Arizona town to get deed to historic Mormon church

Gilbert, Ariz. — The town of Gilbert will take possession this summer of the first Mormon church built in the community and must decide whether to renovate or raze the building.

The building, erected in 1917, is now home to the Gilbert Boys and Girls Club, which is moving to a new facility in August. It was only the second church built in Gilbert, after the Church of Christ.

Mormons are now a significant presence in the town of about 100,000.

The town’s Redevelopment Commission is researching the cost of preserving the former church, after spending $900,000 to buy it.

“If we were to preserve it as a landmark, and it is, I think that would be great,” said Tom Haug, the panel’s chairman. “But we need to understand what it would cost to save it.”

Town Manager George Pettit said an initial review found the facility’s age and condition could make it costly to renovate. A consultant will do further research and present his findings to town officials.

Muslim group begins voter registration drive

St. Louis — After the call to prayer, the call to vote is going out to Muslims in the St. Louis area — and around the nation.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, is registering voters to give a stronger, more united political voice to Muslims living in the United States.

Last week, organizers registered Muslim voters at two St. Louis-area mosques. It is part of a nationwide effort to sign up 1 million new voters for next year’s election. Estimates of the number of Muslims in the United States vary dramatically, from 2 million to 6 million.

Volunteers from the group’s St. Louis chapter visited the Daar-Ul-Islam mosque in west St. Louis County and a mosque on the campus of Saint Louis University.

Rapper shifts message to faith

Hattiesburg, Miss. — Joseph Foreman, the Hattiesburg rapper known as Afroman who shot to stardom in 2001 with the hit party song “Because I Got High,” has become a Christian.

“I gave my life to God,” Foreman said.

His newfound faith has led him to reassess the direction of his music and his career. Foreman’s album, “The Good Times,” went gold in the United States and platinum overseas. “Because I Got High,” which chronicles marijuana-fueled misadventures, was featured on the soundtrack of the film “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and won Foreman a Grammy nomination.