IRAQ KIDNAPPING Neighbors pray for soldier

A church once attended by a kidnapped soldier prays for his return.
BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) -- A strong message of hope and prayer delivered at a church where an Army reservist taken hostage in Iraq attended youth services is one the pastor and parishioners say they'll continue sharing.
"We all must have hope -- great hope -- that God will deliver Matt Maupin and give the family strength," Pastor Brent Snook said in morning services Sunday at First Baptist Church of Glen Este, near where 20-year-old Pfc. Keith M. Maupin grew up about 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
Snook said the church will hold its Wednesday night service at a public park at the request of Clermont County officials, so the community can gather to pray for Maupin, his family and all those serving in Iraq.
Maupin has been missing since his convoy was attacked April 9 outside Baghdad. In footage first shown Friday on Arab television, Maupin did not appear hurt but was surrounded by insurgents who offered to exchange him for imprisoned Iraqis.
Maupin, who has been in Iraq for two months, was the first U.S. serviceman and second American confirmed kidnapped in a recent string of abductions.
Hundreds at services
About 900 people attended the two morning services where many wore yellow ribbons and wiped away tears as they sang and prayed.
"My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful" mixed with traditional church hymns in the patriotic service, and the congregation repeated the Pledge of Allegiance along with their prayers.
Snook, who worked late into the night Saturday with church members to revise the services after learning of Maupin's capture, spoke of the need for everyone to have hope in times of emergency and enmity.
He drew several responses of "Amen" from the congregation when he referred to his gratitude for the heroism displayed by Maupin and others who fight for their country.
"I believe a hero is one who is willing to sacrifice his life to save the life of another," said Snook. "I would say that Matt Maupin is a hero, wouldn't you? Twenty years old, in the Army Reserve and going off to Iraq to keep you and me free."
Photos of Maupin in uniform and as a teenager were projected on a screen behind the pulpit. Snook said Maupin was not a church member but had attended some youth activities with friends when he was in his teens.
Test of faith
Snook's sermon focused on the Bible's book of Job, about a man who keeps his faith even though God tests him with terrible ordeals.
"No matter how big the emergency, there is always hope in Jesus Christ," Snook said.
He also referred to the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Now 2 1/2 years later it hits ever closer to home, as we have seen one of our own held at gunpoint by a hooded terrorist," he said.
Church member Mary Allen, 55, of Amelia, said she has been praying for Maupin and the other soldiers in Iraq.
"Prayer is the answer to everything," Allen said. "I don't know the Maupin family, but my heart goes out to them, and I have no doubt that if it's the Lord's will, Matt will be returned to them safely."
Lee Kresser, 53, of Cincinnati, said he hopes something good can come out of the events of the past week.
"Times like this can bring many people closer to God," said Kresser, who wore a yellow ribbon on his lapel. "This is an opportunity for God to show his power, his grace and his providence."
2001 graduate
Maupin grew up just outside Batavia, a farming community of 2,400 people, and graduated in 2001 from Glen Este High School. His brother, Kent Micah Maupin, is a Marine.
Friends and family say Maupin, who attended classes at the University of Cincinnati and two regional campuses, joined the Army Reserve for tuition benefits and out of a sense of duty.