Don Mosley is one of the founders of Jubilee Partners based in Comer, Georgia. In the 1970s he and his wife Carolyn were part of the intentional inter-racial rural community Koinonia Partners just outside of Americus, Georgia. While there they worked with Millard and Linda Fuller to found Habitat for Humanity which has grown into a global Housing program following the “economics of Jesus” to provide decent housing for poor families.
In 1979 the Mosleys and a few others launched a new community amid over 200 acres of woodland that would emphasize peace and justice with an international service component, all based on following the teachings of Jesus. They decided to becoming a welcoming center for refugees. Their first guests were from Cuba They built places for people stay, taught English, introduced their guests to American culture, but most importantly created a loving and supportive community among people of diverse backgrounds.
As permanent placements were found for the refugees, more followed. After the Cubans Jublilee Partners hosted refugees from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bosnia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Chad, and Sudan. Though the community was founded as a Christian community, they welcomed people of other faiths, helping them find their new way into places of sanctuary and new beginnings. Sometimes refugees came from opposite sides of conflicts, but in the supportive atmosphere of Jubilee they worked on reconciliation, at least at the personal level. Over the years more than 3,000 refugees from 30 countries have passed through Jubilee Partners.
Mosley traveled to many countries to take peacemaking into the heart of conflicts. He visited Iraq during the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. following the Gulf War, personally witnessing the devastation wrought among children where pediatric hospitals had almost no supplies. Children died at a horrendous rate. Mosley launched the “All Our Children” campaign and returned with a truck caravan of medical supplies. He then arranged for another convoy to support the hospital relief. This put him in violation of U.S. law. He was threatened with up to a $1,000,000 fine and 12 years in prison. After 2 years of investigation the fine was dropped to $30,000, but Mosley refused to pay. In his letter of refusal he wrote, “As a Christian, I try to understand and to follow–though very imperfectly at best–the model and teachings of Jesus Christ in such matters. I believe that the best in Christianity (as well as in other religions) always calls on us to be compassionate peacemakers in a world where that sometimes appears to others to be naive.” Eventually Mosley’s case was dropped altogether.
Click to visit the Jubilee Partners website.
Click to order Don Mosley’s book Faith Beyond Borders: Doing Justice in a Dangerous World.