Holiness Church, invites everyone to attend.