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VOLUME 28 • NUMBER 3 March 2017 FREE–TAKE ONE!C E L E B R A T I N G F A I T H , F A M I L Y A N D C O M M U N I T Y I N K A N S A S C I T Y

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Randy Stonehill | March 22

Despite the numerous jihadist terror-ist attacks on American soil, Democratscontinue to maintain the politically cor-rect mindset that the Islamic holy book,the Koran, is relatively peaceful – similarto the Bible of Christianity or the Torahof Judaism.“The trusting attitude toward Islam

revealed in the February 2017 poll fol-lows 17 tumultuous years of attacksagainst Americans motivated or shapedby Islamic ideology throughout theUnited States – from the 9/11 atrocity to

It was Saturday, Sept. 17, and it wassurreal — like driving by a movie set orre-enactment. A motorcyclist, who wasnot wearing a helmet, had apparentlyclipped the back of a trailer being towed

by a pickup truck on a two-lane high-way. The impact caused the biker tolose control, putting the bike into aslide, and throwing the man from hisseat and rolling him down the road likea rag doll. As Geoff McLarty drove upmoments later, the man was lying onhis back, motionless. The skin of hisbare head had been ripped open, bloodsoaking the pavement where he hadcome to rest.

McLarty, 31, the creative arts pastorat Evangel Assembly of God in Wichitafor the last four years, has no formalmedical training, was unsure of how toperform CPR, his wife and young sonwere in the car with him, and it ap-peared someone was already calling forhelp. It was decision time . . . it would be

easy to simply keep on going.

Christianityas violentas Islam?

Shocking poll exposeshow many believe

Christianityencourages violence

See RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE page 22

metro kansas cityEDITION

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Youvisitedme inprison

Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:36 are among the mostquoted from the New Testament: “I was in prison and youvisited me.” However, although prison ministries inKansas and Missouri have had increasing access to pris-oners for decades, their presence in publicly funded pris-ons faces opposition. Detractors have cited the Establishment Clause in the

First Amendment as requiring separation of church andstate. Even so, the vital role of suchorganizations has become in-creasingly prominent in thecriminal justice system overthe last half-century. Thenumber one reason? Results. Faith-based organizations

have many advantages in mobi-lizing volunteers to serve in prisons.Their methods and messaging often also have superiorimpact on prisoners over comparative secular program-ming. As a case in point, Jackson County became just the

Faith groups partnering withstates to help make releasedconvicts productive citizens

“I felt like the Holy Spirittold me that I needed to

do something”

by Dwight Widaman

“As you did it to one of theleast of these mybrothers, you did

it to me.”

See PRISON page 23

Still, small voice brings miraculous results for KS accident victim

by Dan Van Veen

See ACCIDENT page 23 Geoff with wife Kylie

LEGO BATMAN

SEE PAGE 17

2 • March 2017 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Metro Voice

BROWNBACK SENDS LETTER TO PRESIDENTKansas Gov. Sam Brownback has sent

a letter of encouragement to pro-lifePresident Donald Trump, pro-lifeSpeaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and pro-life Senate MajorityLeader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)In his letter, Brownback asks the Pres-

ident and the congressional leaders to“grasp the opportunity to proclaim andprotect the dignity of life.” He addressesfour pieces of legislation:

nDefunding Planned Parenthoodn Pain-Capable Actn Dismemberment Abortion Bann Sex-Selective Abortion Ban Defunding Planned Parenthood is a

top congressional priority. Planned Par-enthood, the largestabortion provider re-ceives over a half-bil-lion dollars from thefederal treasury annu-ally. In a weekly pressconference, Ryan saidending taxpayer fund-ing would be includedin the budget reconcil-iation legislation. Lastyear, pro-abortionPresident BarackObama vetoed similarlegislation.The Pain-Capable

Unborn Child Protec-tion Act has been introduced by pro-lifeRep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), and has 74co-sponsors. It passed the House in2015. It was introduced in the Senate bypro-life Senator Lindsey Graham (R-

S.C.) but passage was waylaid by theSenate practice of requiring 60 votes topass “controversial” legislation. The Dismemberment Abortion Ban

Act was reintroduced by Rep. ChrisSmith. It was introduced last year in theSenate by pro-life Senator James Lank-ford (R-Okla.) and in the House by Rep.Smith (R-N.J.), with co-sponsor Mis-souri Congresswoman Vicki Hartzler(R) and others. The bill is also based onmodel legislation provided by the Na-tional Right to Life Committee.Sex-Selective Abortion Ban [the “Pre-

natal Nondiscrimination Act”] was alsointroduced last month by Rep. Franks. Ithas 55 co-sponsors. The measure failedin 2012 in the House, not because it didnot get an overwhelming number ofvotes–246 to 168–but because it wasconsidered under rules that required atwo-thirds majority for passage.Jennifer Popik, JD, NRLC federal leg-

islative director, says that NRLC ap-plauds Brownback for encouragingCongress and the president to enact pro-life laws.“National Right to Life is working

closely with congressional leaders whoare committed to passing protective leg-

Brownback

Hartzler

“National Right to Lifeis working closely withcongressional leaderswho are committed to passing protective

legislation.”

Secret Keeper Girl puts ‘princess culture’into perspective for tween girlsIs “princess culture” harming young

girls? Research featured in The Wash-ington Post in 2016 indicates it is. Asthe Post wrote, the princess culture“suggests that a girl’s most valuableasset is her beauty, which encouragesan unhealthy preoccupation withphysical appearance.” Moms of tween girls probably un-

derstand this better than researchers,and many, especially Christian moms,are looking for resources to help themget ahead of the cultural pressure ontheir girls. “When our daughter was about to

enter middle school, my husband andI wanted to be proactive in our con-versations about self-image and mod-eling of self-confidence, Godlycharacter, and modesty,” says Over-land Park mom Lori Andersen. One of their favorite resources was

Secret Keeper Girl, a national touringstage show aimed at tween girls andtheir moms. The tour, which is com-ing back to the Kansas City area onSaturday, March 25, was created bybest-selling Christian author DannahGresh. Gresh has long built a case for

teaching age-appropriate modesty bypointing to the fact little girls who areexposed to products and marketingthat promote sexuality are more likelyto experience depression, body image

issues and an early sexual debut asteens. She claims it’s not the conceptof being a princess, but “princess-dri-ven” marketing that harms girls. “Being a princess is not bad,” says

Gresh, adding the princess cultureisn’t going to go away, so parents needto redefine what it means. “We havemany modern princesses who devotetheir lives to charitable causes, butspend very little time in a ball gownand tiara. They use their royalty toserve others.” Gresh asserts an improper defini-

tion of princess encourages an un-healthy self-image. “Our bodies aren’t bad and nei-

ther is being beautiful,” she says. “Asmoms, we need to define princess sothat a girl understands her value butdoesn’t make too much of herself.This gives her what we call body con-fidence, making her aware of herbody’s purpose and value, while em-powering her to be a protector of oth-ers.” The Purple Party Tour—Secret

Keeper Girl’s fifth themed tour— is aBible-based relationship-building ex-perience for moms and their tweendaughters (typically ages 7-12). Thetwo-and-a-half-hour event features afun fashion show that demonstrates

A mom and her daughter share a special moment.

See TWEENS page 20

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the heelsof a contentious election year in whichpartisan politics increasingly dividedAmericans, a new Pew Research Centersurvey finds that when it comes to reli-gion, Americans generally express morepositive feelings toward various religiousgroups today than they did just a fewyears ago. Asked to rate a variety ofgroups on a “feeling thermometer” rang-ing from 0 to 100, U.S. adults give nearlyall groups warmer ratings than they didin a June 2014 survey. While Americans still feel coolest to-

ward Muslims and atheists, mean ratingsfor these two groups increased from asomewhat chilly 40 and 41 degrees, re-spectively, to more neutral ratings of 48and 50. Jews and Catholics continue tobe among the groups that receive thewarmest ratings – even warmer than in2014. Evangelical Christians, rated rela-

tively warmly at 61 degrees, are the onlygroup for which the mean rating did not

change since the question was last askedin 2014. Americans’ feelings towardMormons and Hindus have shifted fromrelatively neutral places on the ther-mometer to somewhat warmer ratingsof 54 and 58, respectively. Ratings ofBuddhists rose from 53 to 60. And main-line Protestants, whom respondentswere not asked to rate in 2014, receive awarm rating of 65 in the new survey. The increase in mean ratings is

broad-based. Warmer feelings are ex-pressed by people in all the major reli-

Metro Voice –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– March 2017 • 3

ORLANDO – In an exciting development, Jesus Film Project has announced the language group representing its 1,500th translationof "JESUS," – the most watched film in history, according to TheGuinness Book of World Records. This translation is another step inreaching the unreached people groups as part of Jesus Film Project's Mission 865, according to a media release.

"JESUS" has been viewed by billions of people around the worldsince its release in 1979. More than 200 million people have madedecisions to accept Christ as their savior as a result of watching thefilm. Mission 865 is Jesus Film Project's initiative to reach the 865language groups in the world representing roughly 323 million people who have not heard the gospel of Jesus. The organization’sgoal has begun with a commitment to reach these groups withJesus' story in their own language by 2025.

–Michael Ireland, ASSIST News Service

Jesus Film one step closer toreaching all 7,000 documentedlanguages around the world

ind us onacebook facebook.com/metro voice news

Americans growing more responsive toward variety of religious groups

Norman Rockwell's iconic paintingon faith and personal concience.

Jews, Catholicscontinue to receivewarmest ratings,

atheists, Muslims movefrom cool to neutral

See POLL page 7

Lobby Day to fill Jeff City with pro-life consituentsTuesday, March 14, the pro-life com-

munity will descend on the MissouriState Capitol for the annual MissouriRight to Life “Show Me Life” Action Day.The public is invited to attend and visittheir state legislator, hear special speakersand pray. The event is not confronta-tional but rather conversational, as peo-ple from across the state visit with theirlocal representatives. Registration begins at 10 a.m. with a

Noon rally. This year’s rally features Rea-gan Barklage, Students for Life, andMelissa Ohden,. Abortion Survivors

Network. Ohden survived a failed salineinfusion abortion in 1977 and was ulti-mately delivered. In 2012, she foundedThe Abortion Survivors Network whichseeks to educate the public about failed

abortions and survivors while providingemotional, mental, and spiritual supportto abortion survivors. This year there are three areas

deemed priority legislation that will bediscussed by leaders of the pro-lifemovement with legislators:• Tighten abortion clinic inspection

statute to require at least one annual on-site inspection of abortion facilities andrequire an accounting report for the dis-position of all tissue from aborted ba-bies.


Just about every church has a dedicated ef-fort to support missionaries. For many church-goers however, the support they provide endswith the checkbook or occasional fundraisingbanquet. That doesn’t mean that people wanttheir interest to end there. Kate Motaung hasbeen writing about missions for years and ex-ploring the intersection of the church and mis-sions. She has found that the average Christiandoes want to be more involved and encouragemissionaries but often does not know where tobegin. Here are some ideas from Motaung forsupporting missionaries that will enrich yourchurch community and family and make youfeel a part of a broader local or global effort atevangelizing the lost.

1. Read their updates. Like, actually readthem.

2. Reply to their newsletters, even if it’s justone line, to say, “Thanks for the update.”

3. Pray for them. Set aside a specific time,maybe one evening a week, that is specificallydesignated for praying for certain missionariesand their work.

4. If you have prayed for them, tell them. Itcan be encouraging to hear, “I’ll pray for you,”but how much more so to hear, “Our familyprayed for you last night,” or “Our Bible studygroup prayed for you at our last meeting.”

5. Send them a birthday card, care package,magazines from home, books you’ve enjoyed,treats they can’t get on the field.

6. Recommend missionary biographies thatmight be an encouragement to them.

7. Share snippets of spiritual food you haveenjoyed — a verse that encouraged you duringyour quiet time, or an anecdote from a sermon

that made you think of them.8. Be willing to be a sounding board, a confi-

dential source to whom they can vent and onwhom they can rely when things are challeng-ing.

9. Let them know it’s okay to take vacations,both on the field and on furlough. Not only okay,but essential.

10. Give their kids grace when they’re on fur-lough. The whirlwind of meetings, houses, peo-ple, services, food, conversations, adjustments,etc. etc. etc. can take a huge toll on adults andkids.

11. Listen to their stories.12. Pray some more.13. And an added bonus, straight from some-

one on the field: “Of course, the absolute cherryon the cake would be coming to visit us!”

See RALLY page 22

Luke and Amy Bolle and their fivechildren on furlough in Wisconsin.The family serves the Philippines.

12 WAYS TO ENCOURAGE MISSIONARIES IN THE FIELD


Sessions and the Department of Justice won’t defend Obama-era Title IX directive

National study finds littleproof of pot’s medical benefits

(WNS)--Marijuana advocates tout thedrug and its compounds as therapeutic foreverything from treating glaucoma to stop-ping nightmares. But a new systematic reviewof more than 10,700 scientific studies con-ducted by the National Academies of Science,Engineering, and Medicine found verifiablebenefits for only two disorders—chronic painand the nausea and vomiting caused bychemotherapy. Despite growing support forlegalization efforts, the review found numer-ous and serious health and social conse-quences for marijuana use. This report simplyadds to the mountain of evidence that mari-juana use is a serious danger to public healthand safety, said Scott Chipman, founder of Cit-izens Against the Legalization of Marijuana.

Pro-life tsunami floodsstate legislatures

(WNS)--Pro-life leaders say a nationwidesurge in optimism is driving the wave of pro-life bills already introduced in the first fewweeks of this year’s state legislative sessions.The nearly 50 new bills include bans on dis-memberment abortions and any procedureafter 20 weeks gestation, fetal burial require-ments, and bills that would defund PlannedParenthood. “With the election of a pro-lifepresident, with all of the gains that we madeacross the different states with last year’selection, I think we are very optimistic in pass-ing laws that protect the unborn baby andtheir moms,” said National Right to Life Com-mittee’s Ingrid Duran.

New research debunks the‘ball and chain’ myth

(WNS)--The “ball and chain” perception ofmarriage is a myth, according to a researchbrief by the Institute for Family Values re-leased in February. Contrary to the commonview among men that marriage is an “expen-sive encumbrance on their freedom and theirsex lives,” new research finds married menhave more money, better sex, and a longer

life than their single peers. And thebenefits do not apply to men just co-habiting. Researchers Bradford

Wilcox, a professor andthe director of the Na-tional Marriage Proj-ect at the Universityof Virginia, andNicholas Wolfinger,a professor at theUniversity of

Utah, examined recent sociology studies fo-cused on the cost and benefits of marriagefor men. They found a clear takeaway: Mar-riage is good for men in “every conceivablemeasure.”

