Area church leaders push for Prop A

By Rebecca S. Rivas of The St. Louis American
Monday, March 29, 2010 2:34 PM CDT

 

About 20 congregation members and leaders citywide gathered downtown to inform St. Louis County residents leaving a NCAA game on March 28 about Proposition A, a half-cent sales tax for public transit in the county.

Prop A will be on the April 6 ballot in St. Louis County.

This was one of three actions the Metropolitan Congregations United has held in a four-month campaign.

Theophilus Peek-El, of the Moorish Science Temple of America in North St. Louis City, said many people in his congregation ride the bus for work.

"If people don't go to work, the crime rate goes up," he said. "People don't need more excuses not to go to work."

Many of the reverends and pastors said they have been talking up the proposition every Sunday.

"We hit it pretty hard today," said Rev. Tommie Pierson, Senior Minister for the Greater St. Mark Church. "And we'll hit it hard next Sunday for Easter. We'll get them to the polls."

Pierson said that of his 400 congregation members, including children, 98 percent of them are African American. He believes about 200 people from his church will get to the polls, and they will tell their friends to vote as well, he said.

Pastor Elston McCowan said that the congregation leaders have a strong influence in the community.

"It's like Martin Luther King, Jr., when he told the people not to ride the buses," McCowan said. "They listen and follow what the preachers say. People need to get to work, to the hospital, to the store. We need to keep the buses moving and we need to keep St. Louis moving."

 

This Article was originally published on the St.Louis American Website on March 29,2010 and is available here:

http://www.stlamerican.com/articles/2010/03/29/news/local_news/localnews0000000001.txt