Moving mission through the movies.(Who ... When ... Where ... How ... WHAT?)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

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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