One-third of Colorado hospitals opt out of assisted suicide

(WNS)--Nearly one-third of Colorado hos-pitals say they will not allow doctors at theirfacilities to kill patients under the state’s newphysician-assisted suicide law. Recently, twoof the state’s largest hospital systems, bothfaith-based, released statements saying theyplan to opt out of a state law approved by vot-ers in November legalizing the prescription oflife-ending medication to terminally ill pa-tients. Now that they’ve taken a stand, thehospitals likely will be forced to defend it incourt. The two systems, Centura Health andSCL Health, both associated with CatholicHealth Initiatives, say the new Coloradostatute contains conscience provisionsthat protect theirright to opt out.But assisted-suicide advo-cates arepushing back,saying a legalchallenge is a“distinct possibil-ity.” At issue iswhether a system of hospitals can dictate forall its facilities and staff how to handle physi-cian-assisted suicide.

newsbriefs

The U.S. Justice Department, now ledby Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an-nounced in February it won't defend theObama-era directive that told publicschools they must allow transgendered

students to use oppo-site-sex restrooms andlocker rooms.The Obama policy

came last May afterDOJ attorneys in-formed schools thatlegal protections for

women under Title IX also protect maleswho believe they are females. After 13 states sued to fight the new

rule, a preliminary injunction wasgranted last August by U.S. DistrictCourt Judge Reed O'Connor that haltedthe federal government's demand to fol-low the new rules or risk losing Depart-ment of Education funds. A Chicago-area public school risked

losing $6 million, for example, and morethan 50 parents joined to sue whenschool officials backed down. Now comes the Sessions-led DOJ,

which quickly stopped those demandshours after Sessions became the newU.S. attorney general. "What it means," observes Alliance

Defending Freedom senior counsel GaryMcCaleb, "is the Department of Justiceis reconsidering what is a very wrong-

headed rewriting of federal statute TitleIX." The Deptartment of Education was

also pushing the directive, and McCalebpredicted to OneNewsNow in a Feb. 3story that the DOE under Betsy DeVoswould drop its support of a lawsuit filedby a Virginia girl who identifies as a boynamed "Gavin." That case goes back to 2014, when

she was allowed to use the boys restroomuntil parents complained, and she suedwhen the school adopted a policy re-quiring her to use the girls' restroom ora private, single-stall restroom, The As-sociated Press has reported.

Attorneys for the ACLU have rejectedattempts by schools to compromise withprivate restrooms. The term "sex" in Title IX, McCaleb

says, was twisted by the former admin-istration to include gender identityrather than the biological reality of maleand female. For that reason he calls therecent DOJ decision a "breath of freshair" for school leaders and parents con-cerned over the privacy and safety ofgirls. "And we're hopeful," says McCaleb,

"that a Trump administration puts greatweight on the privacy, safety and dignityof all students in America."

Sessions

“And we're hopeful,"says McCaleb, "that a Trump

administration putsgreat weight on the privacy, safety and

dignity of all students inAmerica.”

Joplin schools reopen Bible studyThe Bible study groups reported

by the Metro Voice as having beenshut down by the Joplin School Dis-trict in early January have now re-sumed, according to the JoplinGlobe.The school district suspended the

Bible study groups on Jan. 6, after of-ficials received a complaint from theWashington, D.C.-based AmericanHumanist Association (AHA) lastDecember. While investigating thecomplaint, they realized that the

groups didn’t com-ply with currentschool board poli-cies regarding stu-d e n t - i n i t i a t e dgroups. While theysaid the group wasvoluntary, student-

led and constitutional, they alsonoted that district policies allow stu-dent-initiated groups only in gradesnine through 12.As a result, a group of youth min-

isters are reopening the studies in ac-cordance with a district policy thatallows “community groups to spon-sor such meetings through the rentalof school buildings,” the Globe re-ported.Lew Poe, a youth pastor at Wild-

wood Baptist Church, Joplin, told theGlobe that the groups will still be vol-untary and student-led.“What the ultimate goal is, and was

before, is to lift up student leaders,”he said.

Poe

"Never" belongs in the blanks above.Never again will the Holocaust happen.Never forget the World War II genocideof 6 million Jews and countless physi-cally and mentally disabled, Gypsies,homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war,political enemies and others by the Naziregime in Germany. Yet "never" is negated by facts –

genocide continues. Genocide, a termthat did not exist before 1944, refers to“violent crimes committed againstgroups with the intent to destroy the ex-istence of the group,” according to theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Mu-seum website. “By now, the evidence is over-

whelming: ISIS is systematically eradi-cating Yazidis, Christians, Shia Muslimsand other ethnic and religious minori-ties in territories controlled by the ter-rorist group,” according to a January

2016 article by Charles C. Haynes, “In2016, Genocide is Taking Place and ItMust End.” Haynes is vice president ofthe Newseum Institute, the educationand outreach partner of the Newseum.The Newseum, headquartered in Wash-ington, D.C., promotes, explains anddefends free ex-pression and theFirst Amendment.The article re-

ferred to a Novem-ber 2015 “reportissued by theHolocaust Mu-seum documentedthe attempt by ISISto exterminate theYazidis, describingin detail the mass killings and sexualslavery inflicted on that community aswell as on Christians and other religiousminorities … targets of eradicationmuch like the Jews during the Holo-caust.”

The keepers of Holocaust memo-ries can ill afford to forget. Even a uni-versity student, decades removed fromWorld War II, understands. “We need toeradicate the misconception that anti-Semitism is dead,” wrote AnthonyBerteaux in a 2015 Huffington Post ar-

ticle, “What CausesGenocide? A Per-spective on Anti-Semitism at UCDavis.” “Any accept-ance that normal-izes this behavior isanother step for-ward towards a fu-ture thatperpetrates dis-crimination against

minorities.” Berteaux’s views wereposted just days after two Jewish cam-pus organizations were victimized withanti-Semitic graffiti, in the wake of theUC Davis student senate’s resolution tojoin the Boycott, Divestment and Sanc-

tions (BDS) movement against Israel. These are just a few of many current

examples of hate pointed at religiousand ethnic groups. The United States now experiences

and tolerates "peaceful" protests basedin anger that often result in violence. Sowho will stand up and remind some-one, anyone who will listen, that "his-tory repeats itself " - over and overagain? Who will embolden us to neverforget? Last year, one truly peaceful

demonstration made a positive differ-ence here in the Kansas City area, andwill happen again this May. Based inlove and prayer, March of Remem-brance Kansas City is part of a world-wide movement that began inGermany in 2007 and has grown to in-clude 14 countries and more than 70US cities. “The Holocaust and current anti-

Semitism and genocide prompt withinus a personal response,” explained Mike

Schmid, director, March of Remem-brance Kansas City. “This event gives usa voice as a remembering community.” The second annual March of Re-

membrance Kansas City is set for Sun-day, May 7 at Overland ParkConvention Center. The events willbegin at 1 p.m. with a time of educa-tion, followed by the march. An Eveningof Remembrance, beginning at 6 p.m.,will close the day’s activities. “We invite pastors to attend and to

encourage members of their congrega-tion to attend as well,” said AnitaWidaman, Metro Voice publisher. Anitaand Dwight Widaman, Metro Voice ed-itor, are continuing as co-chairs ofMarch of Remembrance Kansas City.Anita was named to the event’s boardof directors last September. “We inviteChristians and others to make a state-ment together, supporting and honor-ing Holocaust victims and theirdescendants.” For more information please visit


“The Holocaustand current

anti-Semitism andgenocide prompt

within us a personal response.”

Mike Schmid

by Lori (Roberts) Wilson

"____ again." "____ forget."

gious groups analyzed, as well as by bothDemocrats and Republicans, men andwomen, and younger and older adults. However, the mean ratings given to

particular religious groups still varywidely depending on who is being asked.For example, young adults – those ages18 to 29 – express warmer feelings to-ward Muslims than older Americans do.

Moreover, young adults rate all of thegroups in the study within a relativelytight range, from 54 degrees for Mor-mons to 66 for Buddhists. By contrast, older Americans (ages 65

and older) rate some religious groups,such as mainline Protestants (75) andJews (74), very warmly, and others, suchas Muslims and atheists (44 degreeseach), much more coolly. These are among the main findings

of a new Pew Research Center survey of

4,248 adults conducted Jan. 9 to 23, 2017,on Pew Research Center’s nationally rep-resentative American Trends Panel. The survey also finds wide variation

in the ratings that U.S. religious groupsgive one another. While for the most part Jews and

Christians tend to rate each otherwarmly, atheists and evangelicals con-tinue to view each other in a negativelight.


While many in Kansans may shaketheir heads at the anti-family bent ofsome other states’ laws, there are alsosome folks in the Sunflower State thatare trying their best to get similar legis-lation enacted right here in the bread-basket of America. This is a list of some of the legislation

currently being pro-posed in the Kansaslegislature:

n Senate Resolu-tion 1715 urges theadoption of “compre-hensive sex education”in Kansas publicschools involving in-

struction on homosexuality, transgen-derism, and other progressive notions.

n Senate Bill 172 would prohibit theuse of so-called “conversion therapy,”legally barring professional counselorsand therapists from assisting thosestruggling with same-sex attraction.

n Senate Bill 155 would legalize theuse of marijuana for medical purposes,the first step towards full legalization of

the drug.n House Bill 2120 would legalize

physician-assisted suicide. n House Bill 2123 would grant legal

protections for sexual orientation andgender identity at the same level as race,sex and national origin.

n Senate Bill 139 would repeal thecampus religious freedom act, an actpassed in 2016 affirming the right of re-ligious organizations and clubs on col-lege campuses to require members toadhere to the tenets of their religion. Eric Teetsel, President of Family Pol-

icy Alliance of Kansas, finds it unbeliev-able. “Don’t these people know this is

Kansas?” he exclaimed. Teetsel also issued a warning about

being vigilant. “People don’t introduce laws like

these because they’ve got too muchspare time. These are steps in a long-term step-by-step plan to change ourstate. We can’t afford to take our way oflife for granted any longer. The FamilyPolicy Alliance of Kansas is pushingback on each of these and we will win.But simply defeating bad laws isn’tenough. We must build back up a cul-ture of life, family and freedom. That’swhy we’re countering physician assistedsuicide with expanding life-affirmingpalliative care options and introducingthe Student Privacy Act while fightingsexual orientation-gender identitylaws.”

PROPOSED KANSAS LEGISLATION SEEN AS ANTI-FAMILY

Teetsel

“People don’t introduce laws like thesebecause they’ve got too much spare time.These are steps in a long-term step-by-

step plan to change our state.”–Eric Teetsel

POLLcontinued from page 3

The son of the iconic world evangel-ist, Rev. Billy Graham, insists that thehumanitarian relief of refugees is notthe government’s responsibility, butrather the responsibility of the Church.He went on to contend that Trump ismerely taking care of job number oneas America’s commander-in-chief – toprotect its citizens."The priority of the president of the

United States is protecting the Consti-tution and the safety of Americans,” theyounger Graham recently expressed onhis Facebook page. “That's exactly whatPresident Trump is trying to do."

Border supporterGraham, who serves as the president

of Samaritan's Purse, went on to showhis support for Trump’s controversialplan to build a wall that continuously

spans the 2,000-mile United States-Mexico border from the Pacific Oceanin California to the Gulf Coast of Texas."Taking action to secure our borders

had to start somewhere,” the 64-year-old evangelist asserted before reflectingon the project as a solution to illegal im-

migration. “Is it perfect? Maybe not, butit is a first step."

Protection paramountThe outspoken pastor from North

Carolina also shared his view on the “ex-treme vetting” of refugees from theseven countries targeted by the presi-dent’s executive order that he signedduring his first days in office – insistingthat residents from every countryshould undergo the scrutinizing processwhen attempting to enter the U.S."We have to be sure that the philoso-

phies of those entering our country arecompatible with our Constitution,”Graham continued. “If a person doesnot agree with our principles of free-dom, democracy and liberty, which wecherish, they should not be allowed tocome.”Putting his focus on Muslim refugees

coming to America from militant ter-rorist-harboring Islamic nations, Gra-ham contended that the brutal andviolent nature of the Islamic law – de-rived from Muslim’s holy book, theKoran – should not be adopted by theU.S. because it goes against the very bib-lical principles upon which America’slegal system is based.“Without question, Sharia law is not

compatible,” he asserted.Changing gears, Graham impressed

that Trump’s executive order does notexcuse the Church from its biblical call-ing to help and serve those in needaround the world."The president's job is not the same

as the job of the Church, as Christianswe are clearly taught in the Bible to carefor the poor and oppressed," Grahamexpressed to his Facebook fans. "As

Christians we are commanded to helpall, regardless of religious backgroundor ethnicity, like the Good SamaritanJesus shared about in the Bible. Our jobis to show God's love and compassion."According to Graham, until a politi-

cal solution is reached, the internationalcommunity should continue to protectthe safe zones designated in the war-torn Middle Eastern nations of Syriaand Iraq -- regions where he says Chris-tians must step up to assist those whohave fled to refugee camps to escapepersecution.One American Christian humanitar-

ian organizations Operation BlessingInternational, has helped refugees in thepowder keg of the Middle East since2014 by giving them provisions, includ-ing food, diapers and bedding.

Not abandoning persecutedChristiansIn support of the safe zones estab-

lished by the U.S., Saudi Arabia’s KingSalman told Trump that he supports thedesignated areas in Syria and Yemen, ac-cording to a White House statement.Trump recently voiced his concern

for persecuted Christians in the MiddleEast, saying they should be the focus ofany relocation efforts."They've been horribly treated,” the

newly sworn-in president impressed toCBN News Chief Political Correspon-dent David Brody in an interview. “Doyou know if you were a Christian inSyria, it was impossible – at least verytough – to get into the United States?”He then noted the contrast of how

Christian refugees have been treated,compared to Muslim refugees over theyears.“If you were a Muslim you could

come in, but if you were a Christian, itwas almost impossible and the reasonthat was so unfair – everybody was per-secuted in all fairness – but they werechopping off the heads of everybody,but more so the Christians,” Trumpadded. “And I thought it was very, veryunfair. So we are going to help them."Open Doors USA President and

CEO David Curry disagrees withTrump’s prioritization of Christians."We stand for a need-based resettle-

ment approach that treats all faithsequally,” Curry proclaimed, accordingto CBN News. “We can't support a reli-gious test in the United States, or in anyother country. Policies akin to this drivehorrendous persecution of Christiansaround the globe. A process that prior-itizes one religion over another, as theTrump administration has proposed,can have negative effects not just inAmerica, but around the world."

Should we prioritize Christian refugees into the U.S.?by Michael F. Haverluck “Of the 12,587

Syrian refugees admitted under theramped-up refugeeprogram during thelast fiscal year, amere 0.5 percentwere Christians –equivalent to abouta dozen families.”


See GRAHAM page 9

Franklin Graham

“Following the issuance of Trump'srecent executive order that temporarilysuspends Syrian refugee resettlement inthe United States pending a review ofthe government's lengthy vettingprocess, a group of Syrian Christianswho have lived in the United States fordecades [have been weighing in] on theorder that has caused thousands ofAmericans to protest at airports acrossthe nation,” The Christian Post (CP) re-ported.Big mistake …After immigrating to the United

States years ago as Syrian Christians,Elias Shetayh and Aziz Wehbey – whocurrently reside in Al-lentown, Pa. – are notin agreement with im-migration activistsprotesting Trump’s re-cent order."Trump is right – in

a way – to do what he'sdoing," Shetayh toldThe Washington Post."This country is goinginto a disaster."Despite news cover-

age from the main-stream mediahighlighting multi-tudes of protesters op-posing Trump’s ordertemporarily banningrefugees, two SyrianChristians claim thatthe decades-long ex-perience in Americahas helped them seethe dangers of having a lax immigrationpolicy – especially in this day and age.“Shetayh has lived in the United

States for over 46 years, while his wife,Georgette, has lived in America for 30years, and they are the owners of arestaurant in Allentown, Pennsylvania,”CP informed. “Wehby came to theUnited States in 1991, and both Shetayhand Wehby are now U.S. citizens andTrump supporters.”They both believe the risks of freely

admitting refugees from war-torn, ter-rorist-laden nations greatly outweighhumanitarian interests."We would not like to bring refugees

for a simple reason – we do not knowtheir background," Wehbey expressed

to the D.C. daily. "We're concernedabout if, God forbid, a terrorist attackhappened here . . . that we're all labeledas bad people. I hate to say it."The two longtime American resi-

dents are not alone, as many SyrianChristians in Allentown’s 6th wardagree with their take on refugee immi-gration, and much of their reasoningbehind their position has to do with theUnited States government’s over-whelmingly disproportionate accept-ance of Muslims from their formercountry.“Although Shetayh and other Syrian

Christians who have been living in theUnited States for yearsfeel that the refugeeban is an appropriateprecaution to take,some of their reason-ing seems to stemfrom the fact that 99percent of the 12,000-plus Syrian refugeeswho were resettled inthe U.S. in the last yearhave been Muslim.”Wehbey insisted

that his position is notbased on religious in-tolerance."We're not by any

means prejudicedagainst Islam,” he as-sured. “As long asyou're a good humanbeing, you have theright to believe what-ever you want to be-

lieve. But the majority of the populationover here are Christian Syrian. ... Nowthey're bringing new elements fromSyria, refugees shook by a religious war.They may have hate in their heart be-cause of whatever happened to them.We don't want to see a religious conflictover here."

