Every Monday for the past four years, Erma Stogsdill leads a group of women in prayer at Missouri’s state Capitol in Jefferson City. They are members of a group called Missouri Prayer, which enlists groups across the state.



“(The group) felt like on-site prayer is even more powerful than from a distance,” Stogsdill said.



Stogsdill said it’s important for lawmakers to believe in God because it will define how they legislate.



“I think that our legislators will legislate more fairly … if they have an understanding that God is Lord,” she said. “If they just think that man is his own god, and some do think that, then they’re not going to legislate the same way.”



In the late morning, the group convenes in one of the basement hearing rooms where just a couple of hours later, state lawmakers will meet to discuss legislation.



They pray for the lawmakers. They pray for legislation. They pray for Missouri.