Keeping Safe While Serving, Church Groups Tackle Pandemic and Protests
Rev. Traci Blackmon was at home outside of St. Louis when a local hospital called with a question: Could Blackmon’s church help sew some masks?
Rural Missouri Baptist Pastor: Virus ‘Just Started to Sprout Up’
As COVID-19 surges in southwestern Missouri, a Baptist pastor, his family, and his church members are among those impacted. Joshua Manning, pastor of Community Baptist Church in Noel, is seeing coronavirus now moving into his rural area.
As Coronavirus ‘Storm Cloud’ Gathers, Black Church in Missouri Braces for Mourning
When Traci Blackmon, the senior pastor for a predominantly black church in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, is finally able to open the doors for service again, one of her main concerns is the collective sorrow her congregation will experience.
Death in the Middle of Death: On the Execution of Walter Barton
It’s been over two months (75 days to be exact) since we’ve had an execution. There are only two other times since the turn of the century the state has gone that long without executing someone. But last Tuesday (May 19), that pause came to
Rulings Offer Roadmap for Challenges to Pandemic Orders
Rulings in cases to defend stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on May 8 now offer a roadmap for other pending and future lawsuits challenging similar orders across Missouri.
Chaplain Ministry Continues as COVID-19 Ravages Nation’s Nursing Homes
One of the most difficult things for Cathy Tisher, a chaplain to three different nursing homes in the Oklahoma City area, is seeing the face of a particular nursing home resident as she conducts regular video calls.
Baptists Decry “Sneaky” Mo. Legislation Helping Predatory Lenders
Baptists and other advocates working to prevent predatory lending in Missouri are criticizing a legislative move that could undo local ordinances regulating payday loan institutions. Efforts in Liberty and Springfield are at risk due to a measure now headed to the governor for signature.
Jim Bakker Seeks Suit Dismissal; Ex-Governor Is His Lawyer
Missouri-based TV pastor Jim Bakker is asking a judge to dismiss a state lawsuit accusing him of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure the coronavirus, and the lawyer representing Bakker is former Gov. Jay Nixon.
Mo. Gov. Pushes Prayer, Quizzed on Preferential Treatment
After weeks of saying Missouri would reopen May 4 from coronavirus shutdown orders, Gov. Mike Parson on Friday declared a statewide “Day of Prayer.” His announcement added to questions he has given unconstitutional preferential treatment to Christianity during official government briefings on coronavirus.
Easter Services Caught in Kansas Political Fight
As state and local officials across the country ban churches — like other groups — from holding gatherings of more than 10 people, and church services already sparking numerous coronavirus hotspots across the country, some politicians in Kansas have invoked Easter in a partisan fight