Escalating crisisAs the sixth year of civil war in Syria

is under way, the call for Western na-tions – including the United States – hasincreased.“Considering that Syria has been in-

volved in a civil war since 2011 and thebarbaric Islamic State terrorist groupcontrols territory within the country,

the fleeing of millions of Syrians overthe last few years has led to the biggestrefugee crisis facing the world today,”CP’s Samuel Smith pointed out.Muslims might make up 99 percent

of Syrian refugees attempting to enterthe U.S., but Christians from the war-torn Middle Eastern nation are also af-fected by the ban.“Although the majority of Syrian

refugees who have been resettled to theU.S. in the last year have been Muslim,it didn't take long for Trump's Syrianrefugee ban to negatively impact twoSyrian Christian families that were de-tained at Philadelphia InternationalAirport and sent back to Qatar last Sat-urday – the morning after Trump is-sued his executive order,” Smithcontinued. “One of the Syrian familiesdeported to Qatar was supposed to jointheir relatives Dr. Ghassan and SarmadAssali, who are orthodox Christians, inAllentown. Assali's two brothers, theirwives and children began their attemptat immigrating to the United States in2003 and finally received approval fromthe U.S. government last December.”Assali recounted her recent en-

counter at the airport.

"Two security guards were waitingfor them," Assali told NBC 10. "Theytook them. They said, 'Are you Syrians?'They said, 'Yes.' They said, 'Come withus.' I understand [Trump] wants tomake America safe. We're all on withthis. I definitely want to be in a safeplace, but people need us and we needto be there for them."

Pro-Trump, anti-banOther Syrian Americans living in Al-

lentown who support Trump are notsupportive of his order banning Syrianrefugees."These poor people are coming from

war,” Pennsylvania resident FouadYounes expressed to The WashingtonPost. “For them to get here and all of asudden to be told – and they're legaland have visas – and all of a sudden youtell them, 'You can't come in. You haveto go back' … that's a shame,"Having emigrated to the U.S. during

the Syrian civil war, Younes fully under-stands, respects and supports Trump’sforeign policy, but he noted that his takein that area often leans to the Left. How-ever, he is finding it hard to back thenew commander-in-chief’s order in his

current situation.“As the Younes family has been suc-

cessful in getting a number of their rel-atives to the United States, they wereholding out hope that they could helpone of their family members who hasnot made it to the United States applyfor refugee status,” Smith explained.“However, the executive order has putthose hopes on hold. Although Younesadmits that there are no ‘moderate’rebel groups in Syria, he still thinks theU.S. government should be more sym-pathetic.”"[The U.S. should be more compas-

sionate to the] poor people that arerunning away from war," Younes in-sisted. "These aren't people that aregoing to hurt you."Despite Younes’s disagreement with

Trump on his refugee order, he still sup-ports him and his administration."It's not going to necessarily turn me

against him," Younes assured. "It justturns me against the policy. I've alwaysbeen against the policy. But instead offighting amongst ourselves, let's give theman a chance. Maybe he's going tobring jobs back."

Metro Voice ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– March 2017 • 9

Supporting Trump’s plan to givepriority to Christian refugees, HudsonInstitute Center for Religious Free-dom Director Nina Shea argues thatMuslim refugees have overwhelm-ingly been favored by U.S. resettle-ment programs over Christians foryears."Of the 12,587 Syrian refugees ad-

mitted under the ramped-up refugeeprogram during the last fiscal year, amere 0.5 percent were Christians –equivalent to about a dozen families,”Shea pointed out. “Yet, by State De-partment estimates, Christians ac-counted for up to 10 percent of Syria'spopulation. The State Department ar-gued it was already prioritizing the'vulnerable minorities.' But in severalaspects, the Christians were in realityput at the back of the line."

GRAHAMcontinued from page 8

Syrian-American Christians: 'Trumpis right' on refugees

Aziz Wehbey

“We would notlike to bringrefugees for asimple reason –we do not knowtheir back-ground. We're

concerned aboutif, God forbid, aterrorist attackhappened here...that we're alllabeled as badpeople. I hate to

say it."

Donald points out that while blacks are23 percent of New York City’s popula-tion, they are responsible for 75 percentof shootings and 70 percent of robberies. Whites are 34 percent of the popula-

tion of New York City.They are responsiblefor less than 2 percentof shootings and 4percent of robberies.If you’re trying to pre-vent shootings androbberies, whom areyou going to focusmost attention on,blacks or whites?In 2015, 986 people

were shot and killedby police. Of thatnumber, 495 werewhite (50 percent),and 258 were black(26 percent). Liberalsportray shootings bypolice as racist attackson blacks. To solve

this problem, they want police depart-ments to hire more black police officers.It turns out that the U.S. Justice Depart-ment has found that black police officersin San Francisco and Philadelphia are

10 • March 2017 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Metro Voice

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Metro Voice © 2017, is an award-win-ning newspaper published monthly byWidaman Communications, Inc. MV isavailable primarily by mailed, bulk andsubscription distribution to the congre-gations of 700 churches, colleges,bookstores, libraries, businesses andother locations. Complimentary distri-bution is available as a service to thecommunity. Individual subscriptionsare available for a donation of $25 peryear. Postage is First Class. Written ma-terials submitted to MV become prop-erty of Widaman Communications. Thecontent of this publication, includingall stories, advertising or other graphicsymbols, may not be reproduced in anyway, shape or form for commercialpurposes or added to any web sitewithout the express permission ofWidaman Communications. Advertis-ing in MV is open to anyone wishing toreach the Christian community. MV re-serves the right to refuse any advertis-ing deemed unsuitable.

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Contributing Editors: Dan Jeanes,Kharissa Forte, Alan Goforth.

In a recent guest editorial for The Hol-lywood Reporter, NBA legend KareemAbdul-Jabbar made a persuasive casethat The Bachelor, in all its forms andfranchises, is killing romance in Amer-ica.He writes: "As entertaining as these

shows are (and they really are com-pelling fun), there is an insidious dark-ness beneath the fairytale pabulum theyare serving up. … And when we thinkabout where our children learn aboutthe realities of romance, it becomes evenmore important to question what mayinfluence their behavior in choosing apartner."He's certainly onto something. View-

ers of The Bachelor and Bacheloretteshows are subjected to false, unattainableideals of beauty; a lack of intellectual,racial and appearance diversity on theshows; and unrealistic, "fairy-tale" no-tions about how love unfolds – finding"the one," and living "happily ever after."Abdul-Jabbar's criticisms of these

shows are warranted, but when you lookat the greater TV universe, they only

scrape the surface of TV's "love" prob-lems.It's not just reality dating shows that

ironically are killing romance. The samecan be said of much of what's on televi-sion. Savvy TV viewers today derisivelysnicker at the fact that I Love Lucy'sLucyand Ricky slept in twin beds, saying it isunrealistic – but enthusiastically em-brace programs like Game of Thrones,which depicts incest, rape and orgies as… more realistic? In an article for TIMEmagazine, an anonymous producer ofGame of Thrones told the show's director,"I represent the pervert side of the audi-ence, and I'm saying I want full frontalnudity in this scene."Otherwise compelling historical dra-

mas such as Versailles or Vikings are un-dermined by their insistence ongratuitous sex scenes which seem todraw their inspiration from modernpornography rather than documentedhistorical fact.Sitcoms are not immune from these

corrupted and polluted ideas about loveand romance. Even Friends, which seemstame by today's standards, featured con-stant references to pornography – in-cluding one episode titled, "The Onewith the Free Porn," in which Chandlerand Joey discover they are suddenly get-ting free pornography and are afraid toturn off their TV and refuse to leave theirapartment – to meet and interact withreal women, for example – for fear itwon't be there anymore when they re-turn. What does that say about the state

of love and romance in America?More recently, the creepy broadcast

networks have allowed pornified ideasabout sexuality to creep into storylinesinvolving minor-aged characters. ABC's The Real O'Neals, for example,

included a scene in which two teenagecharacters click on a link that launches acascade of pornographic images ontothe screen. One character, says, "Dude,it's a pornado." And on Fox's The Mick,after the adult

guardian of three children encouragesthe 16-year-old girl in her care to havesex with an adult male, her 7-year-oldbrother asks about the sounds comingfrom his sister's bedroom. He's told:"Your sister's getting fu…uuurrniture." A report for the Kaiser Family Foun-

dation found that depictions and de-

scriptions of sexuality on TV are increas-ing, particularly on the programs teensare most likely to watch, and that mostreferences to sex do not include messagesabout risks or responsibilities.The consequence?A report from the Rand Corporation

found that watching TV shows with sex-ual content apparently hastens the initi-ation of teen sexual activity and thatsexual talk on TV has the same effect onteens as depictions of sex.TV today isn't just eroding ideas

about love and romance. They are toxicto the culture. And our kids are bearingthe cost.–Melissa Henson is the program direc-

tor for the Parents Television Council, anonpartisan education organization ad-vocating responsible entertainment.

SHARE YOUR OPINION WITH US. IT’S [email protected] • twitter.com/metrovoice

facebook.com/metrovoicenews

myopinion

MELISSAHENSONDirector of GrassrootsEducation & Advocacyfor the ParentsTelevision Council

What does television teach about love?

Ordinary black people cannot affordto go along with the liberal agenda thatcalls for undermining police authority.That agenda makes for more black crimevictims. Let’s look at what works andwhat doesn’t work.In 1990, New York City adopted the

practice in which its police officers mightstop and question a pedestrian. If therewas suspicion, they would frisk the per-son for weapons and other contraband.This practice, well within the law, isknown as a Terry stop. After two decadesof this proactive police program, NewYork City’s homicides fell from over2,200 per year to about 300. Blacks were

the major beneficiaries of proactivepolicing. According to Manhattan Insti-tute scholar Heather Mac Donald — au-thor of “The War on Cops” — seeing asblack males are the majority of New YorkCity’s homicide victims, more than10,000 blacks are alive today who wouldnot be had it not been for proactivepolicing.

The American Civil Liberties Unionbrought suit against proactive policing.A U.S. District Court judge ruled thatNew York City’s “stop and frisk” policyviolated the 14th Amendment’s promiseof equal protection because black andHispanic people were subject to stopsand searches at a higher rate than whites.But the higher rate was justified. Mac-

viewpoint

WALTERWILLIAMSProfessor ofEconomics at GeorgeMason University

BLACK PERSPECTIVE: THE BLACK COMMUNITY UNDER SIEGE

In the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, the homicide rate is about thesame as Venezuela. Here, a father has erected a plea to protect the childrenon one street.

See WALTER WILLIAMS page 11

“The primary victims [of blackcrime]are law-abidingblack peoplewhomustconducttheirlives infear.”

What works and doesn’twork in reducing crime?

Metro Voice –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– March 2017 • 11

WALTER WILLIAMScontinued from page 10

Clay Center, Kansas – For much ofhuman history, regardless of the chosennation's political ideology, the humanvoice has never been silenced. FromRussia and China to the United Statesand around the world, voices have risenup no matter the cost. As a minister ofthe gospel I have read the history bookswhere Christians rose up against the re-ligious establishment centuries ago.They became known as Protestants be-cause they protested a series of religiousinjustices, and many were martyred fortheir stance.In keeping with the human spirit to

give voice to grievances, let those whooppose President Donald Trump'selection and policies have their say. Atthe same time, the means by whichthese voices protest - I stand against.The Bible says, “Deceit is in the heart

of those who devise evil, but those whoplan peace have joy” (Proverbs 12:20).The spirit and culture of the Trumpprotests resemble nothing of peace, butrather the marks of evil. The torchingof cars, breaking of windows in localbusinesses and hurling of bricks - isevil. The intimidation of children,

physical assaulting of women andspewing of vulgar laced rants - is evil.Voices of opposition and criticism

are not evil. They are helpful providingneeded checks and balances amongthose who hold positions of power.However, when the message of oppo-sition is cloaked in immoral, wicked

and inhumane conduct, it becomes eviland should be condemned and delegit-imized.The late Dr. Saul Alinsky, author of

the highly influential Rules for Radicals,wrote “Pick the target, freeze it, person-alize it, and polarize it. Cut off the sup-port network and isolate the target

from sympathy. Go after people andnot institutions; people hurt faster thaninstitutions.” Alinsky's values are nodoubt having an influence on theshadow-like leaders behind these dan-gerous protests. These tactics are theembodiment of evil, resembling noth-ing of peace.Yes, these methods will win some

battles in the short term, but in the longterm they will lose the war. Their causewields the weapons of evil, unknow-ingly stepping into a spiritual battlewith God. It goes way beyond politicalparties, people or institutions. Evil's

greatest foe is God, and He always wins.What do you stand against? What

are you opposing? Let your voice beheard, but avoid using evil means tocall attention to it. Rather, seek just,moral and peaceful methods to ad-vance your cause. Additionally, lay yourconviction before God. He is the ulti-mate whistle blower and standard oftruth. Follow His wisdom through HisWord in pursuit of justice.

–Clint Decker is President & Evan-gelist with Great Awakenings, [email protected]

CLINT DECKER President andEvangelist with GreatAwakenings, Inc.

hopefortoday

THE VOICE AND HEART OF THE PROTESTOR

The ‘dedication’ for the notorious screed, Rules For Radicals, by Hillaryand Obama’s idol Saul Alinsky

n sidenoteWorldview Weekend President and social historian Brannon Howse said Alin-

sky is a troubling political figure because the roots of his radicalism run deep.“A young Italian Marxist by the name of Antonio Gramsci advised World War

II dictator Mussolini that violence was not the way to bring about a lasting revo-lution people would embrace and maintain,” Howse noted. “Gramsci wrote elo-quently of a ‘quiet’ revolution – one that would transform a culture from withinby changing the basic worldview of each and every institution in society.”

