Comer, Georgia, USA
Living in Christian Community
Sharing with Refugees
Working for Peace
Sharing with Refugees
Working for Peace
|
Comer, Georgia, USA |
Living in Christian Community Sharing with Refugees Working for Peace |
|
|
||
|
Jubilee
In Biblical times "the year of the Lord's favor" - the "year of jubilee" - was a time when prisoners were to be set free, debts forgiven, and the poor given a share of the resources (Lev. 25). Jubilee, meant to take place every fiftieth year, was a year marked by justice and mercy - themes at the heart of God's good news as shared by the Old Testament prophets and then Jesus (Luke 4). We seek ways to live out the Biblical vision of " jubilee ", trusting that God will bless our attempts to live as followers of Jesus Christ. That search takes us into all kinds of situations and connects us with people from all over the world. As we see for ourselves the power of God's love in one situation after another, we are filled with celebration. Our Work
Our foundational ministry is the Refugee Program, through which we have hosted over 3,000 refugees from more than 30 war-torn countries around the world. Our work with refugees has led to other programs such as the Walk In Peace campaign, in which we work with many fine Nicaraguans who are trying to help war victims and rebuild their country. In our Latin American Visitor Program we host Central and South American church workers at Jubilee. They have a chance to study English, speak in churches and to other groups here, and return home better prepared to be bridges of understanding. In the fall of 2007, we welcomed our first Middle Eastern Seminar participant, a Coptic Christian from Egypt here on a similar program. We welcome invitations for these people to come speak. We work against the death penalty, feeling it contrary to the spirit and teaching of Jesus. By visiting prisoners, helping their families, and speaking out about what we learn, we work to change attitudes about this issue. We organize delegations to places of conflict, have taken medicine to Iraqi children's hospitals, work to promote interracial friendship in our own part of the world, write and speak widely about peacemaking - all in an effort to be active followers of Jesus in a world that badly needs the hope that he brought to us. Community
Jubilee has a staff of about 25 adults and several children. About half of the adults are "resident partners," for whom this is a year-round home. The rest are seasonal "volunteers," who may live and work at Jubilee anywhere from three months to a year. In addition, there may be up to 20 or 25 refugees from Sudan, Afghanistan, or other war-torn countries. And finally, there is a steady stream of visitors from near and far, several hundred a year.
We live, work, and worship together here, sharing our resources and our hope. A more detailed description of daily life can be read here. Organization
Jubilee Partners is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a Board of Directors which meets twice a year. Donations for our local work and for our various projects in other places are tax-deductible. Our audited financial records are available to the public. Although we depend entirely on contributions to support Jubilee's work, we seldom do any explicit fund raising for our local ministries. However, we are not reluctant to ask for funds for special needs in places like Nicaragua, Bosnia, or the children's hospitals in Iraq. We keep our local expenses as low as we can by living modestly, doing most of our own maintenance and construction, gardening, sharing vehicles, etc. Our operating expenses are covered by the donations of friends, the many people who are "partners" with us in this work even though they live elsewhere.
|
