Missouri

A year after a devastating tornado killed at least 161 people in Joplin, Mo., a church that was destroyed plans to show who God is by helping victims of recent tornadoes in Indiana.

The Rev. Aaron Brown of St. Paul's United Methodist Church announced Sunday that the church plans to not only lay the foundation of a new worship center, but the congregation will also send money and volunteers to help victims of tornados that struck southern Indiana in March, The Associated Press reported.

The church, which says its mission is to lead people to an active faith in Jesus Christ, wants to demonstrate that "life still wins." more >>

Charismatic televangelist Joyce Meyer, founder of a popular Missouri-based ministry and mission and a New York Times bestselling author, has penned over 90 books for adults. Now, the minister with a "tough" demeanor and unique sense of humor is reaching out to a new audience with her debut children's book, Every Which Way to Pray.

Children's books are a great way to reach the youngest population "with a message that can really help them," Meyer recently told The Christian Post. A book is a good medium because "they [children] read books. Their parents read books, too. I'm sure most parents read to their children to explain what certain things mean. So books are a good way to convey a message to anybody. Everybody reads."

Meyer was declared one of the 25 most influential evangelical leaders in the United States by Time magazine. More than 12 million copies of her books have been distributed around the world, translated into 84 languages, and each year millions are sold, according to the ministries' website. The Bible teacher also hosts a TV and radio show, "Enjoying Everyday Life," which broadcasts worldwide to an estimated audience of 4.5 billion people in 43 languages. more >>

Missouri Republicans had a raucous Saturday, mostly due to conflicts between Ron Paul supporters and traditional Republicans as they gathered at caucus sites to help decide who will be the party's nominee for president of the United States.

Most of the reported incidents appeared to be the result of a combination of pugnacious Paul supporters and disorganization.

In St. Charles county, Paul supporters got into an argument with the caucus chair. They had sought to elect their own chair and adopt their own rules, according to caucus procedure. They were also carrying video cameras, though, which is against caucus rules. more >>

Faith-based humanitarian organization Convoy of Hope is giving confidence and a fresh start to a group of people in Joplin, Mo., who have not had a place to call home since a tornado ripped through their city nearly a year ago.

A groundbreaking ceremony to build half a dozen storm-resilient, "green" homes for families who lost their homes in the tornado last year took place on Monday.

Jeff Nene, senior director of Public Relations for Convoy, told The Christian Post that the ceremony had a turnout of 50-75 people and the six new homeowners got to turn the first bit of dirt for the ceremony. more >>

A small 4.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Missouri and several other Midwestern states Tuesday morning.

The earthquake struck the New Madrid zone, which is a 150-mile stretch of land between Tennessee and Missouri that crosses through six other states.

The quake only caused minor damage and but managed to wake people up in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee as it struck at 3:58 a.m. Tuesday. People living in Indiana, North Carolina, and Georgia also reported feeling the quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. more >>

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing a library in rural Missouri for constitutional violations after a community member complained to the rights group that she was denied access to witchcraft and astrology websites on the library’s Internet.

Anaka Hunter says she was denied access to the websites by the director of the Salem Public Library in the town of Ozark in Salem, Mo. The ACLU claims public libraries are constitutionally obligated to provide access to all content that has not been deemed pornographic.

Hunter requested to view a Wicca (or witchcraft), website and Wikipedia page, as well as Astrology.com and the Encyclopedia of Death and Dying – a website that seeks to objectively detail all faiths’ teachings on death. more >>