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JUBILEE PARTNERS
REPORT
March 2015
‘
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me.”
Matthew 5:39 - 40
Down the hallway in our community house taped to the wall is an old poster quoting a friend of ours, John
Stoner. Though the poster is now faded and worn, its message is still powerful: “A Modest Proposal: Let the
Christians of the world agree not to kill each other.” On the surface, it seems like a simple request since all
Christians are familiar with the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Surely we can all affirm that every person’s life is precious because God created it so.
But a glimpse of the daily news around us - wars, murders, abortions, assisted suicides, state executions – demonstrates that not all lives and deaths are viewed the
same. Sadly we realize that we Christians do not have a
consistent ethic about the value and sanctity of life.
Surely God must grieve with us when we miss an opportunity to embrace life as it was fully intended to be.
Many of our readers and visitors are well acquainted
with our ministry to refugees. Lesser known is that we
also have a ministry to people in prison, especially those
living on death row. It is sometimes difficult to discuss
our prison visits as it can evoke strong negative emotions
from those who support the death penalty or who are victims of violent crimes.
We want to be clear that the compassion we feel for
those convicted does not diminish our compassion for
the victims and their loved ones. We grieve the loss of
life for the victims. We lament the easy access to weapons and the callous, senseless way so many are killed.
Our hearts ache with pain for each victim’s family and
for the suffering they endure. For many, the promised
“closure” that execution supposedly provides is not
achieved. The family’s emotional embers smolder on
long after a conviction or execution is rendered.
Though we visit people in prison, the death penalty can
be a struggle for us too. We need to remind ourselves
Jessica and Robbie (hidden) stand with a small
crowd at a recent death penalty vigil in Athens. The
cold and rain did not deter their presence.
that Jesus commands us to love our neighbors and to love our enemies. When Jesus forgave his executioners as
he hung on the cross, we know it means that his mercy is for all of us and none of us is beyond redemption.
According to Jesus and his gospel of grace, even the one who commits the most heinous murder is loveable
and redeemable. Jesus challenges us is to look beyond the most awful thing this person has done and discover
the goodness that God sees in them.
While we were shaping the goals and values of our Jubilee community in the late 1970s, the US Supreme
Court had just given permission to the state of Georgia to resume capital punishment. It seems natural that we,
who took Jubilee – the “Great Day of Forgiveness” - as our name (Leviticus 25:9), would also have compassion for the forgotten ones living on Georgia’s death row. Thus began our friendship of visiting those on death
row, attending vigils to call attention to pending executions, and, occasionally, burying executed men in our
cemetery.
One man we visited, Stanley, actually grew up only a half hour from Jubilee. Several times a year, someone
from Jubilee would pick up Stanley’s family (mother, sisters, nieces, and nephews) early in the morning and
drive three hours to the prison that houses Georgia’s death row. The Jubilee driver waited while the family visited, and once finished, drove them the three hours back home.
Though it makes for a long, tedious day, taking a family to visit an incarcerated person serves a larger purpose.
By keeping the family connected, visits give the prisoner hope and the assurance that they still matter to someone. The longer one is incarcerated, the harder it is for family to stay involved in their lives. Sometimes we
receive a request to visit a prisoner, especially if they do not have any visiting family. Currently, eight partners
visit prisoners on a regular basis. One partner, Jennifer, describes her family’s visit to see Stanley when he was
on death row.
“Perhaps the first thing most visitors notice when entering a prison for the first time is the highly polished
floors. I remember my young son trying to jump on his reflection as we sat in the sparse waiting room. I had
corresponded with Stanley for a few years and thought the time was right for my husband and three children to
meet him. I wanted
them to see that even
people who did bad
things are very much
human and deserve to
be treated with respect and kindness.”
Stanley’s crocheted nativity scene reminds us of his unique and generous friendship.
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“We had a personal
contact visit which
meant sitting around a
small table in a small
room. Nothing can be
brought into the
prison – no food, no
toys, no pen or paper.
After visiting a while,
the kids lost interest
in conversation and
began their own
imaginary play. When
we finished, Stanley
told the kids he had presents
waiting for them at the front
desk. He had made lovely needlepoint wall hangings for each
one that today, many years
later, still hang in their rooms.
Stanley today is not the same
Stanley he was at age nineteen
when he took someone else’s
life. These wall hangings are a
powerful reminder of what a
person can become if given the
opportunity.”
