Tea Party Patriots from around Central Missouri gathered Monday night in Fulton for an election eve prayer meeting.
Members of the Callaway Patriots Tea Party were joined by Tea Party members from Jefferson City, Mexico, Columbia, and Cooper County.
James Holland, a founder of the Callaway Patriots Tea Party, said pastors representing four Fulton churches participated in the prayer meeting, which was at the community meeting room at Callaway Electric Cooperative in Fulton.
Featured speakers were the Rev. Dr. I.C. Holland, retired pastor of the Church of God (Holiness), Rev. Charles Jackson, founder and pastor of the Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church. Other pastors participating were Rev. Jason Jordan of the Lighthouse Church and Rev. Richie Jackson Sr. of the Victory Fellowship Church.
Holland and Jeff Kauffman are the co-founders of the Callaway Patriots Tea Party.
Holland said the election eve prayer meeting was not political but patriotic and religious.
"We are an autonomous grass roots group. We are not directly affiliated with any national organization or political party," Holland said.
Holland said members of the organization strongly support the same principles as the founders of the United States.
Holland said just as the nation's founders did, the Callaway Patriots Tea Party decided to meet and pray for guidance for the country.
Holland said members of the Callaway Patriots Tea Party believes in fiscal responsibility, constitutional limited government and free markets.
"We are self-supporting through our own contributions. We will occasionally endorse candidates that are loyal to our primary goals of constitutional limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets," Holland said.