It’s exactly the kind of thing you should expect from a church. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta teamed up with rapper T.I. and VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop” personality Scrapp Deleon (both men have been formally incarcerated) to help a group of nonviolent offenders by paying $120,000 to bail them out of jail just in time for the Easter holiday.
“Just for finding the courage to start their life again is worthy of giving God glory,” said New Birth’s pastor, Dr. Jamal Bryant.
First time offenders in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties got the surprise of their lives when they were released.
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Anthony Gordon was one of the happy recipients.
Gordon told Fox 5 DC, he was in disbelief when he heard over the jail’s intercom system, “Hey, pack it up, you’re going home.”
“I came back down, and I hit the little intercom and said, ‘Are y’all sure you’re calling me,'” he said.
Gordon, along with 23 others were released because of the church’s mission to raise $40,000, at the start of Lent. They soon learned that contributions had soared to $120,000, which was used to bail out seven women and 16 men just in the nick of time to celebrate the Easter holiday with their families.
“I could not be prouder of my New Birth family for answering the call and affirming that everyone deserves a second chance,” Bryant said.
“I could think of no better way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ than to provide these young men and women with an opportunity reunite with their families, resurrect their lives and get back on the right path.”
“It’s like a whole new clean slate,” said Tyron Pollard a program recipient. “I was doing drugs before I got locked up … but I don’t want to do nothing but do right and strive to be a model citizen for my kids. For people to just reach out, willing to help out of the blue, them not knowing you from nobody…that’s a blessing.”
New Birth is even taking things a step further by providing each recipients with mentors as part of a “wraparound service,” who will check in with them on a weekly basis for the next eight weeks. This will hopefully provide them with the support system needed to stay out of the system.
Can we get an Amen?