CARTHAGE, Mo.
A Missouri church finds itself in the middle of a media storm after the Missouri National Guard, citing short notice and time constraints,
Cheap True Religion Jeans For Kids, was not able to fulfill a request last week to appear at the church s vacation Bible school.
Kent Hogan, pastor of the Carthage Bible Baptist Church in Carthage, Missouri, said he has been surprised by the reaction to the matter, which promptedby Fox News personality Todd Starnes that was then shared on Twitter by commentators including former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Starnes, who is host of Fox News Commentary, recounted disappointment by Hogan in his column, Todd s American Dispatch. He also quoted unidentified members of the National Guard who said they were disgusted by what happened. One called it an example of religious liberty in jeopardy.
Calling the church a small country church bursting with American pride, Starnes column elicited outrage from his followers. He noted that the analysis by the unidentified soldiers, in his opinion, sums up our nation s state of affairs.
But a spokesman with the public affairs office of the Missouri National Guard said state guard officials received the request after 1 p.m. on the same day the church wanted some members of the guard, which has an armory in Carthage, to make a stop at the church s vacation Bible school. The request also asked if some of the equipment based at the armory could be brought as well. The theme of the program was God s Rescue Squad, and Carthage firemen and Jasper County sheriff s deputies had appeared earlier.
Hogan said he had requested that the guardsmen appear last Thursday, but he found out shortly before the start of that day s Bible school that they could not appear. He said he contacted his state representative, Rep. Mike Kelley, of Lamar. He said Kelley contacted guard officials and was told that the soldiers could not appear because they couldn t be seen as supporting a particular religion.
Hogan said the request started with guardsmen who attend the church.
They put the request in on Tuesday, and we asked that they come on Thursday, he said.
But, Capt. John Quin, a spokesman with the public affairs office of the Missouri National Guard, said state officials received the request just after 1 p.m. on Thursday.
He said the main reason the request was turned down was that we learned about it so late, and we had only limited information about it.
All of these community relations requests come through public affairs, and we have to vet them, according to regulations, before permission can go to the unit, he said. They asked for a Humvee and a 10-ton truck. There s no way we can authorize that kind of heavy equipment without going through a process.
Kelley said he was told by guard officials that they couldn t make sure in advance that the entire community was invited and the event wasn t picking one religion over another.
Kelley said he found the response ridiculous, especially since there were soldiers and equipment available. To say that s endorsing one church or religion is asinine. It s just an example of a federal policy gone wild.
Quin said the guard follows federal regulations under its dual state-federal mission. That includes a directive in effect in its current form since September 2000 specifying, among other things, that Army participation must not selectively benefit, or appear to benefit,
True Religion Jeans Sale, any person, group or corporation (profit or nonprofit), religion, religious sect or sectarian group.
But, he said the guard routinely works with the faith community.
We need some time to vet (community relations) requests, he said. If we had got it a few weeks in advance,
True Religion Toddler Jeans, it might have been a different story. If we have enough time, we can work with an organization on the event.
This story provided by The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.