New documentary chronicles transformation in Dallas neighborhood

'Jubilee' to debut during Domestic Poverty Conference

April 26, 2010 [Office of Public Affairs] A new Episcopal Church documentary about the 12-year relationship that transformed both an affluent Dallas parish and a high-crime neighborhood that residents called "a war zone" and was known locally as "the DMZ" will debut April 28.
 
"Jubilee," depicting the changes in a 62-block area of Dallas, will have its premiere showing at 7 p.m. as part of a special conference, "Called to Serve: The Episcopal Church Responds to Domestic Poverty," which will begin on April 27 in Newark, New Jersey.
 
Produced by the Office of Communication of the Episcopal Church, "Jubilee" chronicles the transformational work at Jubilee Park in East Dallas through the Jubilee Park and Community Center, which provides an array of educational and social services to residents living below the poverty level. The film also highlights the transformational effect on the center's sponsoring parish, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.
 
"'Jubilee' tells the story of people changed, in both the neighborhood and the church," said Mike Collins, director of digital media for the Episcopal Church. "'Jubilee' shows the Episcopal Church in action, in service, and in response to those in need. We are proud to be able to present this documentary and hope it becomes a guideline for others in their mission work and ministry. 'Jubilee' is the first in a series of documentaries heralding the work of Jubilee Park and Community Center."

"Jubilee" will be available on the Episcopal Church website following the conference, Collins said.
 
In "Jubilee," church members and community residents talk about the difference Jubilee Park and Community Center has made in their lives and in their spirituality, calling it "missionary work in our own back yard."
 
With as much laughter as tears, the people of Jubilee Park -- church member, service provider, teacher, architect, board member, services recipient, neighborhood resident, or child -- tell their stories of rebirth, rejuvenation, and how transformation is possible.
 
The relationship started 12 years ago when St. Michael and All Angels was celebrating an anniversary and, "rather than another statue," the church decided to mark the milestone in a different way, explains the Rev. Dr. Robert Dannals, rector.
 
St. Michael and All Angels, with 7,200 members -- one of the largest congregations in the Episcopal Church -- wanted to focus on a community in Dallas that also centered on children's needs.
 
Today, among the results are an early childhood education center with 171 students called David's' Place, a farmers market, a secure environment, personal enrichment programs and a neighborhood has developed and grown in an otherwise neglected area of the city.
 
The Called to Serve conference, an in-depth exploration of the nature of domestic poverty and the church's role in addressing the issues, begins the evening of April 27 and will conclude after Eucharist April 30 at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, New Jersey.
 
The conference agenda is available here and details about workshops are here.

For more information, contact the Rev. Christopher A. Johnson, Jubilee officer for the Episcopal Church, cjohnson@episcopalchurch.org.
 
The conference is supported by Jubilee Ministries, Episcopal Community Services in America, and National Episcopal Health Ministries.