Moving mission through the movies.
by Hrywna, Mark
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It might not have the mainstream stature of a red carpet debut but
Prison Fellowship Ministries did its part to promote its mission through
a film that opened last month.
The Lansdowne, Va.-based organization collaborated with Take
director Charles Oliver on two Web sites dedicated to restorative
justice and personal forgiveness: takejustice.org and
giveforgiveness.com. The two were brought together by The Clapham Group,
a social marketing firm in Burke, Va.
Academy-Award nominee Minnie Driver stars as a struggling mother,
Ann, who loses her son during a convenience store robbery in the film
Take, which opened July 18. The movie takes on loss, regret, and pain as
Ann experiences personal and spiritual reconciliation through
forgiveness and restorative justice.
Takejustice.org allows visitors to explore the work of restorative
justice groups like Prison Fellowship. The site includes a petition to
encourage prison officials to allow restorative justice meetings at the
request of victims and prisoners. It also features true stories of
victims finding peace and healing through restorative justice as well as
a discussion guide for post-movie conversations about justice and
forgiveness.
Modeled after anonymous confession sites, giveforgiveness.com
allows visitors to forgive someone or ask someone for forgiveness via
email. The site collects posts and creates a place to encourage
forgiveness and reconciliation.
A faith-based organization that serves prisoners, ex-prisoners, and
their families, Prison Fellowship Ministries was founded by former Nixon
aide Charles Colson, who, too, served time, and today has programs in
more than 100 countries.
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NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.