FERRIDAY, La. — The only truly &uot;safe sex&uot; is not to have sex at all before marriage. That was the message the Abstinence Committee of Concordia Parish sought to convey through a rally for teens and pre-teens that it hosted Friday afternoon at the community center at the parish’s Correctional Facility near Ferriday.

Rufus Lewis, former NBA shooting guard and current chaplain for the Dallas Mavericks, was the event’s keynote speaker.

He told those at the rally — almost 50 youth and their parents — that adhering to God’s plan, including abstaining from sex before marriage, brings blessings into one’s life.

Lewis said that when he worked to perfect his basketball skills, made contacts in the sport and gave his best at tryouts and still didn’t get picked for the NBA, &uot;I asked God, ‘Why am I not successful after I worked so hard?’

&uot;The reason was that I&160;had strayed,&uot; he said.

It is not necessary to give in to peer pressure regarding premarital sex — or alcohol and drugs, for that matter — to be successful and popular, added Lewis, a member of the organization Lay Witnesses for Christ International.

Earlier, those at the rally watched a videotaped presentation by motivational speaker Pam Stenzel titled &uot;Sex Has a Price Tag.&uot;

&uot;I get asked by the media all the time, ‘Is it possible that teenagers will abstain from sex? Is it realistic?’ And I say, ‘Absolutely,’&uot; Stenzel said.

According to Stenzel’s figures, 12,000 teens a day catch a sexually transmitted disease.

&uot;I thought it was a really good program,&uot; said 14-year-old Emily Taylor of Monterey, who attended the program with her parents. &uot;More kids need to hear this.&uot;