wfn.org | Newsline: Death Row Support Project marks 30 years

["COBNews Newsline" <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- July 3, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

>DEATH ROW SUPPORT PROJECT MARKS 30 YEARS

(July 3, 2008) Elgin, IL -- The Death Row Support Project was birthed
from the criminal justice program of the Washington Office of the
Church of the Brethren 30 years ago. Since its beginning in 1978, it has
followed the path of many other Church of the Brethren-initiated efforts:
it now has participants from all over the world and from many different
denominations.

The project began at a time when the death penalty returned to the
forefront of political debate in the United States, after a five-year  period
in which the constitutionality of the death penalty was under scrutiny.
There had been no executions for 10 years. There were, however, 400
people who had been sentenced to death by a few states who had refused
to let go of the death penalty.

The twofold purpose of the project was, and continues to be, to "visit"
those in prison, following the call of Jesus, and to provide a way for
those outside of the criminal justice system to be educated about the
realities of the death penalty. Interested people are asked to begin by
writing a letter to someone on death row, reaching out in friendship.

Some participants have been able to visit their friends on death row.
Once, in the Florida State Prison visiting room, a man from Texas and a
couple from Minnesota met each other and discovered that they were
both there because of the Death Row Support Project!

The death penalty is an issue that can be approached from many different
directions. Most Death Row Support Project participants simply write
letters. Others have become more involved. One couple testified at a
resentencing hearing for their friend; another witnessed the execution of
his pen pal. An elderly white woman makes an annual trek from
California to Ohio to visit the black man whom she calls "brother."
Sunday school classes have "adopted" a death row prisoner, making it
possible to send small amounts of money in addition to writing letters.

A special calling is required to write to someone on death row. Not all
people are easy to write to. Some individuals have been on death row for
almost 30 years. Others will have sentences reduced and be in prison the
rest of their lives. Some will become close family friends, and then be
executed.

In spite of the challenges, as is often the case when the Spirit calls us,
there is much reward in this important work of reaching out to "the least
of these."

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and
Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches.  It
celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

(This report was provided by Rachel Gross, one of the founders of the
Death Row Support Project along with her husband, Bob Gross. She
continues as volunteer staff for the project. Go to
www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/drsp.htm for more information.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren General Board
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org

**********************************************************
To receive Church of the Brethren news via an e-mail list serv, go to
http://listserver.emountain.net/mailman/listinfo/newsline