COMMUNITY

Thursday | March 6, 2014

A3

State bill would allow discrimination based on religion

SHANE STEELEY
Chief Reporter | @TheMissourian

With four states striking down gay

discrimination laws, a Cape Girardeau
state senator feels Missouri could have
a chance at success as a fifth-time
charm.
Senator Wayne Wallingford is
trying to pass Senate Bill 916, which
would expand the definition of the exercising of religion as an act or refusal
to act that is substantially motivated
by sincere religious belief. In laymans
terms, the bill would allow anyone
to refuse service based on religious
grounds.
While Senator Wallingford could
not be reached directly by the Missourian, in a statement to the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, he stated that this bill

publican colleague due to the right that

people should not have to work with
organizations that go against their
principles.
Say you have a gay person who
runs a printing shop, said Borrelli,in
a statement to stjoehannel.com. If
somebody from the Westboro Baptist Church comes in there and asks
to print a sign the owner obviously
doesnt agree with.
This bill is not only making social
justice activists upset but business
leaders as well. Business professor
Terry Coalter sees very little positive
outcome from such a law.
I dont see any upside for business, Coalter said. Businesses need
to know who they are going to upset
and who they are not.
Coalter believes businesses will

was about religious freedom, not discrimination.

My bill is not about any gender or
ethnicity or any sexual orientation; its
about religious freedom, Wallingford
said. Just because you have a religious
belief and a substantial religious belief doesnt mean youre protected
under the bill.
One of the largest proponents of
the bill is Kerry Messer, president of
the Missouri Family Network, a socially-conservative organization that
supports heterosexual families.
We were looking at the broad,
overarching view of protecting religious liberties, Messer said in an interview with KRCG-13 reporter Chris
Sheppard.
Arizona state representative Sonny Borrelli agrees with his fellow re-

Local church prays for upgrade

have a hard time justifying their actions as less and less proponents of
gay discrimination continue to be in
power.
Its going to be hard to defend 10
years from now, Coalter said. If we
look at this generation, being gay is a
non-issue.
Pre-law professor Daniel Smith
thinks this is not helpful on the political scale and is creating an unneeded
gridlock on our state system.
You would have to be pretty ignorant (to try this again), Smith said. It
is not protecting religion.
According to Smith, the distraction that this can cause seems to be a
big point, and it can be used for grandstanding by those involved.
There are people who use their
businesses or organizations to say Im

LAUREN MCCOY

Asst. News Editor | @McCoy014

The collection plate at the First

United Methodist Church will go
further than the pews can reach for
the next few months as the church
begins a campaign to expand the
building.
The Growing First for the Future
campaign is expected to last four
months with the understanding that
memberships will continue with a
two-or three-year plan. The funds
will go toward building a new lobby,
entrance, welcome center, new and
expanded nursery, elevator, restrooms and an entrance into the worship center.
Pastor Scott Moon, who has
served as pastor for five years, explained the church has worked toward this goal for some time.
The church has been making
preparations to first of all acquire
property to the north of the church
and to develop that, he said. It
was four years ago that the property
was finalized and buildings were
removed, so it prepared the way for
developing facilities that the church
needs to move into the future.
The church hopes these changes
will fit the changing demographic needs of Maryville, especially
households with young children.
We did some studies as far as
what the ministry needs for the com-

Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian

For some time, the city of

Maryville has been waiting for a program to showcase the talents of its
bright, young students.
In 1973, the state of Missouri and
the General Assembly established
the Gifted and Talented Program for
gifted children across the state. The
state pushed the special education
law in 1973.
According to the states Department of Education, the law authorized the State Board of Education to
establish standards for special programs for gifted students.
The state website also says that
school districts across Missouri
may establish programs for gifted
children when sufficient number
of children in the district are determined to be gifted.
Though the Maryville School
District has been pushing for the
programs, financial restrictions have
not allowed the schools to make the