Alinsky is a popular figure to quote among many well-known political figures.In her Wellesley College senior thesis, Hillary Rodham chose to research andwrite a glowing dissertation entitled There is Only the Fight... An Analysis of theAlinsky Model. Both Barack and Michelle Obama have regularly cited Chapter 2of Rules for Radicals, which states, “The standards of judgment must be rootedin the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not ourwished-for fantasy of the world as it should be." In March of 2012, while ad-dressing young Israelis in Jerusalem, Obama displayed his high regard for Alin-sky when he again endeavored to quote him, saying, "Israel has the wisdom tosee the world as it is. And, Israel has the courage to see the world as it shouldbe." But it is not just liberal Democrats. Liberal Republicans have also foundsomething to admire in Alinsky. George Romney, father of Mitt and governor ofMichigan in the 60s, met with Alinsky several times and is quoted as saying thateven his son, Mitt, was influenced by Alinsky’s writings.

likelier than whites to shoot and useforce against black suspects. Thatfinding is consistent with a study of2,699 fatal police killings between2013 and 2015, conducted by John R.Lott Jr. and Carlisle E. Moody of theCrime Prevention Research Center,showing that the odds of black sus-pects being killed by a black police of-ficer were consistently greater thanthe odds of a black suspect’s beingkilled by a white officer.That brings us to the most tragic

aspect of daily life in the black com-munity–crime. The primary victimsare law-abiding blacks who mustconduct their lives in fear. Some parents serve their children

meals on the floor and sometimes putthem to sleep in bathtubs so as toavoid stray bullets. The averageAmerican does not live this way andwould not tolerate it. And that in-cludes the white liberals who supportand make excuses for criminals.Plain decency mandates that we

come to the aid of millions of law-abiding people under siege. For theirpart, blacks should stop allowingthemselves to be used by white liber-als and support the police who aretrying to protect them.–Walter E. Williams is a professor of

economics at George Mason University.

While President Trump’s executiveorder on refugee resettlement remainsthe subject of near-constant nationaldiscussion, there is one part of that orderthat shouldn’t be up for debate at all: Itis moral and legal to prioritize religiousminorities facing persecution.While former President Obama re-

ceived accolades (from both Republicansand Democrats for his appointment tothe UN commission looking into reli-gious cleansing) candidate, and nowPresident Trump gave unprecedentedattention to religious minorities whenChristians, Yazidis and others have so re-cently faced the threat of genocide in theMiddle East.Prioritizing the religiously persecuted

was once the established order of the hu-manitarian community until the last ad-ministration began to quietly dismantlethose norms and did so in the shadow ofcountless bombings, beheadings andcrucifixions targeting Christians in Iraq,

Syria, Nigeria and even Egypt (not tomention all the atrocities committedagainst Yazidis and other minorities). The tradition might even be credited

to the United Nations via two of its mostimportant documents: the Conventionon the Prevention and Punishment ofthe Crime of Genocide and the Univer-sal Declaration of Human Rights.The language of Article 2 in the Con-

vention on Genocide reads like it couldhave been written in response to ISIS’ at-tacks in 2014 and 2015:“Genocide means any of the following

acts committed with intent to destroy, in

whole or in part, a national, ethnical,racial or religious group, assuch: (a) killing membersof the group; (b) causingserious bodily or mentalharm to members of thegroup; (c) deliberately in-flicting on the group condi-tions of life calculated tobring about its physical de-struction in whole or inpart; (d) imposing meas-ures intended to preventbirths within the group; (e) forcibly trans-ferring children of the group to another

group.”The fact that religious persecution

ought to be taken into account in prior-itizing humanitarian assistance is whatprompted both houses of Congress todefy President Obama and vote unani-mously in support of a genocide resolu-tion against ISIS in 2016.It’s what prompted Obama’s own sec-

retary of state in March last year to de-part from the administration policy todeclare the same. Whether Obamaagreed with it, U.S. federal law actuallyrequired that he take religion into ac-count in determining who is to be reset-tled in the United States. One of the most egregious examples

of not prioritizing religious minoritiesoccurred in 2015, when Christians dis-placed by ISIS were excluded from orpersecuted within the very United Na-

tions camps established toprotect them.Since nearly all refugees

resettled in the West arrivevia U.N. referrals, only 53Syrian Christian refugeesand one Yazidi were reset-tled in the United Statesbetween 2012 and 2015.The Christian populationin Syria stood at nearly 2million before civil war

began and is now estimated at less than

Is it moral, legal to prioritize persecuted Christians?

mythoughts

JOHNNIEMOORERev. Johnnie Moore isan author and theFounder and CEO ofThe Kairos Company

Syrian Christian children under the protection of the Syrian government.

“Prioritizingthe religiouslypersecutedwas once theestablishedorder of thehumanitariancommunity.”

See JOHNNIE MOORE page 22

12 • March 2017 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––metrovoicenews.com n facebook.com/metrovoicenews–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Metro Voice

CONCERTSCHARLES DAVID SMART.March 3. Homer’sCoffee Shop, 7126 West 80th Street, OverlandPark, KS 66204. 913-381-6022.WORSHIP WITH DANIEL BRYMER. March 5,12, 19, & 26. 6PM-7:30PM. Hillcrest CovenantChurch, 88 & Nall, Prairie Village, Ks 913-341-1059THE GARMS FAMILY. March 9. First ChristianChurch of Kearney, 2151 S. Jefferson Street, Kear-ney, MO 64060. 816-628-5583.DIAPERS 2 DEPENDS TOUR WITH MARKLOWRY, CANA’S VOICE, STAN WHITMIRE.March 11, 6:00 pm. Graceway Church, 5460 BlueRidge Cut-Off, Kansas City, MO 64133. 423-239-6262.NEWSBOYS LOVE RIOT TOUR. March 16, 7:00pm. First Baptist Raytown, 10500 E. 350 Hwy.,Raytown, MO 64138. 816-353-1994. SWEET SPIRIT & FRIENDS MUSIC OUT-REACH. March 18, 6:00 pm (food) & 7:00 pm(music). Moment of Truth Bible Baptist Church,310 Randolph Road, Claycomo, MO 64119. 816-452-4426RANDY STONEHILL CONCERT.March 22, 7:00pm. Topeka Bible Church, 1135 SW College Av-enue, Topeka, KS 66604. 785-234-5545THE LEFEVRE QUARTET. March 31. ChristianChurch of Kearney, 2151 S. Jefferson Street, Kear-ney, MO 64060. 816-628-5583.GREATER VISION IN CONCERT.April 8, 6:00pm. Cowen Memorial Auditorium, 74th and Met-calf Avenue, Overland Park, KS. Kansaschrist-ian.edu 913-722-0272.CHRIS TOMLIN’S WORSHIP NIGHT IN AMER-ICA. April 8, 7:30 pm. Sprint Center, 1407 GrandBlvd., Kansas City, MO 64105. 888-929-7849.PAM & PHIL MORGAN.April 13, 7:00 pm. Tent

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SOUTHERN GOSPEL(Call for groups)ALPHA OMEGA CHRISTIAN MUSIC ASSOCIA-TION MONTHLY MEETING, PRAYER, DEVO-TION, POTLUCK AND JAM. FIRST FRIDAY,

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CLASSES, SEMINARS,CONFERENCESCITY WIDE EVANGELISM.Wednesday, 6:40pm & Thursday, 10:00 am. IHOP, 3535 E. RedBridge Rd., Kansas City, MO 64137. Are you anEvangelist? Come and meet others who are like

minded. www.kcfellowship.org 913-636-4935.HER CHOICE TO HEAL.March 2017. If Not ForGrace Ministries is offering an abortion recoveryclass called “Her Choice To Heal”. If you havebeen struggling with pain or loss from this deci-sion, please contact Jama at [email protected] orcall 816-847-2911 for more information or to reg-ister for the 9-week class.STAND CONFERENCE.March 2-4. InternationalHouse of Prayer University, 12901 S. US Highway71, Grandview, MO 64030. Speakers: StuartGreaves, Jaye Thomas, Todd Dulaney, DarrianSummerille, Noel Hall, and others. Gathering forall those with a heart to see the black commu-nity walking in their prophetic calling, living alifestyle of radical obedience and deep commun-ion with Jesus. 816-763-0200 ext. 2252. UNDERSTANDING YOUR AGING BRAIN.March 9, 3:00 pm-4:30 pm. Pleasant Valley Bap-tist Church, 1600 North 291 Highway, Liberty,MO 64068. Six-session class of live instructionand video-led instruction on the science behindhow the mind ages, and how to help it age well.816-781-5959.AVOID PROBATE.March 9, 7:00 pm. Lewis Liv-ing Trust Center, 700 NE Langsford, Lee’s Sum-mit, MO 64063. 816-524-3200.FAMILY LIFE’S WEEKEND TO REMEMBER.March 10 – March 12. Marriott Hotel, 10800 Met-calf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66210. $149.99 perperson. www.familylife.com 1-800-FL-TODAY.REGIONAL ORPHAN CARE SEMINAR.March11, 8:30 am. Topeka Bible Church, 1101 SW Mul-vane, Topeka, KS 66604. Co-sponsored withLifeline Children’s Services. We will cover variousavenues of being involved from foster/respitecare, domestic or international adoption, adopt-ing waiting kids in foster care, and preventing

DIAPERS 2 DEPENDS TOUR WITH MARK LOWRY. 6:00 PM. GRACEWAY CHURCH,5460 BLUE RIDGE CUT-OFF, KANSAS CITY, MO . 423-239-6262

the even t scalendarKansas City’s most complete guide to the events and concerts you want to see!

FREE LISTINGSin the Metro VoiceCalendar!Metro Voice, PO Box 1114Lee’s Summit, MO [email protected] NOTE: Your item must be in bythe 3rd Wednesday of each month for following month’s issue.Submit Your Events Online for FREE! Visit www.metrovoicenews.com

Compiled by Anita Widaman

Family Events, Christian Concerts, Theatre, Youth Events, Meetings, Clubs, Bible Studies, Family Fun, Speakers and More!

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children from going into foster care with SafeFamilies for Children. 785-783-4577.MAINTAINING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.March 16, 1:00 pm. Jewish Community Center ofGreater Kansas City, MAC Room, 5801 W. 115thStreet, Overland Park, KS 66211. Speaker DebraGrayson. Explores the topic of how positive rela-tionships increase health and longevity. 913-327-8044. CULT & OCCULT SEMINAR.March 17, 6:00 pm-9:00 pm & March 18, 9:00 am-3:00pm. Heart ofAmerica Bible College, 7600 Blue Ridge Blvd.,Kansas City, MO 64138. 816-356-6380.AVOID PROBATE.March 21, 7:00 pm. Lewis Liv-ing Trust Center, 700 NE Langsford, Lee’s Sum-mit, MO 64063. 816-524-3200.SECRET KEEPER GIRL THE PURPLE PARTYTOUR.March 25, 3:30 pm-6:00 pm. Nall AvenueBaptist Church, 6701 Nall Avenue, Prairie Village,KS 66208. $15.00.PRE-TEENS SUPPORT GROUP.March 25,10:00 am-3:00 pm. Immanuel Lutheran Church,

1700 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111. $35per Saturday, cost includes activities, snacks,meals, and facilitator fee. Sponsored by DillionInternational. www.dillionadopt.com/kansas-city-pre-teen-group/ UNWAVERING: WOMEN’S GATHERING.March 30-April 1. Forerunner Christian Fellow-ship, 12444 Grandview Road, Grandview, MO64030. Speakers Mike & Diane Bickle, HeidiBaker, Lisa Bevere, Laura Hackett Park, Jaye &Nayomi Thomas, and others. 816-763-0200 x2252.11TH MEN OF VALOR, WOMEN OF VIRTUECONFERENCE, LIVING A PURE LIFE IN AN IN-PURE WORLD.April 1, 9:00 am-3:00pm. St.Thomas More Church, 11822 Holmes Road,Kansas City, MO. Six breakout sessions withtwelve national experts. www.kcvalor.com 816-714-2373.LIFELINE EMPOWER TO CONNECT CONFER-ENCE.April 7-8. Two-day conference designed tohelp adoptive and foster parents, ministry lead-ers and professionals better understand how to

connect with “children from hard places” inorder to help them heal and become all that Goddesires for them to be. lifelinechild.org 785-783-4577.EVANGELIST: RON MILLS.April 9, 10:45 am &6:00 pm. Calvary Baptist Church, 900 NW 22nd

Street, Blue Spring, MO 64015. 816-228-5540.RESTORE CONFEREENCE. April 21 – April23. World Revival Church, 9900 View High Dr.,Kansas City, Missouri. Anointed worship,prophecy, healing and the Word of God. worl-drevivalchurch.com

JUNIOR. CHRISTIAN YOUTH IN ACTIONTRAINING.April 25 & May 5, 6:00 pm. CEFHeadquarters, Warrenton, MO. Sponsored byCEF of the Greater Kansas City Area. 12-13 yearsold. After training, students teach at least 2

SECRET KEEPER GIRL –THE PURPLE PARTY TOUR! 3:30 P.M. NALL AVENUE BAPTISTCHURCH, PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS. (913) 432-4141

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weeks of 5-Day Club at various locations in theirlocal community. [email protected] 816-358-1138.FIGHT NIGHT WITH LES AND LESLIE PAR-ROTT.May 4, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Pleasant ValleyBaptist Church, 1600 North 291 Highway, Lib-erty, MO 64068. A fun date night for couples ofany age or stage. Filled with humor, fresh in-sight, and practical, new strategies for turningconflict into a means for deeper intimacy. 816-781-5959.DIVORCE CARE.March through May 21, 5:00pm. Christ The Rock Church, 13901 E. NolandCourt, Independence, MO 64015. 816-352-4613.