Stanley is now beginning his
36th year in prison. He is no
longer on death row as his sentence was commuted to life in
prison. Each Christmas in our Recently repainted by Lavonne Dyck, our Welcome Center sign says it well.
community dining room, we display the beautiful nativity scene Stanley crocheted for us. (See photo page 2.)
It is a gift of gratitude for our long friendship that helps sustain him through years of confinement. When Jesus
tells us to visit people in prison, perhaps it was to remind us that we are all in need of the warmth of human
relationships.
Down our long gravel road, past the houses for refugee families, a path winds through the briars and piney
woods up to our small cemetery. Simple cement crosses mark names and dates; other graves have engraved
stones on them. The people buried here reflect our life at Jubilee: refugees from Cuba, Burundi, and Burma;
one former partner and a partner’s parents; several formerly homeless people who resided at the Open Door
Community; one who died of natural causes on death row; and five men killed by the state of Georgia.
When a person is executed, the family is financially responsible for burying their loved one. If the family does
not have any money or the executed person no longer has contact with his family, the person is buried in the
prison cemetery with only their prison ID number to mark their grave. For family members, when their loved
one is buried inside the prison fence, it seems that even in death, they have not found freedom.
Chris feeds a hungry Mama Goat; Hae Tha Blay Wah Paw holds Baby Brother Wendel; Zora hugs a Mama Hen.
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When requested, we have been able to offer these men a space for a proper burial with prayers, singing, and a
cross with their name painted on it. To hand dig a six foot deep grave in stony Georgia clay is hard work that
takes us many hours. One partner, Russ, describes it as “a unique way to release the grief one feels by laboring
in the dust from which we are made.”
As this newsletter goes to press, the first woman to be executed since 1945 in Georgia is scheduled to die at
the beginning of March. She will make the fourth person executed (in Georgia) since December. On the day a
person is put to death, our community and other local anti-death penalty advocates gather in the evening to
witness against this injustice. Among several signs and banners is a large one asking, “Do you know the State
of Georgia is executing (name inserted) tonight?” Our vigil is a presence; a reminder of what our government
is doing in our name.
As the traffic goes by us in downtown Athens, we stand in silence letting our signs speak for us. Some passing
cars give us a ‘thumbs up’ in support of our messages; others loudly slam their horns in anger. Most people
walking by simply avert their eyes. Occasionally someone will approach, curious as to why we are against
capital punishment. This gives us a chance to dialogue about our response to the teachings of Jesus as well as
to hear their concerns.
At seven o’clock, the appointed time of death, the condemned prisoner is in the execution chamber being
strapped to a gurney. A hundred miles away at our vigil, gloved hands hold a sign asking, “Who would Jesus
execute?” In the distance, we hear the chiming of church bells ringing through the night air. Maybe the timing
is just a coincidence, but it seems as if God is reminding us who has the final victory over death.
When Jesus was asked to participate in a public execution, he responded, “Let the one without sin cast the first
stone.” May those words of Jesus ring true for all of us and echo throughout our land .
For
more information on the death penalty: www.deathpenaltyinfo.org
www.gfadp.org (Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty).
and
Murphy and Gladys lead the way to celebrate and lay to rest the ashes of longtime Open Door resident, Ralph Dukes.
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CHRISTMAS
2014
Left: Bea, Gato
and Cristy dip
candles during
our December
Christmas Crafts
day. Right: Karen
Christmas—was
enjoyed by all,
but especially
Nick, Wonderful
and Blay Blay
who went looking
for money at the
top of this 12-foot
pole!
Below: Meh Mo
looks on as Htay
Mon and Shae
Meh share laughs
over their “white
elephant” gift —
so many funny
surprises on New
Year’s Eve.
Who we are
Jubilee Partners is an intentional Christian service community in north Georgia. Our primary ministry is
offering hospitality to newly arrived refugees. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are
thus tax-deductible. Your donations and support of our work are most appreciated.
Jubilee Partners, Box 68, Comer, GA 30629
706-783-5131, www.jubileepartners.org
View Jubilee’s newsletter in color online at www.jubileepartners.org!
Jubilee Partners
P.O. Box 68
Comer, GA 30629
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage is
PAID
Athens, Georgia
Permit Number 14
March 2015
Jubilee’s PreK class has been busy this winter! Here Mu Ka Pru Soe (5) concentrates on her painting project.