"A national white-supremacist group that stood to divide Chesterfield County has brought many residents together.

Pastors, politicians and civic leaders of different races and religions yesterday spent the afternoon planning protests to send a message to members of the World Church of the Creator.

"We are all strongly opposed to this group," said the Rev. Gregory Knox Jones, pastor of the Chester Presbyterian Church.

Jones will be one of the speakers at the Celebration of Unity at Thomas Dale High School. Other protesters plan to gather midafternoon outside the Chester Library, where the white-supremacist group is meeting at 5 p.m. today.

Stay away from library

County Administrator Lane B. Ramsey yesterday urged those protesters to stay away from the library.

"While we will have a significant police presence, incidents could occur, and someone could get hurt," he said. "This is not a place for families or children, and we urge people to stay away from this meeting."

Elizabeth Bishop Kimbriel, a resident of Chester, organized the Thomas Dale event in response to the World Church of the Creator. The church, based in Illinois, calls itself the fastest-growing white-supremacist organization.

"My stomach was churning. I couldn't believe what was happening here," Kimbriel said. "I knew I had to do something."

Couldn't block meeting

Under pressure from the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the county Board of Supervisors this week decided it could not legally block the group from meeting.

"This group thrives on confrontation," Kimbriel said.

"We wanted to offer people that were incensed an alternative place to go."

More than a half-dozen community leaders are expected to speak at the unity celebration. They indude Tommy Baer, honorary president of B'nai B'rith International; Ken Willis, president of the Richmond Peace Education Center, and representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Islamic Center of Virginia.

"Hopefully, this meeting will start a dialogue to help Chesterfield County identify problems and work out solutions so that we don't have this kind of group thinking they would be welcome here again," Kimbriel said.

Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, a black leader in Chesterfield, plans to wage a protest of his own.

Glenn, pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church, and members of his congregation plan to pack the library when the white-supremacist meeting begins.

"It is not to be disruptive," Glenn said. "It is to show this group that we disagree."

The meeting room in the library holds about 60 people.

The public will be allowed entry on a first-come basis, county officials have said.

Thomas Dale is about a half-mile from the library

"I think it is important for the public to be able to protest," Glenn said. "This has crossed racial lines Both black and white have said this mind-set is not conducive."

Glenn yesterday issued a statement criticizing Ramsey for asking people to avoid the library.

"We bring with us no history of violence and hatred toward anyone. If they are concerned that the group they have allowed to use our public library will promote violence, then why did they grant this group permission?" he said. "Absence of a visible of protest at the library may infer indifference or support for their philosophy."

Supervisor Jack McHale, who is working with Kimbriel on the Thomas Dale event, has urged residents to stay away from the library to reduce the possibility of violence.

"There have been incidents at previous meetings of this organization," he said. "This event at the school gives people an ability to come to a peaceful gathering and hear folks come together in repudiation of all this group stands for."

Several organizations yesterday issued statements condemning the group.

"The Sons of Confederate Veterans stand with you in your condemnation of an racist organizations"' wrote Henry E. Kidd, SCV's Army of Northern Virginia executive councilman. "Diversity is what makes America great."

Two leaders of Congregation Beth Ahabah wrote, "As Americans and as Jews ... we vehemently disagree with everything promoted by the white-supremacist group. They preach hate, bigotry, racism and religious intolerance, all of which are abhorrent to us."

The Chesterfield NAACP along with the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the Chesterfield County Republican and County Democratic committees -- plans to join members of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church outside the library

We must not fear looking evil in the face and letting this so-called church know that we are disgusted and repulsed by its positions," said Lynne E. Cooper, spokesman for the Democratic committee. "We will stand proudly in a display of our values of unity, community, faith and brotherhood."" (Meredith Fischer, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 21, 2002).