Monthly Archive for April, 2007

Sixteen Years

Published
by
Joshua
on April 9, 2007
in Action, Community, Dialogue, Peace and Planning
. 3 Comments

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For sixteen years, Philly native Harold Wilson served time for a murder that he was later found innocent of. What does living on death row for that long do to a person?-especially if one is not guilty? Are there others who are waiting to die yet are not guilty?

These questions and others will be discussed on Tuesday April 10th, 8pm at Circle of Hope East (map here) at an event brought to you by the Circle of Peacemakers and Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Harold Wilson will be there, talking about his life, his story, his work, and some of what he sees as a need for serious change.

Here is an article in the City Paper about him. This article mentions that since the mid-1970’s, PA has found that twice as many people were innocent on death row as have been executed (3 killed, 6 released). Does this stir up anything for you?

Here are a couple of other facts from the PADP

Of the 200 prisoners on death row in PA, 70% are people of color

More than half of the people on PA’s death row are from Philadelphia (which is 14% of the population of the state)

90% of people on death row in PA could not afford a lawyer for their initial trial. After going to death row, PA does not have funding for post-conviction legal defense.

since 1973 in the US, 123 death row inmates have been proven innocent.

What do you think? Post a comment, bring it up in your cell meeting, or come Tuesday night to the meeting at 8pm at East.

Holy Week, midway

Published
by
Joshua
on April 4, 2007
in Community, Family and Planning
. 0 Comments

Each year more and more people make the conscious effort to walk with Jesus through that last holy week before he died and rose. Each year more become present to what he was going through and for the end of Lent get a final touch of his suffering for us, and the great power of his resurrection that we can share in.

Keep it up, vigilers. The first few nights have been great, and we continue closer and closer to Friday when he takes our burdens to the cross. Here’s another encouragement to see if you can get to the rest of the Holy Week vigils and some more info about Sunday’s Public Meetings on Resurrection Sunday.

Holy Week vigils

at Broad & Washington

Mon-Thurs night at …7:30pm

Fri-noon to 3, drop by for the prayer vigil and walk the stations of the cross through our neighborhood

Sat-10am morning vigil

Sunday: meet as a network for sunrise worship on Lemon Hill, 6am

7pm only on Sunday night

at East
Mon-Thurs night at…7pm
Fri-noon to 3, drop by for the prayer vigil and walk the stations of the cross through our neighborhood

Sunday: meet as a network for sunrise worship on Lemon Hill, 6am

5pm only on Sunday night

put your palms up

Published
by
Joshua
on April 1, 2007
in Community, Family and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Yesterday, when the cell leaders were together, Danielle had us put our palms up (the palms of our hands) to prepare the way, making Jesus our King again a week before his death and rising. That was a pretty cool play on words that I had never thought of and helped me to be quite open to receiving what Jesus is bringing into the city this week.

I mistakingly waited until this morning to buy palm fronds from the Italian Market and they had increased by four times in price. I had to talk the lady at the flower shop down to get enough with the funds I had. She wasn’t to keen on it, but let me go because I guess there aren’t too many pastors Frond Shopping by that time on Palm Sunday.

So put your palms up today. If you can put a frond up, wave it in your call to Jesus, in need of a Savior. If you can put your palms of your hands up, be open to receive your King. He brings all hope, all grace, and all love with him.

John 12

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the King of Israel!”
Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”