Faith

A new MU department of history lecture series welcomes its first speaker and delves into the topics of Mormonism and polygamy.

Harvard University professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich will be the inaugural speaker for the MU History Department's Lewis Atherton Lecture Series. Ulrich will uncover the personal stories of Mormon diarists as they traveled from Nauvoo, Ill., to Council Bluffs, Iowa, when she speaks at 7 p.m. Monday at MU.

Pastors new to local congregations rely on routines and work of interim ministers to help ease their transition to leadership, a process that often takes more than a year.

The Day of the Dead, also known as “El Dia de los Muertos,” is a celebration of a time when the dead are believed to return to their families. 

There are homeless people in our community who do not have pillows to rest their heads on, food to eat or clothes to wear. They cannot be forgotten, as the Lord tells us that the poor will be with us always.

As part of an effort to revitalize its influence in the Western World, the Roman Catholic Church is calling out to conservative Anglicans who disagree with their church's decision to allow gays and women to become bishops.

The MU Muslim Student Organization promotes breast cancer awareness and cultural understanding by donning pink head scarves. Hend El-Buri is the founder of Pink Hijab day, an international breast cancer awareness initiative.

Some of the scheduled events include 'trunk or treat' for fall festivals, where children make a circuit around a parking lot gathering candy.

The mandala, or sand painting, is expected to be completed Thursday and destroyed ceremoniously a short time later.

Jack-o'-lanterns came to the U.S. with Irish immigrants who told the tale of "Stingy Jack" and his hollowed-out turnip lantern.

For many Protestants, Reformation Day provides a festive reminder of salvation by grace alone.

Diwali, the five-day Hindu festival of lights, continues until Thursday.

 The Branch, a young adult-targeted ministry of Community United Methodist Church, launched in August with a weekly worship service on Tuesday nights at comedy club and nightclub Deja Vu.

Followers of the Baha'i Faith will celebrate the Birth of the Bab, one of the 19th-century founders of the faith, on Tuesday.

Inspired by a Christian author's book, Central Christian Church revolutionizes a service to better suit "nonchurchy" individuals.

The MU Museum of Art and Archaeology is displaying the exhibit "The Sacred Feminine, Prehistory to Postmodernity" through Dec. 24. The exhibit offers challenges and contradictions in art and scholarship in respect to women's religious roles in history.

Sisters Agnes Schlereth and Francine Koehler of Sacred Heart Catholic Church devoted their lives to religious service, but the number of women interested in becoming nuns has dropped significantly in the past 40 years. The church, along with the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, understands that new steps must be taken to draw youth into religious life.

Karis Community Church and International Community Church use the genre of film to facilitate discussions about issues of faith.

Different congregations from Columbia came together Sunday to help raise funds for the hungry — both worldwide and in Columbia. Money raised by the annual CROP Hunger Walk will benefit two local ministries.