SPECIAL CHURCHEVENTSASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE. March 1, 6:30 pm.KC First Church of the Nazarene, 11811 State LineRd., Kansas City, MO 64114. A time of music,prayer, and reflection. At the end of the service,we will have the opportunity to respond by re-ceiving the sign of the cross in ashes placed onyour heads or foreheads. MOTHER’S REFUGE OPEN HOUSE. March 2,10:30 am. Mother’s Refuge, 3721 Delridge Rd.,Independence, MO 64052. Open House forschool counselors, case workers and communityResource providers. 816-353-8070.19th ANNUAL CHRISTIAN EDUCATION &COLLEGE EXPO. March 4, 10:00 am-2:00 pm.Colonial Presbyterian Church, 9500 Wornall,Kansas City, MO. Sponsored by Metro Voice. 25 K-12 Schools, Homeschool 50 Colleges from 15States, plus, Free Seminars! 816-524-4522.FAITH & FAMILY AT MISSOURI MAVERICKS.March 5, 4:05 pm. Silverstein Eye Center Arena,

19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence,MO 64055. Missouri Mavericks vs. Tulsa Oilers.816-252-7825.K-12 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPEN HOUSESOUTH/EAST JACKSON & NORTH CASSCOUNTIES. March 6, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. GamberCommunity Center, 4 SE Independence Ave.,Lee’s Summit, MO. Visit with administrators andteachers from local Christian Schools and Home-school Groups. 816-524-4522.K-12 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPEN HOUSENORTHLAND. March 7, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. Glad-stone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes St.,Gladstone, MO. Visit with administrators andteachers from local Christian Schools and Home-school Groups. 816-524-4522.K-12 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPEN HOUSEJOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS. March 9, 6:00pm-8:00 pm. Tomahawk Ridge Community Cen-ter, 11902 Lowell, Overland Park, KS. Visit withadministrators and teachers from local ChristianSchools and Homeschool Groups. 816-524-4522.IF NOT FOR GRACE VOLUNTEER ORIENTA-TION. March 9, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm. Register now,

we will send you information. [email protected]. CELEBRATE PURIM WITH OR HAOLAM!March 12, 3:00 pm-6:30 pm. Or HaOlam Mes-sianic Synagogue, 9898 W. 95th St., OverlandPark, KS. Carnival games, costume parade, con-gregational dancing, food, and more! 913-383-8468.MISSOURI RIGHT TO LIFE “SHOW ME LIFE”PRO-LIFE ACTION DAY. March 14, 12:00 pm(rally). Missouri State Capital, 1st Floor Rotunda,Jefferson City, MO. Guest speakers: Reagan Bark-lage, Students for Life and Melissa Ohden, Abor-tion Survivors Network. Come to Jefferson Cityfor Pro-Life Action Day to encourage your legis-lators to pass pro-life legislation. 573-635-5110.SOUTH KANSAS CITY AGLOW. March 22, 9:30am. Grandview Christian Church, 12400 Grand-view Rd., Grandview, MO 64030. Program: TheBoy, The Loaves, & The Fish Portrayed by, (NickDell Valle). 816-540-2590.FREE PROM BOUTIQUE. March 24, 3:00 pm-7:00 pm & March 25, 9:00 am-3:00 pm. CentralUnited Methodist Church, 5144 Oak Street,Kansas City, MO. Free. Sponsored by BlessedDress KC, a ministry of Central United MethodistChurch. A two day event that provides free promdresses to high school girls without the re-sources to purchase prom attire. www.blessed-dresskc.orgLIFELINE CHILDREN’S SERVICES’ SHARE THESTORY EVENT.Mach 30, 5:30 PM. BradburyThompson Alumni Center at Washburn Univer-sity, 1700 SW College Ave., Topeka, KS 66621.Join us for an evening of stories from our variousministries and see how God is moving in familiesand with vulnerable children! lifelinechild.org785-783-4577NIGHT OF WORSHIP. April 2, 6:00 pm. FortOsage Church of the Nazarene, 19333 E. 24 High-way, Independence, MO 64056. Come join us fora night of Worship to uplift your heart to ourwonderful God! Contemporary Worship Service.816-796-5879.EASTER FOR KIDS.April 8, 9:00 am. Mt. Olive

Lutheran Church, 9514 Perry Lane, OverlandPark, KS 66212. Please join us for a fun filledmorning of crafts, snacks, Bible stories, games,music and an Easter egg hunt. To register pleasego to mtolivewels.com. 913-375-5842.LEE’S SUMMIT’S GREATEST EASTER EGGHUNT & PAGEANT. April 9, 10:30 am. ChurchOn The Rock Outreach Center, 1700 SW MarketStreet, Lee’s Summit, MO 64082. Pageant andFree Easter Egg Hunt with lots of candy and sur-prises. Public is welcome. 816-246-7625.SEDER MEAL. April 12, 5:00 pm. KC First Churchof the Nazarene, 11811 State Line Rd., KansasCity, MO 64114. This special meal together com-memorates the Passover meal and the Israelite’sfreedom from Egypt. 816-942-9022.EASTER EGG HUNT. April 15, 11:00 am. Lea-wood Baptist Church, 8200 State Line Rd., Lea-wood, KS, 66206. Easter egg hunt for church andcommunity; bounce house, grilled hot dogs. 913-649-0100.EASTER CANTATA, “BECAUSE HE LIVES”.April 15, 7:00 pm & April 16, 10:15 am. PisgahBaptist Church, 112 Pisgah Drive, ExcelsiorSprings, MO 64024. 816-630-5121. THE MIRACLE OF EASTER.April 16, 10:30 am.Church On The Rock Outreach Center, 1700 SWMarket Street, Lee’s Summit, MO 64082. A mes-sage of hope and inspiration. Everyone is wel-come. 816-246-7625.EASTER SUNRISE EXTRVAGANZA. Apr. 16,6:30. 1st and Grand Blvd, KCMO. All churchesin the Kansas City area are invited to attend.816-215-5826.EASTER SERVICE.April 16, 10:30 am. LeawoodBaptist Church, 8200 State Line Road, Leawood,KS 66206. 913-649-0100.UCA SILENT ART AUCTION.Apr. 21, 7 p.m.Urban Christian Academy ,4328 Jackson Ave.,Kansas City, MO. The UCA Silent Art Auction isyour exclusive chance to take home some ofKansas City's finest art work created especiallyfor you by UCA scholars and Champions. Eatsnacks, enjoy some coffee, listen to music allwhile making an investment in UCA scholars'lives. We can't wait to enjoy this evening withyou! (816) 8952333 www.ucakc.orgCHILDREN EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OFTHE GREATER KANSAS CITY AREA ANNUALFUNDRAISING BANQUET AND SILET/LIVEAUCTION.April 22, 6:00 pm-8:30 pm. BlueRidge Bible Church, fellowship hall, 8524 BlueRidge Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64138. $10.00 perperson. 816-358-1138.A TASTE FOR LIFE FUNDRAISER.April 29.rachelhousefriends.org 816-921-5050.DAY AND MARCH OF REMEMBRANCE.May 7,1:00 pm-4:00 pm. Overland Park Convention

Center, 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS66211. 1:00 pm education focus. You will learnabout the Holocaust and Righteous Among theNations. Time for leadership response of repen-tance and blessings. The walk will begin at 3:00pm rain or shine! www.morkc.org .EVENING OF REMEMBERANCE. May 7, 6:00pm-8:00 pm. Overland Park Convention Center,6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66211. Anopportunity to honor, educate, remember andengage! Say to the holocaust survivors and theirdescendants, “you are not forgotten”.www.morkc.org .LIGHT HOUSE GALA.May 13, 6:00 pm-10:00pm. Armacost Car Museum, 4200 E. 135th St.,Grandview, MO 64030. Catered Italian meal,tour of museum. 816-898-1094.

FINE ARTSBEAUTY & THE BEAST.March 2-5, 10:00 am-12:00 pm. Calvary University, 15800 Calvary Rd.,Kansas City, MO. calvary.edu/theatre-box-office. ALVIN AILEY® AMERICAN DANCE THEATER.March 2, 7:30 pm & March 4, 2:00 pm. YardleyHall, Campus of Johnson County Community Col-lege, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS. 913-469-4445.OPEN STAGE CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL.March 5, 2:00 pm. Jewish Community Campus,White Theatre, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park,KS. Nine local professional dance companies willshowcase their talents. 913-327-8054. KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY FAMILY SERIESPRESENTS: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80DAYS. March 5. Kauffman Center for the Per-forming Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City,MO 64108. Bring the classic to life through in-ventive staging and storytelling, puppetry and aspecially curated collection of symphonic fa-vorites. 816-471-0400FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. March 9, 10 and 11,7:00 pm. Plaza Heights Christian Academy, 1500SW Clark Road, Blue Springs, MO 64015. 816-228-0670.THE WIZARD OF OZ.March 9, 10:00 am (schoolday) & 7:00 pm (family day). March 10, 10:00(school day) & 7:00 pm. March 11, 2:00 pm &7:00 pm. March 12, 2:00 pm. Goppert TheatreAvila University, 11901 Wornall Rd, Kansas City,MO 64145. Sponsored by CYT. 913-681-3318.HEART OF AMERICA SHAKESPEARE FESTI-VAL ‘THE TEMPEST’. March 23-March 26. John-son County Community College, 12345 CollegeBlvd., Overland Park, KS. 913-469-8500. WIND IN THE WILLOWS.March 25. PuppetryArts Institute, 11025 E. Winner Rd., Independ-THE WIZARD OF OZ. GOPPERT THEATRE AVILA UNIVERSITY, 11901 WORNALL

ROAD, KANSAS CITY MO 64145 913-681-3318MARCH

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MIDWEST CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND COLLEGE EXPO. 10:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M.COLONIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 9500 WORNALL, KCMO. 816-524-4522

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ence, MO 64052. www.hazelle.org 816-833-9777.KANSAS CITY BALLET PRESENTS: THESLEEPING BEAUTY.March 31-April 9. KauffmanCenter for the Performing Arts, 1601 BroadwayBlvd., Kansas City, MO 64108. 816-931-2232.

FAMILY OUTINGSVOICES FROM ELLIS ISLAND.March 1, 7:00pm-8:00 pm. Woodneath Library Center, 8900NE Flintlock Rd., Kansas City, MO 64157. March 2,10:00 am-11:00 am. Midwest Genealogy Center,3440 Lee’s Summit Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO64055. March 2, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Mid-Conti-nent Library – Lee’s Summit, 150 NW OldhamRd., Lee’s Summit, MO 64081. Pippa White tellsthe exciting stories of seven immigrants whomade their way through Ellis Island in the earlypart of the 20th Century. THE KANSAS CITY AUTO SHOW.March 8-13.Kansas City Convention & Entertainment Facili-ties, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, MO 64105. 500cars, trucks, SUV’s crossovers, and minivans viefor your attention all under one roof. 816-513-5000. DIAMONDS AND PEARLS ANNUAL SPRINGFASHION SHOW.March 11. Bingham-WaggonerEstate, 313 W Pacific Avenue, Independence, MO64050. Carriage House Boutique opens at 9:30am. Mansion will open at 10:30 am. Brunch willbe served at 11:00 am. SPRING FLING FUN EVENT.March 13-17, 10:30am. Ernie Miller Nature Center, 909 North

Kansas-7 Highway, Olathe, KS. $3 per person.Bored during Spring Break Week? 913-764-7759.GREATER KANSAS CITY HOME SHOW.March17-March 19. Kansas City Convention & Entertain-ment Facilities, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, MO64105. Visit the home show for the latest inideas and inspiration for their home.ANNUAL LINCOLN DAYS EVENT.March 18,5:30 pm-9:00 pm. Adams Pointe ConferenceCenter, Blue Springs, MO. PASSPORT TO INDIA FESTIVAL.April 2, 10:00am-4:00 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,4525 Oak St., Kansas City, MO 64111. Travel toIndia with a celebration of Indian art, culture,music, dance, fashion and food! 816-751-1278EASTER BUNNY. April 15, 8:45 am-12:00 pm.Powell Garden, 1609 NW Highway 50, Kingsville,MO. Enjoy a Chris Cakes pancake breakfast fol-lowed by our famously fun egg hunt on thelawn. 816-697-2600

MONTHLY MEETINGSBUILDING BETTER MOMS. The UnitedMethodist Church of the Resurrection, 13720 RoeAve., Leawood, KS. For local mothers of childrenin early childhood, elementary school, middleschool, high school, and for single moms, withboth day and evening meeting times available atthe Leawood campus. www.cor.org 913-897-0120.WEEKLY - CHRISTIAN BUSINESS MEN’SCOMMITTEE. Meets weekly in various parts ofthe city. Call Jim Mathis, 913-269-6709, for timeand location. WEEKLY – FAITH BASED 12-STEP PROGRAMOF RECOVERY FROM COMPULSIVEOVEREATNG. Call Overeater’s Anonymous 913-383-5933 or visit www.kansascityoa.org for moreinformation and to access the schedule of vari-ous meetings in the metro area. MONTHLY - MISSOURI RIGHT TO LIFE CHAP-TERS 816-353-4113.

3RD SUNDAY - CANCER SUPPORT GROUP.6:30-8:00 pm. Beacon Free Baptist Church,10825 E. 79th Street, Raytown, MO 64138. Con-nect with others who share your journey, youare not alone. 816-353-7447.MONDAY – MOMS AND TOTS COMMUNITY.10:00-11:00 am. Holy Cross Lutheran Church,7851 W. 119th St., Overland Park, KS. A differentactivity each week – story time, play time, Mom’sbible studies and fellowship, or special outing. Agreat way to connect with other moms andyoung children. Contact [email protected] for more info.MONDAY – HEALING ROOMS MINISTRIES.3:00-6:00 pm. Healing Rooms of Olathe, 1548 ESpruce, Olathe, KS 66061. M-T-W by appoint-

ment. www.healingroomsofolathe.com 913-563-2413.MONDAY - HEALING ROOMS MINISTRIES.4:00-6:00 pm. Hope City, 5101E. 24th St., KansasCity, MO.2ND & 4TH MONDAY – MOPS. 9:30 a.m.MOPS. First Baptist Raytown, 10500 E 350 High-way, Raytown, MO Support groups for mothersof preschool-aged children. Offers creative ac-tivities, social events & learning opportunities.816-353-1994.TUESDAY - 13 WEEK PROGRAM. DIVORCE-CARE AND DIVORCECARE4KIDS. 6:30 pm-8:00 pm. Timothy Lutheran Church, 425 NW RDMize Road, Room 102, Blue Springs, MO. Partici-pants become part of a small support group of

people who are also experiencing separationand divorce. A program for children whose par-ents are separated or divorced, children be-tween the ages of 5 and 12. 816-228-5300.TUESDAY - IF NOT FOR GRACE PRAYER. 9:30am. Crown Pointe Church, 5950 NE LakewoodWay, Lee’s Summit, MO 64086. [email protected] TUESDAY – FEAR NOT SUPPORT GROUP.7:00 pm. Lakeland Community Church, 913 NWColbern Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO. Christ-Centeredsupport group for anxiety and depression. Mate-rial based on the Christian 12 Steps; SerenityPrayer also Anxiety Centre “The Anxiety/PhobiaWorkbook” by Edmund Bourne.

