THE PASSING OF MY SPIRITUAL FATHER SOCIAL ACTIVIST REV. BILL WEBBER

In 1985 I was sentenced to 15 years to life under the Rockefeller Drug
Laws of New York State. I struggled to survive in the maximum security
hell hole, Sing Sing, and did many things I was not proud of to stay
alive. Being in prison for many years had drained me spiritually and
emotionally. There were times when the only emotion I was aware of was
a quiet, smoldering rage. Because of the barriers I'd built to
survive, I'd become desensitized, and I knew it. There was still a
part of me that could see myself from the outside in, and what I saw I
didn't like: a callous, bitter individual consumed with the injustices
of the world. I knew that I needed to heal if I ever wanted to
interact normally with people upon release.

I had some insight into human behavior because of the bachelor's
degree in Behavioral Science I'd earned from Mercy College in 1993.
The problem was, the program was over and I had to serve an additional
7 years.

The walls of negativity were beginning to close in on me again when a
friend told me about a unique program he'd recently joined known as
the New York Theological Seminary, a one-year, 42-credit program that
afforded a select group of Sing Sing prisoners the opportunity to earn
a Masters of Professional Studies in Ministry. Opened in Sing Sing in
1983, the New York Theological Seminary was the only program of its
kind in the country, a graduate-level religious studies program that
required a four-year degree from an accredited university to join. The
program demanded intense academic scholarship and a commitment to
personal growth. Each year, hundreds of prisoners applied but only
fifteen were accepted. I was fortunate to be chosen by Dr. George
"Bill" Webber, the longstanding director of the program that was a
fearless champion of prisoners' rights.

Under his leadership, the seminary program provided theological
education to prisoners at Sing Sing.

The program has graduated hundreds of men, many of whom are now social
workers, pastors, prison reform advocates and educators.

Few have ever returned to prison.

Of those serving life sentences, many have devoted their lives to
teaching and ministry in prison.

When state funding for College programs ended, Dr. Webber organized
Rising Hope, a program which provides college level education to
inmates who have received their GED.

Rev. Webber brought together men of diverse religious and ethnic
backgrounds to this program.

A recurrent theme was that of "koinonia," or authentic
community.

Koinonia encompasses the belief that we must reject the differences
between us to create a society where class distinction is nonexistent
and the poisons of racism, sexism and nationalism disappear.

He taught me that the core of the seminary teachings was based on
liberation theology, rooted in "praxis," or action as an essential
ingredient in all theological method.

Its hermeneutical approach argues that we cannot begin to understand,
criticize, or verify the meaning of scripture or tradition unless we
are approaching it from the actual practice of liberation, from
concrete involvement in trying to make the world better.

For the first few months of the program, I struggled to find a
foothold. I considered dropping out, but Bill Webber urged me to persevere.

He suggested that I sharpen my skills as an observer of human behavior
because in learning how to deal with others, I would gain mastery over
myself. I would learn to understand my emotions, he said, and to feel
again. In every confrontation I faced, whether with a prisoner, a
correction officer or an outsider, I tried to apply what I was
learning in the seminary to gain insight into my fellow man and the
world around me. For the first time in years, I felt empathy.

Bill had successfully taught me how to be a human being once
again.

In 1997 I received executive clemency from Governor George Pataki.
Upon my release I became an activist and have fought endlessly for
reform of draconian drug laws that put hundreds of thousands of
non-violent individuals in prison for many years.

In 2004, the New York Theological Seminary established the George W.
Webber Chair in Urban Ministry in his honor.

On May 19, 2000, he received the Union Medal from Union Theological
Seminary. The award included these words: "George Webber, your passion
for faith-based justice has helped shape the perspective of several
generations of Protestant clergy engaged in urban ministry.

Your imaginative grasp of the problems that confront an embattled
urban church in an expanding and often violent city has given new
meaning to the concept of Christian mission."

Bill Webber, a spiritual father to many men behind and beyond the
walls, will be surely missed.

Memorial services are tentatively planned in Sorrento, Maine in August
and in New York City in October.