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

Hometown man aims to

give back to community
and dont like to travel much, but I
get plenty of that with my job, Shipley said. We spend a lot of time
As City Council elections near, going to athletic events at the Unione homegrown man
versity. We go to just about
hopes to make an impact
all the home basketball
in the only city he has ever
games and all home footknown.
ball games.
Tim Shipley, 35, was
As a railroad contracborn in Burlington Junctor for Herzog Railroad
tion and lived in Maryville
Services, Inc. in St. Jofrom the time he was 6
seph, Shipley has played a
years old. He attended
role in the everyday tasks
Horace Mann Laboratory
the company handles and
School from pre-kinderTim Shipley
has traveled all across the
garten until sixth grade
world for his job. However,
when he moved to the Maryville he says his love for the small-town
School District while his mother atmosphere is what keeps him in
taught broadcasting at Northwest.
Maryville.
Ive grown up with Northwest
I have a vested interest, havas part of my life, Shipley said. ing grown up here and planning to
You could say its in my blood. I spend the rest of my life here, in the
wouldnt be who I am without (the
direction this community is going,
University and the community).
In 1998, Shipley chose to be- Shipley said. I want to be a part of
come a Bearcat because he was what I think is going to be an excitfamiliar with it and knew what op- ing few years for the community.
Shipley believes students have
portunities he would have.
I grew up earning a high a misconception on voting in elecdegree of respect for the institu- tions and urges anyone with an
tion and for what were some re- opinion to stand by what they beally strong programs here, Shipley lieve in.
These are the elections where
said. It was home you could talk
your votes really do count. It reto just about anyone.
During his time at North- ally does come down to a majority
west, Shipley worked on campus rules. Instead of going to the Union
for three years and studied abroad and talking about it over lunch and
during his last semester in London. never doing anything else beyond
Shipley and his wife, Nancy, that, they owe it to themselves and
got married on the Northwest to the ideas they foster to go out
campus. The couple are parents and vote, Shipley said.
Whether or not the vote stands
of an adopted son, 16-month-old
Renner, and are owners of two lab- on Shipleys side, he plans to stay
put in Maryville his whole life.
rador retrievers.
I dont have the headaches of
Away from work, Shipley and
his family spend time like most living in a big city, Shipley said.
families, shopping, relaxing with I dont spend a whole lot of time
family members and doing projects stuck in traffic; my time is for me
around the house.
and not for the freeway, and I kind
We are kind of homebodies of like that about Maryville.
BRANDON ZENNER

News Editor | @brandonzenner

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The proposed First United Methodist Church would build a new lobby, entrance,
welcome center, expanded nursery and worship center entrance.

gation.
We did a feasibility study and
determined it is within the capacity
of the church with a two-or threeyear financial campaign to pay for
the project, and people are for this,
Moon said.
Youth minister Chris Komorech
will kick off the campaign with the
a worship service Sunday, March 9
speaking on gratitude. Moon and the
fellow leadership members believed
all the things required for this project
to be a success are falling into place
and look forward to what the future
could bring.

munity and the way were equipped

to do that ministry, Moon said. A
couple conclusions were focusing on
childrens ministry, and another was
really needing to make a connection
with the community.
The church conducted what is
known as a Healthy Church Initiative, led by Tye Parsons, a member of
the church, to develop a vision that
allows the church to fulfill the needs
of the community as it sees them.
The price for these renovations
rings up to a total of $1.7 million, but
according to Moon, this is not only
feasible, but exciting for the congre-

Gifted programs coming to district

RYAN EDWARDS

better than you, Smith said. Why not

spend more time addressing important issues?
Louis Hageman, president of
Common Ground, feels this is a political bandwagon that some people can
jump on, but the wheels arent turning.
Somebody gave the conservative politicians a new angle for discrimination, and they are jumping on
it because they can, Hageman said.
Its much like after slavery when they
implemented literary tests for voting.
Hageman points out the similarities between the two movements, and
says while the people may be different,
the motive is still the same.
Its a similarity in ideals. We want
all the rights of other people, Hageman said. We are humans, and we
demand human dignity.

both our teaching staff and parents,

Klotz said. Once the testing is complete and the child shows signs of
being gifted, we will ultimately make
a decision once we know they (the
child) qualifies for that service.
Once the tests come back and
the child is deemed gifted, administrators will then ask the parents if
they want their child involved in the
program.
Once the child enters the program, he or she will spend at least
two hours a day, two days a week in
separate classrooms with teachers
who are qualified to teach the child
more challenging content and cater to his or her individual learning
style.
We will have separate classrooms that (the children) can go to,
Klotz said. We will also free up a
teacher, and the children will go to
them.
The program will not be fully introduced in Maryville until the 20152016 school year.

transition.
Assistant Superintendent Steve
Klotz said the lack of financial support over the years caused the school
district to switch courses and delay
the program.
It is something we had interest in for 10 years, Klotz said. Five
or six years ago we had a committee
that was made up of teachers, administrators and parents that really
studied and researched the issue,
and at that time we made the decision that we werent able to financially provide that program.
However, at this time, because
were able to combine some resources that we currently have and some
resources that we are adding, we can
get the program put together.
The selection process for the
Gifted and Talented Program can be
very rigorous. The process requires
letters of recommendations from
teachers as well as testing to see if
the child is gifted.
We will receive referrals to go
through a screening process from

Editors Note:
VIDEO
The Northwest Missourian
will profile each of the three
candidates running for Maryvilles
City Council. Each candidate
was given an equal opportunity
See Shipleys
with the same questions. Full
full interview
video interviews can be seen at
nwmissourinews.com
online

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First Presbyterian Church
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First Christian Church

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Sundays: 8:00 a.m & 10:25 a.m. worship
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660.582.4257

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Worship
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Sundays: 9 a.m.
901 North Main

A Member of the Worldwide

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Need a ride? Call Jody 215-0734

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Maryville Church of Christ

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9:30 a.m.
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