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TUESDAY – CELEBRATE RECOVERY. 7:00 pm.Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 7851 W. 119th St.,Overland Park, KS. This 12-step Christ centeredprogram. Drop in any Tuesday! Contact CraigHauser, 913-449-7265 for more info.TUESDAY – HEARTLAND HEALING ROOMS.7:00-8:30 pm. Christ Triumphant Church, 401 NEChipman Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO. www.heart-landhealingrooms.org. TUESDAY - ISRAELI FOLK DANCE. 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. The Jewish Community Center, Studio3, 5801 W. 115th St., Leawood, KS. $3 Adults andteens welcome. 7:00 pm-8:00 pm: Beginning/In-termediate Dance, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm: Intermedi-ate/Advanced Dance. 913-327-8000.1ST TUESDAY - CHRISTIAN NIGHT. 6 - 8 pm.Skate World, I-35 & Shawnee Mission Parkway,Mission, KS. 913-262-0711. 1ST TUESDAY - CREATION SCIENCE ASSOCIA-TION FOR MID-AMERICA. 7 p.m., WestbrookeChurch, 9777 Antioch, Overland Park, KS. Pres-entation followed by Q&A; Answers to yourquestions regarding Science and the Bible; “Cre-ation Safaris” (Res. Req’d); www.csama.org (in-cludes link to FB page) 816-246-4517.1ST & 3RD TUESDAY - FIBROMYALGIA SUP-PORT GROUP MEETINGS. 7:00 pm., LifeSprings Church, Neos Youth Center, 206 N. Web-ster St., Suite 112, Spring Hill, KS. Contact Kim: fi-

[email protected] or 337-852-5052.1ST & 3RD TUESDAY - GRIEFSHARE. 7-8:30pm. Timothy Lutheran Ministries, 425 NWRD Mize Rd., Blue Springs, MO. 816-228-5300. 2ND TUESDAY - EQUIPPING BELIEVERS MID-WEST. 7:00 pm. Blue Spring, Hampton Inn, 900NW S. Outer Rd., Blue Springs, MO 64015. FreePrayer for healing and freedom from addition,Free training to heal the sick, evangelize the lost,set the oppressed free. 913-488-6749. 2ND & 4TH TUESDAY - “WINGS OF HOPE”.Blue Springs Christian Church, 7920 S. 7 Hwy,Blue Springs, MO. A Christian based ministry toprovide support for families grieving lossthrough miscarriage or infant death, becauseevery life matters. Email:[email protected] & 4TH TUESDAY - MOPS. 9:00 am. Em-manuel Baptist Church, 10100 Metcalf Ave.,Overland Park, KS. 913-649-0900.3RD TUESDAY - LUNCH & LEARN. 12:00 pm.KC First Church of Nazarene, 11811 State Line Rd.Kansas City, MO 64114. Each session of lunch &learn will focus on a different geographical areaor skill set. Please bring your own sack lunch;desserts & beverages provided. 816-942-9022.WEDNESDAY – HEALING ROOMS MIN-ISTRIES. 1:30-3:00 pm. Hope City, 5101 E. 24th

St., Kansas City, MO.WEDNESDAY WEEKLY – LIVING FREE,CHRIST-CENTERED 12 STEP PROGRAM. FrontModular , 6:30-8:00. Abundant Life BaptistChurch, 414 SW Persels, LS, MO. 816-554-8181.WEEKLY WEDNESDAY – CHRISTIAN BUSI-NESS CONNECTIONS NETWORK. 3:00 pm,Gusto! Coffee, 3390 SW Fascination Dr., Lee’sSummit, MO 64081. 816-767-1100.WEDNESDAY - BREAK TIME CLUB. 9:30am-1:30pm. Timothy Lutheran Church, 425 NW R.D.Mize Rd., Blue Springs, MO 64014. Enriching en-vironment for older adults with mental and/orphysical limitation. 816-228-5300.WEDNESDAY - AL-ANON FAMILY GROUP.11:30am-12:30pm. First Presbyterian Church, 601E. Oak St., Pleasant Hill, MO (please use Northbasement entrance off Myrtle Street). Are youtroubled by someone else’s drinking? 816-540-6179WEDNESDAY – CELEBRATE RECOVERY. 6:30pm. First Baptist Raytown, 100500 E. 350 Hwy.,Raytown, MO. Please enter through the rock en-trance. Meet in room B-116. For info call: 816-778-1156 or www.firstbaptistraytown.comWEDNESDAY – CATCH THE FIRE SOAKINGPRAYER CENTER. 7-9pm. 816-804-8283.WEDNESDAY – DELIVERANCE – BREAKINGCURSES WORKSHOP. 7:00 pm. First Love Min-istries Church, 4747 Hadley St., Overland Park,KS. 913-403-9644. Call Tues. – Fri. after 1 p.m. 2ND WEDNESDAY – LEE’S SUMMITWOMEN’S PRAYER CONNECTION. 9:00 –10:30 am. In a comfortable setting, we get toknow each other better and take time to pray(silently or audibly) for our nation, families, Lee’sSummit Women’s Connection, and our nationalorganization. Call Millie Mathews for meeting lo-cation: 816-537-9898.2ND WEDNESDAY - COFFEE CONNECT. 6:30pm. IHOPU, 12901 S. US Highway, Grandview, MO64030. An informal gathering with believersfrom different spheres of influence.

www.ihopekc.org/josephcompany. (816) 763-02434TH WEDNESDAY - SOUTH KANSAS CITYAGLOW. 9:30 a.m. Grandview Assembly of GodChurch, 12400 Grandview Rd., Grandview, MO.Contact Mary Boston 816-804-5166.LAST WEDNESDAY - CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCI-ETY LUNCHEON. 12:00 pm. Levy & Craig, 1301Oak, Kansas City, MO. First time guest free. $10.816-559-2173.WEEKLY WEDNESDAY - FREEDOM CLASSES.6:30-8:00pm. Pleasant Valley Baptist, 1600 N.291 Hwy, Liberty, MO. Meet in the west wing. 816-781-5959. WEDNESDAY – FREE INDEED ADDICTION RE-COVERY. 6:00 pm. First Baptist Raytown, 10500E. 350 Hwy., Raytown, MO. Please enter throughthe rock entrance. Meet in room B-222. For infor-mation call 816-778-1156 or www.firstbaptistray-town.com.THURSDAY – HEALING ROOMS MINISTRIES.2:00-8:30 pm. Healing Rooms of Olathe, 1548 ESpruce, Olathe, KS 66061. M-T-W by appoint-ment. www.healingroomsofolathe.com 913-563-2413.THURSDAY - CELEBRATE RECOVERY MEET-ING. 7:00-9:00pm. Life Church, 16111 S. LoneElm Rd., Olathe, KS 66062. 913-829-7511.1ST THURSDAY – HEART OF AMERICACHRISTIAN WRITERS’ NETWORK (HACWN).Evangel Temple, 1414 E 103rd St., KCMO. $3members, $5 nonmembers. 816-942-1414.FIRST & THIRD THURSDAY - 13-WEEK PRO-GRAM. GRIEFSHARE. 7:00 pm-8:30 pm. Timo-thy Lutheran Church, 425 RD Mize Rd., FireplaceRoom, Blue Springs, MO. Participants may jointhe group at any session. 816-228-5300.2ND THURSDAY – HOMESCHOOLING 101.7:00 pm. Country Meadows Baptist Church, 4901S. Lee’s Summit Rd., Kansas City, MO 64136.Families for Home Education offers this freeclass for families considering home education inMissouri. MO law and record-keeping require-

ments are presented, as well as curriculum ideasand area homeschooling activities. 877-696-6343.2ND THURSDAY – FIBROMYALGIA SUPPORTGROUP MEETINGS. 6:00 pm. Awaken WholeLife Center 7th Floor, 1901 NW Blue Parkway,Unity Village, MO. Contact Jennifer at [email protected] or 816-977-7469.2ND THURSDAY - FIBROMYALGIA SUPPORTGROUP MEETINGS. 7:00 pm. CountrysideChristian Church, 6101 Nall Ave., Mission, KS.Contact Yvonne [email protected] or call913-384-4673.2ND & 4TH THURSDAY - MOPS. 9:00-11:15am. (Mothers of Preschoolers) Overland ParkFirst Assembly of God, 7700 W 75th Street, OP,KS. A relaxed time of fellowship, encourage-ment, and support for mothers of children frominfants to kindergarten. Childcare provided.Brunch served. RSVP appreciated. 913-432-3281or [email protected] & 4TH THURSDAY - ARCHDIOCESANCHARISMATIC PRAYER GROUP. 7:30 pm.Catholic Life Center, Cure of Ars Parish, 9360Mission Rd, Leawood, KS. Fellowship follows.913-649-2026.3RD THURSDAY - GLUTEN FREE GROUP. 7pm.Timothy Lutheran Church, Fireplace Rm., 425NW R.D. Mize Rd., Blue Springs, MO. 816-228-5300.3RD THURSDAY – FOOD DISTRIBUTION BYHARVESTER’S. 4:00 pm. Fort Osage Church ofthe Nazarene, 19333 E. 24 Hwy, Independence,


For the completemonthly meeting

listing, visit metrovoicenews.com

BRANSON – For more than fourdecades, experiencing one of Sight &Sound’s biblical stage epics meant adrive to Branson or Lancaster, Pa. Buton May 2, all that is about to changewhen one of Sight & Sound’s musicaldramas hits movie theaters nation-wide for a special one-night presenta-tion called JONAH: On Stage!In addition to the production, au-

diences will get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the history of Sight& Sound Theatres, whose live stageshows have been seen by more than22 million visitors worldwide.“More than a million people come

to see one of our shows every year,”Sight & Sound Chief Executive OfficerMatt Neff said. “And now for the very first time, in-

stead of audiences coming to us—we’re going to them.”Neff said JONAH: On Stage! Is a

jaw-dropping adventure for the wholefamily as one of the Bible’s biggest sto-ries comes to life in this special eventin select cinemas on Tuesday, May 2.Filmed in front of a live audience at

Sight & Sound Theatres in Lancaster,

JONAH: On Stage! brings to life thejourney of this lovable yet stubbornprophet. This performance offers de-lightful humor, cinematic music,massive sets, amazing costumes and abreath-taking underwater scene fea-turing a huge 40-foot whale.When God calls Jonah to offer

mercy and forgiveness to the peopleof Nineveh, he runs straight … in theopposite direction. As is often the case,one bad choice leads to another andsoon Jonah’s “get-away” ship is on the

verge of destruction amidst a terriblestorm. To save themselves, the ship’screw tosses Jonah overboard … andinto the waiting mouth of one ginor-mous fish.But as Jonah discovers, God is al-

ways willing to offer anyone anotherchance.The original live stage production

Jonah debuted in 2012 at Sight &Sound’s theater in Lancaster thentransferred to Branson for the 2014-15 season.

Batman saves the world on a reg-ular basis as the hero of GothamCity, but if you look just a little bitcloser, you’ll discover that all is notwell with our Caped Crusader.He eats alone. He watches movies

alone. And when people want to behis friend, he rejects them.“I don’t need anyone,” he says.The happy child who was or-

phaned at a young age is now a su-perhero filled with anger and rage,and he has no intention of changing.Well, that is until a young boy—himself an orphan—enters Bat-man’s life and challenges everythinghe believes.It’s all part of The Lego Batman

Movie (PG) with the newest Legomovie starring Will Arnett as thevoice of Batman, Michael Cera asRobin, Zach Galifianakis as theJoker, and Rosario Dawson as Bar-

bara Gordon/Batgirl.It’s a movie that many Ameri-

can children will want to see, evenwithout the partnership the filmhas with McDonald’s.Here’s the good news: Lego

Batman is mostly family friendly.Here’s even better news: It hasmore solid, practical lessonsabout life than many adult-ori-ented films do.The film opens with Batman

saving Gotham City from theJoker, who is shocked when theDark Knight tells him that he isnot Batman’s “No. 1 bad guy.”

“Batman and Joker are not athing,” Batman says. “You meannothing to me. No one does.”A distraught Joker then sets out to

prove that he is, indeed, Batman’stop nemesis.That’s the plot, but we still need to

ask: Is Lego Batman OK for kids ofany age? And, if so, what can they

learn? Let’s take a look.Warning: spoilers ahead!Lego Batman has both a tragic

and uplifting message about fami-lies. As we know, Batman’s alter ego,Bruce Wayne, witnessed the murderof his parents as a child. That’s notseen or mentioned in the movie, butwe do learn that he was an orphan

and we watch him look at picturesof his parents. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. I saved the

city again today. I wish you couldhave seen me,” he says to the photo. It’s sad, yes, but we’re given a re-demptive moment after Batman ac-cidentally adopts a boy from anorphanage—a boy who always has


MOVIES, BOOKS, MUSIC & MORE!

entertainment film411THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIESTARRING:: Will Arnett, Michael Cera,Rosario Dawson, Ralph FiennesDIRECTOR: Chris McKayRATED: PG

Is the new Lego Batman movie good for kids? Here’s the 411

Sight & Sound’s ‘JONAH’ splashes into movie theaters

In early February, Chance the Rap-per became the first artist to win aGrammy without selling physicalcopies of his music — or selling muchof his music at all. He won threeGrammys (best new artist, best rapalbum and best rap performance), de-feating the likes of Kanye West, Drakeand DJ Khaled. The 23-year-old rap-per from Chicago releases his songsonline for free.However, it was his performance

that had people talking. Joined byKirk Franklin, Francis and the Lights,

Tamela Mann and a gospel choir,Chance performed a combination of"How Great" from Chris Tomlin and"All We Got" from his latest mixtape.He also added in little snippets of "NoProblem" and "Blessings."Chance the Rapper represents mil-

lennial Christianity in three ways:1. He hasn't signed with any label.Increasingly, millennials are de-

tached from traditional institutions.Much attention is given to millennialsleaving the church, but millennials areleaving institutions as a whole.

They leave traditional institutionsbut join up-start religious non-profitorganizations. The number of reli-gious non-profits increased signifi-cantly over the past 15 years.According to a 2013 report, 73 percentof millennials volunteered for a non-profit organization in the previousyear. Almost four out of five did so be-cause of their passion for the cause.More than half were motivated bytheir interest in meeting like-mindedvolunteers. And nearly 83 percent ofyoung Americans donated money toa nonprofit.2. He is rough around the edges.For a listener who grew up in the

Bible Belt, his lyrics rock the prover-bial boat and splash you with somefoul language. However, profanity isoften utilized in communication in

order to shock and/or make an em-phatic point. While one might beshocked at the profanity, one could beequally shocked at his points thathighlight systemic racism in our cul-

ture.I am not trying to justify his lan-

guage, but I am informing you aboutthe rationale behind his language. Heis rough around the edges, but is com-mitted to making God's kingdomcome, God's will be done, on Earth asit is in heaven. He doesn't extend in-vitations to join him at church, butrather brings the message of thechurch into the culture.According to one survey, roughly

two-thirds of millennial employeesswear at work. Approximately a thirdof millennials said swearing can helpstrengthen a team. Thirty-six percentsaid cursing reflects passion for theirwork.3. He understands the urgency of

now.Chance's restlessness and eagerness

are infectious, causing you to shift in


Actor Chris Pratt once againproved he’s anything but shy toopenly share his faith, taking to In-stagram recently to reveal the Bibleverse he’s come to rely on for strength— Philippians 4:13.Pratt, who has starred in films like

“Guardians of the Galaxy” and“Jurassic World,” made the revelationwhile also unveiling a photo of apiece of art his brother, Cully Pratt,recently made for him — a “dumptray” he’s using to store his wallet,keys and other pocket items.But while the wooden tray cer-

tainly has its practical uses, it also fea-tures some familiar artwork,including an image of Jesus as well astext from Philippians 4:13. The tray

reads, “I can do all things throughChrist who strengthens me.”Pratt said his brother, who makes

the stunning trays by hand, recentlyoffered to craft him one and askedwhat he wanted on it. At first, Pratt

said he had a totallydifferent vision forthe design, but whenhe got to thinkingmore deeply about it,the actor said it be-came clear exactlywhat he wantedCully to do.

“I went for the usual Chris answer,American bald eagle smoking a cigar,holding a machine gun and anAmerican flag … maybe with some

nunchucks or something. But then Ithought a lot about being homesick,”Pratt explained. “I’d like having a touchstone that I

could take with me as I travel on theroad for work.”He continued, “So I thought about

this great Bible verse Philippians 4:13which I’ve relied on for strength fromtime to time.”Pratt focused the rest of the post

on praising his older brother, callinghim “a unique individual,” his “bestfriend” and a “real hero.”He might be on to something,

considering Cully is an Army veteranand a sheriffs deputy.In the end, Pratt said the tray is

“my favorite thing I have.”

Actor not shy about faith and family

Pratt

‘ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES’ CHANCE THE RAPPER IS REACHING MILLENNIALS

See CHANCE page 19

Singer and actor Harry Connick Jr.had a unique idea for a talk show. Hejust didn’t know if anyone else wouldgo along with it.His show would be family friendly

and fun, celebrating what he calls the“shared values” that Americans hold.It also would be spontaneous, withfewer scripted moments than are seenin other shows, allowing him to serveas the host and the musician.The result was Harry, which

launched last fall in syndication. Con-nick believe it’s a show that most peo-ple – no matter their background orpolitical beliefs – can enjoy.“I think most of us around this

country have the same types of values.How do we do a show that celebratesfaith and celebrates family and cele-brates community – without preach-ing about it?” Connick told SCENES.“I’m proud of my faith, but the showisn’t about that, per se. It’s about all ofthe things that we celebrate and wevalue together. I think my show, at itsbest, will transcend the specificity ofwhat people may believe and speak tothem as Americans and as human be-ings.” Connick’s guest list has been di-verse, with former football player TimTebow, actress Sandra Bullock andsinger Kelly Clarkson all joining him.Connick, who has appeared in

more than 20 movies and whose al-

bums have sold more than 28 millioncopies, recently spoke with SCENESMagazine about his show, his careerand his faith. Following is a transcript.

