Menu
Black History Month banquet set for Feb. 17
Mountain Home's Black History Committee will reflect on a century of Black life, history and culture during a banquet Feb. 17.
Celebrating its 28th anniversary in Mountain Home, the semi-formal event begins at 6:30 p.m. that evening at the Mountain Home Elks Lodge, 325 South 3rd West St., with dinner set to follow at 7:15 p.m.
This year's guest speaker is the Most Worshipful Grand Master Honorable Reverend Richard Vega from Las Vegas, an Army veteran with 30 years of military service. Vega was born May 6, 1947, to Puerto Rican parents who taught him about the Lord and how he should live.
After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Army in June 1965. It was during his military service on a tour of duty in the Republic of South Korea where he truly met the Lord and was born again on March 19, 1981.
During his years in the Army, he served in Okinawa, Thailand, Japan and the Republic of South Vietnam in addition to his 13 years in the Republic of South Korea. He retired in September 1996 at Fort Stewart, Ga., as a command sergeant major.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army Ordnances Hall of Fame in May 2000. After retiring from active duty service, he deployed twice to Afghanistan in 2010 and again from 2012 to 2013 while working for the Department of Defense.
Today, Vega serves as a Mason and the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Nevada. He has served in every leadership position in Prince Hall Masonry before becoming, the 10th Grand Master of the State of Nevada.
His religious duties included more than 10 years as an usher along with being worship leader, parish council president, Sunday school teacher and director of the children's Sunday school department at First Baptist church of Lakewood, Wash.
At the age of 60, Vega earned his bachelor of science degree in Christian Ministries from Crown College. He is an ordained minister and associate minister at The Great Commissioned Interdenominational Church in North Las Vegas.
He conducts boys-to-men workshops at the Great Commission and co-pastored the West Point Community Gospel Service at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and worship leader at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. He is also an H.O.P.E. Chaplain at UMC Hospital and offers prayer and encouragement to the patients there.
Vega is married to his wife of 20 years, Maria, and they have five children, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Vega says that God has truly blessed him and kept him in His grace, mercy and tender love. He stands by the scripture in the Gospel of John that states, "Greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world."
For more information, call 587-3227.