Revs Rob Schenck and Pat Mahoney of Ten Commandments Project, Father Terry Gensemer of CEC for Life, Host Coalition-Building Meeting Monday In Birmingham

Complimentary 90-Minute Informational Fellowship Breakfast Meeting Open to All Pastors, Clergy, Church Staff, Ministry Leaders, Chaplains, and Concerned Christians

Contact: Eric Berman, 917-842-7635; Rev. Rob Schenck, RSVPBirmingham@gmail.com 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 8, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Sam Waterston, award-winning actor and star of NBC's iconic "Law & Order" will speak at an informational Fellowship Breakfast meeting to be held Monday, October 12 at 8:30 AM at the Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham Downtown / Tutwiler Hotel, to brief pastors and other ministry leaders on the urgent situation surrounding death row inmate William ("Billy") Kuenzel, whose story has captured the attention of Christian people throughout Alabama and around the nation. Breakfast will be served beginning at 8:00AM and the program will begin promptly at 8:30AM.

Limited seating for the complimentary Fellowship Breakfast, which includes parking, is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Pastors, chaplains, and other ministry leaders will be considered first, but other interested parties are welcome as space permits. The Hampton Inn & Suites/Tutwiler Hotel is located at 2021 Park Place in downtown Birmingham.

For Clergy:
To request a spot at the Fellowship Breakfast, please RSVP by Saturday, October 10th at 3:00PM to: RSVPBirmingham@gmail.com.

For Media:
To register for the Media Briefing, which will take place at 10:30AM at the Ridgely Room in The Hampton Inn & Suites/Tutwiler Hotel, please respond Attn: Katherine Moore with your name, media outlet and contact information to: RSVPBirmingham@gmail.com.

Background
Waterston narrates a video on the Alabama for Justice website (www.alabamaforjustice.com) that tells the story of the issues surrounding Billy Kuenzel's 1988 murder conviction and death sentence. Billy has consistently and respectfully maintained his innocence from the very beginning. In the years since, new evidence has surfaced that has never been heard by a jury. During his time in prison, Billy has served as a lay leader and faithfully assisted the chaplain at the Holman Correction Facility.

Pastors in Alabama have expressed grave concerns over what may have been a gross miscarriage of justice, allowing the perpetrator of a heinous crime to go free in full view. The breakfast will provide an opportunity to explain how others can help support Billy's efforts by participating in the next legal filing.

Billy, the volunteer lawyers representing him, and now a coalition of church and ministry leaders from across the denominational and political spectrums, including Father Terry Gensemer of CEC for Life, are asking not for a commutation of sentence, not to challenge Alabama's death penalty, but only for a new trial for Billy at which the new evidence can be heard for the first time. It is his last hope to be vindicated.

Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council and chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance, who is known for his advocacy of the Ten Commandments display in the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery, said, "In all my years as a minister, that included many visits to prisoners of every kind, I have never encountered an incarcerated person as credible as Billy Kuenzel. His Christian testimony is clear, his track record of behavior has been unblemished, and his service to the chaplain has been exemplary. I am convinced his case demands another look. Micah 6:8 says, 'He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?' Billy's case allows us to do all those things."

Rev. Pat Mahoney, also known in Alabama for his work on the Ten Commandments and for pro-life causes, said, "Alabamians are good people. They have seen injustice in the past and have righted the wrongs in society, and that happened through the church, through Christian people, crying out to God, obeying His Word, and reaching out a hand to help. This is an opportunity to do that again and to show this state's extraordinary commitment to doing what is right and good. Without a new trial, an innocent brother in Christ may die, while a murderer goes free. All we are asking for is an examination of the facts and the new evidence in this tragic story."

In addition to actor Sam Waterston, Rev. Schenck, and Billy Kuenzel's legal team, Alabama church leaders and others are expected to participate in the 90-minute breakfast briefing at the Tutwiler that will present ways Christian leaders can help to bring about a new trial and, perhaps, save an innocent man's life, while strengthening Alabama's commitment to fairness and equity.

"This is not an anti-death penalty presentation," said Rev. Schenck. "That isn't even at issue here. Neither is there any racial component in this story. This is all about fairness, equity, righteousness, and justice, which can only strengthen the rule of law and constitutional principles."

Contact:
Rev. Robert Schenck
RSVPBirmingham@gmail.com