More on Letters to Pro-Huckabee Pastors

Reporting by TIME's Michael Scherer:

A pastor's conference call with Iowa church leaders took place this morning at 10 a.m. central time to urge churches to get their parishioners to the polls. Here are some quotes from the call, which included many high-profile Huckabee supporters, but mentioned no candidate specifically in compliance with non-profit tax rules.

Vision America's Rick Scarborough: "Now as we enter this election cycle, we need your help more than we ever have. . . . It is absolutely essential that believers get to these caucuses."

Dr. Tim LaHaye, author of the Left Behind series: "People will follow us from the pew into the voting booth."

Dirty Tricks?: Also on the call, a Des Moines area pastor who said that his church had received three letters without return addresses warning the congregation not to get involved in the political process.

An interview with Pastor Kevin Hollinger, of the First Baptist Church in Algona, confirms the letters. He received two more similar letters today. “The intention is to try to get us to back down,” Hollinger said. But he has not. He has personally endorsed Huckabee, and urged those he knows to caucus for Huckabee as a citizen. But as a church official, he says he has not taken sides. He did urge his congregation to participate in the caucuses last Sunday, though not for any specific candidate.