SCENES: What did you want to doto help set your show apart?Harry Connick Jr.: I had a very spe-

cific idea of what I wanted to do, andit was just a matter of seeing if any-body agreed with it. Fortunately, they

did. I had a bunch of ideas about put-ting on a show that showed the thingsthat I like to do on a daily basis. Iwanted to have my band there. Iwanted to talk to interesting people,whether they’re celebrities or not. Iwanted to be able to entertain the au-dience with different things that I do.The spontaneity of the show and themusic were the two things that raisedeyebrows, because those don’t exist in


your seat in a rhythmic fashion. Hehas a way with words and hiswords have their way with you."God give me one sentence

moreMaybe I just gotta get suspended

more?Hash tag it, get mentions for itMake you love it, get it trending

more."His songs have a palpable energy

that is characteristic of rap. Not allmillennials rap, but many share theurgency that characterizes rap.Seventy-four percent of millen-

nials believe they can make a dif-ference in the world now.According to a Deloitte study,more than 50 percent of millenni-als say they would take a pay cut tofind work that matches their val-ues. Ninety percent want to usetheir skills for good.Chance the Rapper's faith looks

different than that of previous gen-erations. Then again, we havecome a long way from fishermenand tax collectors to the millennialChristians of today. But the mis-sion remains the same.

CHANCEcontinued from page 18

Well, we made it this far, huh? I wastempted to write Happy New Year,but… well… it’s March. So betweenrushing the kids to the emergency room(long story) and having both vehiclesbreak down on the same day, let’s justsay fare-thee-well to February 2017, andmay we never meet again! So, uh, here’sthe music news for March!Coming out this month on CD or

digital download are a plethora of greatartists, including, but not limited to:Aaron Shust - “Love Made A Way

(Live)”Laura Story – “Open Hands”Guy Penrod – “Sings His Best-Loved

Songs” Selah – “Unbreakable” David Phelps – “Hymnal”Aaron Sprinkle – “Real Life”Elevation Worship - There Is A

Cloud

Craig Dun-can – “SmokyMountain Six-ties”MercyMe –

“Lifter”Jaci Velasquez

- “Trust”Along with a

new album, JaciVelasquez willalso embark onher first tour inseven years, hit-ting 19 cities inFlorida andTexas.Also of note,

for KING &COUN T RY,Lauren Daigleand TobyMachave all risen tothe top of the nominations for thisyear's K-LOVE Fan Awards, includingthe top award of Artist of the Year.Other artists, such as Big Daddy Weave,Chris Tomlin, Crowder, Danny Gokey,Hillary Scott, MercyMe, Natalie Grantand Ryan Stevenson have receivednominations. The 5th annual K-LOVEFan Awards will return to the historicGrand Ole Opry House on May 28th.

D.C. JEANES Metro Voice music critic

musicscene

GOODBYE FEBRUARY, HELLO NEW ALBUMS

Question and answer session with Harry Connick Jr. New Show Celebrates Faith & Family

See CONNICK page 20

TobyMac

Laren Daigle

Jaci Valasquez


daytime TV. It was just a matter ofseeing if the network would go for it,and they did.

SCENES: For those who haven’tseen the show, what do you mean bythe spontaneity?Connick: A lot of shows are very

heavily scripted. Not only does thehost have things that are scripted out,but the guests are scripted, and there’sa lot of planning that goes into whatis said and how it’s said. There’s not alot of spontaneity on TV nowadays.That’s not to say that other showsaren’t good, but[spontaneity] isjust a style that youdon’t see thatmuch. You hardlysee it at all, wherethe host is leadingthe band and play-ing music and, forthe most part, isdiscovering things along with the au-dience. Fortunately, I was able to con-vince the powers that be to let me doit.

SCENES: From what we’ve seen ofthe show, it looks like you’re wantingto make a show that a mom can haveon – with the kids in the room – andnot be embarrassed.Connick: I’m glad you brought that

up, because for some reason clean en-tertainment and relevant, contempo-rary entertainment seem to bemutually exclusive. You don’t have tobe Mister Rogers to be a family show.My executive producers were the headwriters for David Letterman. You canbe really funny and have great sub-stantive content – and you don’t haveto hold your thumb over the mutebutton. I believe that can exist, andthat’s what we’re trying to do.

SCENES: Has your faith guidedsome of your career decisions – suchas taking roles in Dolphin Tale (2011)and even New In Town (2009)?Connick: I don’t sit around and

think, “Whatmovie is going tobe appropriate thatis in tandem withmy faith?” I’venever done that.It’s all coming outof the same brain,though, and I dothings that are

comfortable to me. I played a serialkiller in Copycat. That may not be something you

want to watch with your kids, but Ithink art and entertainment are com-plicated. They’re complex. DolphinTale is one kind of movie, but Copycatis another kind of movie. Do I losesleep at night over either one of them?No, not at all. People are smart, and

they can see the subtleties in those dif-ferences.

SCENES: Sometimes people growup with a faith and then they get moreserious about it as an adult, when theyhave children. Is that similar to yourexperience, as well?Connick: Yes and no. I think my

thought process has become more se-rious. Am I a better Catholic than Iwas as a kid? I don’t know. All I knowis that I am driven to understand

more about my faith. I am far fromperfect. I have a long way to go and alot to learn. I remember when people used to

ask me about my faith a long time ago,I felt like I had to come across as somekind of saint. I’m not, and I want to bethe best person that I can be. I talk tomy dad, and my dad is a devoutCatholic. He calls me Thomas some-times [as in doubting Thomas], be-cause I ask him questions, and we talk

about different things about faith. Hesays, “How are you doing Thomas?” Iwant to know, I want to learn. I knowI contemplate things now on a moresubstantial level now than I did whenI was 20, because as you grow olderyou start considering your mortalityand things like that more. And youstart considering the wellbeing of yourchildren.

“Fortunately, I was able to convince the powers that be to let me do it.”

CONNICKcontinued from page 19

Connick interviews Tim Tebow

modesty, biblical teaching on the con-cept of being a princess, incredible bal-loon sculptures, bouncing beach ballcompetitions, mother/daughter conver-sation time and colorful confetti can-nons. The lessons girls hear during the

show attack the lies that their most valu-able asset is their beauty and strongly as-serts that each girl is a masterpiececreated by God. “We loved it!” Andersen said of a

previous tour she attended with herdaughter. “It gave Ava confidence to beherself and gave me encouragement andguidance on how to approach fashionand pop culture with her from a Chris-tian perspective.” Andersen and her daughter are one

of more than 350,000 attendees of Se-cret Keeper Girl’s annual tours in Amer-ica and Canada. Kristi DeMint, a Lenexa mom, is an-

other. She agrees the lessons her daugh-ter learned at the show helped build herself-confidence, especially when herdaughter was asked to be a clothesmodel during the fashion show. “They (the Secret Keeper Girl team)

made being different seem cool andokay instead of joining the crowd,”DeMint says. The Secret Keeper Girl Purple Party

Tour show will take place at 3:30 pm,Saturday, March 25, at Nall Avenue Bap-tist Church in Prairie Village. Tickets are$15 each and can be purchased atwww.secretkeepergirl.com.

TWEENScontinued from page 2

So much media hype about division, unrest, hate, and riots – hope is notthe story trending on media outlets or the 6 o’clock news nor is there a mes-sage of comfort. But that does not mean that comfort is not to be found onthe earth. With that message as the focus, Kathy Troccoli is coming to KansasCity for a special evening of music this spring at Tiffany Fellowship Church,7315 NW Barry Road. The date is still being planned so watch Metro Voicefor details.Troccoli graced the Christian airwaves in 1990s and early 2000s even hav-

ing appeared on the Jay Leno show.Her most well-known hit, “Every-thing Changes,” was in Billboard’s Top15 Chart in 1992. She’s also an authorand has appeared in several moviesand today is a popular speaker.In a statement from the church it

was shared the event was plannedback in the early months of 2016through the faith of the Dream Teamat Tiffany Fellowship Church andKathy Troccoli’s team that said, “Hey,we don’t normally do this but we be-lieve the Lord is calling to this timeand place.” Who knew how desper-ately we would need this message ofhope? God knew. Troccoli’s message that hope is alive

will be shared and both men and women will also have the opportunity toenjoy Kathy’s pianist and guitarist, Michelle Margiotta. She is an accom-plished worship leader having served at David Wilkerson’s beloved TimesSquare Church in New York City. Hope is essential for both men and women to thrive and the One that

brings ultimate comfort is the Lord. One of the organizers said women arenot designed to live without Hope. Hope opens the path to the impossible.“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” -Proverbs 13:12 It’s time for a fresh perspective and a new start. Kathy Troccoliwill sing - speak candidly and truthfully - offering the scriptures, stories,music and more.

Bringing comfort in 2017Kathy Troccoli brings inspirational message to KC


Zondervan has announced the sign-ing of a multi-book deal with CandacePayne, who is frequently referred to as“Chewbacca Mom.”Payne shared the

news with her fans firstin an emotional Face-book Live video fromHarperCollins ChristianPublishing’s GrandRapids office.“I couldn’t be more

excited to partner withthe Zondervan team,”said Payne. “My hope isthat these books will feellike a heartfelt conversa-tion between friendsover a good cup of cof-fee. There’s more toevery story than meetsthe eye. I know what it’slike to feel like a victimof my own life script; towake up doomed to the day’s challengesand universal dread. The good news isthat we can flip this impulse. I can’t waitto share how I’ve learned to embracefreedom, and experience defiant joy re-gardless of the circumstances surround-ing me.”A stay-at-home mom and church

worship leader from Dallas, Payne be-came a household name when a Face-

book Live video of her trying on aChewbacca mask in her car went viral(165+ million views) and became themost-viewed Facebook Live video in

history. Fans were drawn to

Payne’s infectious joyand ability to laugh atherself during a sillymoment; media andfans alike noted Paynewas a bright spot dur-ing an otherwise drearyyear for news.After the video went

viral, Payne made mul-tiple appearances on acoast-to-coast majormedia tour. Some of the high-

lights included partici-pating in a sketch withJ.J. Abrams for “TheLate Late Show with

James Corden,” a personal tour of Lu-casfilm headquarters, a visit to Facebookheadquarters (photos of which wereshared by Mark Zuckerberg on his per-sonal Facebook page) and a trip to Has-bro, where she was presented with a“Chewbacca Mom” action figure.Payne has more than 800,000 dedi-

cated Facebook followers and recentlylaunched a video series with TLCme,

the digital platform for women’s lifestylecable network TLC.“Candace Payne captured the world’s

attention with her infectious laughter,and we are excited to go behind themask to share her message of defiantjoy,” said David Morris, Vice President& Publisher of Zondervan. “Watching Candace, you would never

know her joy has been hard-earned. She is ready to go deeper, to share her

heart and soul, the secrets behind herjoy and how everyday women can findthe same spark in their own lives.”The first book will release November

7, 2017 with a national media andmulti-city book signing tour.Zondervan will also release a gift

book in Fall 2018, illustrated by Payne,which will take readers on a whimsicaljourney through the many types of joy,and offer practical tips for improvingjoy in their own lives.For info on Payne visit her website at

www.candacepayne.me.

Chewbacca Mom’s book talks poverty, depression

“She is readyto go deeper, to share herheart and soul,the secrets

behind her joyand how everydaywomen canfind the samespark in theirown lives.”

Kathy Troccoli will be inKansas City this spring.


FULL-TIME PASTOR – The MountCarmel Missionary Baptist Church,Topeka, KS, is prayerfully seeking a full-time Pastor, called by God who will serveas the spiritual leader of the congrega-tion. Please go to www.mount-carmeltopeka.org/apply to view the fullannouncement, application and positiondescription. All interested and qualifiedapplicants must submit the required ma-

terials by the closing date of March 8,2017. HOUSEPARENT NEEDED MOTHER'SREFUGE. If you would like to work withyoung mothers and babies. Several shiftsavailable.Do not need to live here. Sendresumeto [email protected] LESSONS (voice, piano,guitar,

and music theory) and tutoring availablefor K-12 as well as Spanish and French formore info. please call Kathleen 913-206-2151 or email: [email protected], FEMALE WRITERseeks a quiet place in exchange for helpas a companion (platonic), personal as-sistant, housekeeper, etc. Has a business,medical, and nursing background. Wouldlike to provide assistance for 8 to 12 hours

per week depending on space provided.Due to allergies, requests smoke free.Prefers single-family residence. Refer-ences available. Call Susan at (650) 930-0406.VOLUNTEERS WANTED: Are you look-ing for a way to get involved in your com-munity? We have the perfect answer!Metro Voice seeks volunteers. 816-524-4522.

Place your classified ad with Metro VoiceCALL TODAY: 816.524.4522

500,000.Instead of reforming the system,

the United States allowed it to con-tinue, refusing to provide suffi-cient, special assistance to thosefacing a special threat.For far too long, our country

has not done enough to help reli-gious minorities in the Middle Eastvia safe zones or refugee resettle-ment. This is one of the reasons why

Christians there uploaded a videoto YouTube days before the elec-tion, essentially endorsing Trumpand saying, “we really hope thatthis election will be a turning pointand bring hope for the Iraqi peopleand for the Christian minorities, inparticular.”Trump is attempting to do what

should have already been done,and it’s an honorable thing to do.–Johnnie Moore is the author of

“Defying ISIS: Preserving Christi-anity in the Place of Its Birth and inYour Own Backyard.”

JOHNNIE MOOREcontinued from page 11

the Pulse nightclub attack in Floridacommitted by an observant, orthodoxMuslim man from a Muslim family,”Breitbart News reported.Reflecting the multiculturalism teach-

ings of the U.S. public education systemand the pro-Palestinian/Iranian foreignpolicy touted by former PresidentBarack Obama, former Democraticpresidential nominee Hillary Clintonand other leftists, an overwhelming ma-jority of Democrats in America see Islamas no more violent than other majorworld religions – even though militantjihad and the overtly merciless Shariahlaw are integral parts of the religion.“Merely one-in-seven Democrats be-

lieve that Islam is more violent thanother religions, such as Christianity,Mormonism, Judaism and Buddhism,”reporter Neil Munro relayed from theCBS Poll. “One in 10 Democrats believethat Islam is less violent than other reli-gions, according to the poll of 1,019adults, which was taken Feb. 1 and Feb.2.”This progressive view of the world’s

second-largest religion is not shared bymost conservatives, who believe that na-tional security meas-ures should be takento counter the jihadistthreat that has consis-tently penetrated theU.S. border for nearlytwo decades.“In contrast, Republicans have a far

colder view of Islam,” Munro added.“Sixty-three percent of Republicans viewIslam as aggressive, compared to otherreligions, and only 2 percent view Islamas more pacifist than other faiths.”Even though the Koran calls for Mus-

lims to kill “infidels” – those who do notsubmit to the god of Islam (Allah) – andleaders frequently call for fellow jihadiststo forward their holy war by wiping outthe “Great Satan” (the U.S.) and the “Lit-tle Satan” (Israel), a significant minorityof Americans identifying with the GOPthink Islam promotes peace as much asthe Bible.

