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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Bill Pelke, Anchorage AK

Bill authored a book entitled Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, which details the May 14, 1985 murder of his grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. Paula Cooper who was deemed to be the ringleader was sentenced to die in the electric chair by the state of Indiana. She was fifteen-years-old at the time of the murder.

Pelke originally support the sentence of death for Cooper, but went through a spiritual transformation in 1986 after praying for love and compassion for Paula Cooper and her family. He became successfully involved in an international crusade on Paula's behalf and in 1989 her sentenced was commuted to sixty years in prison.   Over 2 million people from Europe, mostly Italy, signed petitions that Paula be removed from death row. Pope John Paul II’s request for mercy, Paula was taken off of death row and her sentence commuted to sixty years.

Bill, a retired steelworker, has dedicated his life to working for abolition of the death penalty.  He shares his story of forgiveness and compassion and the healing power of forgiveness. Pelke has traveled to over forty states and ten countries with the Journey of Hope and has told his story thousands of times

Facts

  • President and Co-founder of Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing; Chair - Present
  • Board Member Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing; 1997-Present
  • Board: National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; 1996-Present
    Chair 2004-08
  • Founding Board Member of Murder Victims Families for Human Rights 2004
  • Board Member MVFHR; 2004-Present
  • Incorporator of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation;1993
  • Board Member MVFR; 1991-1998
  • Board Member; Alaskans Against the Death Penalty
  • Cofounder Abolitionist Action Committee; 1993
  • Author:  Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing

Quotes

“The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity"

“I am a Christian, and Jesus said, ‘Whosoever has no sin, cast the first stone.’ Under that criterion, none of us can cast the stone of death.”

“The death penalty has absolutely nothing to do with healing.  [It] just continues the cycle of violence and creates more murder victims family members.  We become what we hate.  We become killers.”

"Hate the sin, love the sinner"

"Revenge is never, ever the answer"

“Forgive no matter how bad someone has hurt you”

“Perhaps the greatest part of God’s love is the forgiveness that love brings.”