GHS recently processed the Jubilee Partners collection of newsletters (GHS 2798), and they are now available to researchers in the GHS Research Center.

In 1979, Koinonia Farm, an agricultural-based Christian community in Americus, Georgia, which inspired Habitat for Humanity and other grassroots organizations, founded Jubilee Partners in rural northeast Georgia. The May 1979 Koinonia Newsletter shared that “after seven years of meetings, legal preparation, trips to search for the right site, and much prayerful meditation about the venture, a new community has come to life.”

“Jubilee Partners is an example of a faith-based, intentional community in northeast Georgia that has been in continual operation for more than 40 years,” said Nate Pedersen, GHS Manager of the Archival and Reference Team. “In addition to living together in community, the group offers hospitality and transitional aid services to refugees. Since 1979, the group has hosted over 2,500 refugees. These newsletters offer interesting insights into the growth of a sister organization to the major international nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, as both organizations have their roots in the late 1970s at Koinonia Farm. The newsletters depict daily life at the community, as well as offering profiles of the refugees who stayed with them. We are pleased to preserve this important part of Georgia history.”

Recently digitized, the newsletters in this collection share announcements and updates from the community regarding their efforts in working with refugees, immigrants, prisoners, and other marginalized groups. Some, titled “The Jubilee Journal,” are written by people who take classes at the Jubilee school. In these special issues, the refugees share their experiences and what they have learned. The collection will continue to grow as Jubilee Partners produces new newsletters and sends GHS copies to add to the collection.

Explore the Jubilee Partners collection of newsletters in the GHS collection.

Top Image: From the December 1979 Jubilee Partners newsletter. Below: Page from September 1979 Jubilee Partners newsletter. GHS 2798 Jubilee Partners collection of newsletters. Retrieved from Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.