“Still, 25 percent of Republican votersbelieve Islam’s encouragement of vio-lence is level with Christianity’s doc-trines, including the Beatitudes passage,reported by Matthew: ‘Blessed are thepeacemakers, for they will be called chil-dren of God,’” the conservative journalistpointed out.Shockingly, when looking at Ameri-

cans as a whole, half (50 percent) sayIslam encourages violence about thesame as other religions. Even more sur-prisingly, the majority of Independents(53 percent) ascribe to this belief, whileonly 28 percent of this political party be-lieves Islam is more violent than otherreligions.In stark contrast to the biblical teach-

ings of Jesus Christ to “turn the othercheek” and Scripture telling Christiansthat “vengeance is God’s,” the Koran –which true Muslims believe is the directtranscript of many of Allah’s commands– directs Islamic adherents to acts of vi-olence and various forms of brutality to-ward those who do not follow his ways,as seen in the two following verses.“I will cast terror into the hearts of

those who have disbelieved, so strikethem over the necks, and smite over alltheir fingers and toes.” –Koran 8/12“Fight in the way of Allah those who

fight you but do not transgress. Indeed.Allah does not like transgressors.” –Koran 2/190“So when you meet those who disbe-

lieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until,when you have inflicted slaughter uponthem, then secure their bonds, and either[confer] favor afterwards or ransom[them] until the war lays down its bur-dens.” –Koran 47/4Obama’s interpretation of the Koran’s

teachings as being peaceful – to supporthis Syrian refugee resettlement pro-grams, Iran nuke deal and push for aPalestinian state – is argued to be noth-ing less than misinformed.

“Former President Barack Obamaand other leaders in the Democrat Partyhave repeatedly suggested that Islam isnot more violent than other religions,”Munro informed. “Obama told Muslimsin February 2016 that Islam means‘peace,’ although it actually means ‘sub-mission.’”Three senior Democratic legislators in

the U.S. House of Representatives re-cently proclaimed Islam to be a religionof peace, as well.“There are over three million Ameri-

cans who practice Islam peacefully,” theDemocratic leadersdeclared in a letterthey signed on Feb-ruary 3, according toBreitbart. “Thespecter that therewould be a federal

program that – in name and action –singles out people of a particular faithwarrants immediate [critical] consider-ation by the Department of Justice.”

Christians the violent ones?Left-leaning activists and journalists

have often blamed Christians for vio-lence around the world, even thoughthey rarely claim that their hostile behav-ior is incited by Scripture.“However – and this will probably

shock many, so you might want to takea breath – overwhelmingly, those whohave committed terrorist attacks in theUnited States and Europe aren’t Mus-

lims,” a Daily Beast columnist asserted,stressing the role of European nationalistgroups in terrorism rates.Another progressive publication at-

tempted to take the emphasis off ofIslam as a promoter of terrorism byturning the argument around.“Conservatives claim that all terrorists

are Muslim, but most violent attacks inthe U.S. are carried out by white men,” aSalon.com article reads, with the authorfocusing on the murders of abortionists.It is also argued that the mainstream

media does its best to paint those con-cerned about Islamic terrorism as haters,isolationists and bigots, while portrayingthose who disassociate Islam from ter-rorism as champions of tolerance andcivil rights.“[E]stablishment media sites have

played up the pro-Western, anti-Islamviews of White House officials withouteven trying to address the truth or falsityof the views,” Munro pointed out.He went on to note the dichotomy be-

tween the Islamic and Christian influ-ences on societies around the world.“In contrast, pro-Western critics of

Islam routinely argue that Islam’s mix-ture of religion and political ideology hasa harmful impact on adherents and onsocieties,” Murno added. “They arguethat Islam is far more aggressive andharmful to societies than what they de-scribe as the beneficial impact of Chris-tianity’s mix of faith and reason, freedomand law.”

RELIGIOUS VIOLENCEcontinued from page 1

Muslim immigrants in Italy protest with signs and an ISIS flag.

“In stark contrast to the biblical teachings of Jesus Christ to“turn the other cheek” and scripture telling Christians that

“vengeance is God’s,” the Koran – which true Muslims believe isthe direct transcript of many of Allah’s commands – directs Is-lamic adherents to acts of violence and various forms of brutality

toward those who do not follow his ways...”

• “Whistleblower” protection forabortion clinic employees. • Continue to redirect federal funding

of family-planning dollars to federallyqualified health centers and state ruralhealth agencies for expanded health carefor women. In addition to many adults, Christian

schools across the state use the day as acivic lesson in involvement for their stu-dents sending many on buses withteachers.Public transportation is available from

many areas of the state.

RALLYcontinued from page 1

i moreinformationContact Missouri Right to Life,

(573) 635-5110 or visitwww.missourilife.org

second county in the nation to operatea drug court for non-violent offendersas an alternative to incarceration.Although recidivism rates for repeat

offenders are 54 percent in Missouri, 45percent in Kansas and 75 to 80 percentnationwide, the Kansas City Drug Courtboasts a recidivism rate of just 4 percent,with 96 percent of graduates remainingconviction free from repeat offensesafter graduating. Drug Court classes in-clude stringent accountabilities as a con-dition for graduation, and involve angerand case management; individual andgroup counseling; prevention; substanceabuse treatment; and employmenttraining and placement. According tothe Jackson County website, “100 per-cent of Drug Court graduates are em-ployed full-time or in school full-time atthe time of their graduation.”George Williams, assistant director

for faith-based and community initia-tives for Kansas, was a founding partnerin helping facilitate the Kansas CityDrug Court in the 1990s. He emphasizesthat the court was not in formal part-nership with faith-based organizations,although faith-based leaders and organ-ization had contributing roles. “I believe as many others that the

faith community is essential in address-ing the social needs of the most vulner-able people in our communities,” hesaid.As a director for the urban fathering

initiative for the National Center for Fa-thering, Williams provided training forfathers participating in drug court abouttheir vital roles in the lives of their chil-

dren.”Even though Kansas City’s Drug

Court, which has become a national andglobal model for success, represents al-ternatives to incarceration of prisoners,the challenges facing inmates in Kansasand Missouri are formidable. The modelhas not gone unnoticed by Missouri’sSupreme Court justices. Each year, oneof justice gives a State of the JudiciaryAddress to a joint session of the Mis-souri General Assembly. That addresshas consistently called on legislators toappropriate more funding for alterna-tives to incarceration for non-violent of-fenders.Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens made the

role of faith-based organizations in stateprisons a prominent theme in his firstState of the State address. “We must re-form our corrections system” and “weneed to find ways to reduce recidivism,”he said.Greitens, who is Jewish, called on

faith-communities to partner with Mis-souri prisons: “To tackle this problem,we need to engage groups from acrosssociety: most importantly our faithcommunity. I have seen that a turn to-wards faith can actually save lives inprison. And I will welcome our churchesand our synagogues into our correctionsfacilities.”Rev. Gene Purtle, Chaplain for the

Jackson County Detention Center, is en-couraged by Greitens’ comments. “Faithbased programs in jails and prisonsbring proven positive outcomes, not justin the long term rehabilitative impact onthe inmates, but in the day to day inter-action between staff and inmates in thefacility,” Purtle told the Metro Voice. On the Kansas side, many faith-based

organizations are providing support toprisoners while they are incarcerated, aswell as assistance upon reentry into so-ciety. Thomas A. “Artie” Lucas serves asexecutive director of Brothers in BlueReentry Inc., an offshoot of the Inner-Change Freedom Initiative and PrisonFellowship, which was founded by thelate Charles Colson.Lucas leads his organization in help-

ing prisoners in the Lansing Correc-tional Facility. According to Lucas,Brothers in Blue sees a recidivism rate ofjust 7 percent among inmates partici-pating in their faith-based and Christ-centered” programming.Working Men of Christ Ministry Inc.

is another faith-based prison ministryserving inmates in Kansas. Executive Di-rector Spencer Lindsay told the MetroVoice that this ministry serves inmatesat the Topeka Correctional Facility, thestate penitentiary in Lansing and at theHutchinson Correctional Facility.Like Brother in Blue, Working Men of

Christ Ministry provides both programsupports to prisoners during incarcera-

tion and transitional supports upon re-lease from prison and reentry into soci-ety. According to a recent newsletter,Working Men of Christ operates fourtransitional homes in Wichita and onein Topeka.“I always tell inmates, ’Change is not

change, unless something changes’,” saysBill Corum, founder of Prison PowerMinistries.Corum would know. The self-de-

scribed underworld enforcer and drugdealer says after his arrest and imprison-ment in 1984 in Holden, Mo., he expe-rienced a conversion to Christ andspiritual transformation, leading to hisfounding of a prison ministry with a na-tional impact. He said that in 30 years ofprison ministry, he had seen thousandsof men and women try many differentthings to bring change in their lives.Corum’s book The Ultimate Pardon

has been distributed to nearly 50,000 in-mates in over 200 prisons throughoutthe country. On January 6, three daysbefore leaving office, Missouri Gov. JayNixon pardoned Corum, leaving him

with a record cleared of all felony con-victions. The action by Nixon, a Demo-crat, was well received by those on bothsides of the political aisle.Corum expressed great hope after

Greitens’ State of the State address, wel-coming churches and synagogues intoMissouri’s correctional facilities.“I know that after almost 40 years as

a rebellious law breaker, and now 33years as a completely different person,that real change comes from the insideout,” Corum said.Corum’s support echoed the senti-

ments of Williams, Lucas and Lindsay,telling the Metro Voice, “lasting changecomes through faith in Jesus and an on-going relationship with Him.” He saidone way to accomplish this is to “haveChristian mentors going into the pris-ons and meeting regularly with the in-mates who desire that change.”Lucas and Lindsay both emphasized

the importance of transitional supports,such as housing, education and employ-ment assistance for released prisonersreentering society.Chaplain Purtle says the church must

get involved and understand the needfor such involvement. “Interaction with‘criminals’ makes people nervous. Yetwhen I speak at churches I always askhow many have an incarcerated lovedone,” Purtle said, “The number of handsis always surprisingly high. This is ourproblem to address.”


“But I felt like the Holy Spirit told methat I needed to do something, eventhough I didn’t know what I could do,”McLarty says.Surprising his wife, Kylie, — and per-

haps even himself a bit — McLartymade it past the accident scene thenpulled off the to the side of the road, gotout of his car, and ran back down thehighway toward the injured man. “Honestly, I was completely

shocked,” Kylie says, recalling Geoff’s de-cision. “I kept thinking, What is he goingto do? We had our 2-year-old son in theback seat, it was dark, and we were justtrying to get home after a long day at thefair. But then I began to pray for the in-jured man and knew in my spirit that wewere there for a reason.” When Geoff approached the hurt

man, he could tell imme-diately that he was in badshape. “There was a lot ofblood, I could see his headwas split open, and he wasmaking this awful gaspingsound, even though hewas completely uncon-scious,” Geoff says.He grabbed the man’s

left hand and started praying out loudfor him. While he was praying, a nursearrived on the scene and began to feel fora pulse. She was unsure if the man had apulse any longer, but if so, it was veryfaint. The nurse referred to the gasping

sounds the man had been making aswhat they call a “death shudder.” He wasnow limp and motionless, but Geoffcontinued to pray.When, what felt like a long time later,

the Kansas Highway Patrol arrived, theyimmediately began performing CPR, re-leasing Geoff to go home. He felt certainthe man was dead, and uncertain as towhy he felt the Holy Spirit had told himto stop. Arriving home, Geoff was unsettled

by the experience and driven to find outwho the man was and what had becomeof him. So through social media, heasked for help. A friend of the man’sfamily connected with Geoff a few dayslater, giving him the man’s estrangedwife’s contact information — shewanted to speak with him.The motorcyclist’s name was Jim Har-

mon Sr. His wife, who explained thatthey were in the process of getting a di-

vorce, would tell him thatthe police were able to re-vive Jim, but his heartwould stop again whilebeing airlifted to the hos-pital, only to be revivedagain. Geoff would prayover the phone with her,and would continue topray for Jim over the next

few days before paying Jim a visit in thehospital on Friday. “I met Jim’s sister at the hospital and

she thanked me for my concern, but thatthe doctors had said there was minimalbrain activity and there was nothing

more they could do but make him com-fortable. They were recommending thefamily ‘pull the plug,’” Geoff says. “Thesister had decided to wait until Tuesdayso family members could make it to Wi-chita to say their ‘good-byes’ before tak-ing him off life support.” Geoff, who had seen God restore a

church member with a traumatic braininjury not long ago, understood thestruggles the sister must have wentthrough to make the difficult decision,but emboldened by the Holy Spirit andsupported by prayer, he spoke the words— although somewhat daring words —God placed on his heart.“I told her, in all due respect, God

would not have brought him back twicefor nothing — there’s a reason Jim is stillaround,” Geoff says. “She politelythanked me for being encouraging, butfelt it was time — Jim was suppose to gohome.”He then prayed over Jim, praying that

God would bring him back and bringhim back fully — a brave prayer whendoctors and family are convinced thatJim is nothing more than a vegetable.Nothing miraculous happened follow-ing the prayer, and Geoff left, but leftthinking, God, you’re going to do some-thing big here. He continued to passion-ately pray for Jim on his own and withhis worship team. Tuesday came and past. No word. Out

of respect for the potentially grievingfamily, Geoff did not impose himself, butcontinued to pray.“On Thursday I was rehearsing with

the worship team when I stopped andtexted Jim’s sister, just letting her knowthat I was praying for her,” Geoff says.“She called me back and left a voice mes-sage . . .” Geoff pauses to regain composure.

Jim was still alive — not only alive, butdoing amazing well! At 3 a.m. Tuesdaymorning, just hours before doctors

would have pulled the plug, there wasdramatic improvement in Jim’s condi-tion. His brain activity spiked and nowthere was physical movement. The doc-tors were stunned! Praises to God followed by tears of

awe and joy flowed freely among theworship team. The next day, Geoffwould visit Jim, where he would pray forhim again, and Jim would squeeze hishand back in gratitude. Although Jimstill has a long road to full recovery, he’snow walking and talking, far exceedinganything the doctors conceived as a pos-sibility. In fact, Jim is in the process ofbeing transferred to a rehab facility closerto family in Arizona.But as obviously meaningful to Jim

and his family was God’s answer toprayer, it has also bolstered the faith ofGeoff, the worship team, and those at-tending his church. “This experience has truly showed me

the power of praying without ceasing,”Kylie McLarty says. “Even when all hopeis lost, keep praying. You never knowwhen God can just show up and turnthings around.” Geoff agrees, adding, “I’ve prayed

hundreds of thousands of prayers andseen God work amazing miracles, butGod knew I needed encouragement. Hestrengthened my faith through my obe-dience . . . and I just can’t emphasizeenough, never give up! Always listen tothe Holy Spirit and be obedient. There'sno telling what God can and will dothrough and in you.”

ACCIDENTcontinued from page 1

TV news covered the scene of the accident.

“There was alot of blood, Icould see hishead was

split open…”Geoff McLarty

PRISONcontinued from page 1

Gov. Greitens meets with law enforcement. One goal is to build support forboth prisoners and officers.

i moreinformationn jacksoncountycombat.com/168/Drug-Courtn prisonpowerministries.orgn brothersinbluereentry.orgn workingmenofchristministry.com n theultmatepardon.com

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