Restoring Justice ...

Lock him up and throw away the key! Do the crime; do the time. Prison ministry, why bother? “Guilty as hell,” hardened criminals, they deserve prison; Right!

Yes, but we also believe in redemption, salvation, changed lives. We believe that if a man confesses and repents of his sins he can be cleansed, renewed, become a new man?

Wellspring has an historical connection with Graterford SCI (State Correctional Institute). Much of the land that the prison now sits on was at one time farmland owned by Mennonite farmers who were members of this very church (then called Upper Skippack Mennonite Church).

Also, our land is contiguous with the prison. There is this vast prison land, then us, and our cemetery. It’s as if we were destined to have an ongoing “relationship” with Graterford. It seems God appointed that we should have an active, vibrant, and viable prison ministry.

And our particular prison ministry is Restorative Justice. This is all the more fitting for us—for our church is all about God’s work, which is all about reconciliation, renewal, healing, restoration, and wholeness. In Christ, brokenness and broken relationships is/are restored.

We choose not to build this church by marketing schemes, attracting middle class families by re-enforcing unquestioned middle class values, leaving all in their comfort zone in pursuing the American dream: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that amounts to abandoned materialistic self-indulgence at the expense of economic justice, world peace, and other local & global social inequities.

Rather we choose God’s higher calling, a demand for social justice, peace, transformation, and the renewal of the soul and spirit, leading to a lifestyle and value system that embraces the poor, the oppressed, the lost, hurt, enslaved, social outcast and the imprisoned (be it literal or spiritual imprisonment).

The marketer says, give people what they want and you will grow. God’s agenda is quite different. Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. How does one attract people by inviting them to carry an instrument of their own torture, suffering, and death? Yet, that's exactly what Jesus did!

Church Involvement: Restorative Justice Signposts (Mennonite Central Committee -- Betsy Lee & Lorraine Stutzman) ...

By God’s grace we know we are working toward restorative justice in the life of the church when we …
1. Show equal concern and commitment to all who have been harmed by empowering them and responding to their needs.
2. Focus on the brokenness within the community rather than make theological judgments.
3. Hold people accountable by encouraging them to understand, accept and carry out their obligations to those who have been harmed.
4. Recognize that obligations are not intended as punishment, but as part of grace and the ongoing journey of healing.
5. Provide opportunities for dialogue, direct and indirect, between all involved.
6. Involve and empower the affected community in any related discussions or processes.
7. Encourage collaboration and reintegration rather than coercion and isolation.
8. Give attention to unintended consequences of our actions and programs.
9. Recognize and hold the church accountable for policies, procedures and structures that perpetuate injustice and harms.
10. Provide space for truth and mercy to meet.