Rev. Susan Hitts tells how faith leaders in her small Michigan community rallied around the parents of American prisoner Paul Whelan with love and support and celebrated his release.
REV. SUSAN HITTS
Manchester UMC
For 2,043 days, Manchester, Michigan, residents prayed for the release of Paul Whelan, an American man imprisoned in Russia. Paul was a resident of Southeast Michigan before he was held in Russia. His parents, Ed and Rosemary Whelan, are long-time residents of Manchester. The strong community love for Paul’s parents and the loss of his home while in prison led to Manchester becoming the “hometown” the country looked to when our prayers were answered for his release on August 1, 2024.
The nation learned of Paul Whelan’s release as an elaborate negotiation between government officials that resulted in an exchange of prisoners between Russia and the United States. However, in this small Michigan town, it looked a little different. Residents counted this as a miracle that came as an answer to prayer.
In December 2018, Paul was brought into custody in Russia. In December 2022, a family friend met with a group of leaders at her church in Manchester. This friend was overwhelmed by the thought of Ed and Rosemary facing another holiday season without Paul. These individuals thought about the tradition of tying yellow ribbons around trees in the United States when soldiers were away, hostages were detained, or prisoners were being held. Thus, out of the empathy and compassion of a friend and the initiative of a group of church leaders, The Yellow Ribbon Project was born.
The Yellow Ribbon Project was intended to be a love letter to the Whelan family. Yellow ribbons were handed out at the library and local stores. Community members were encouraged to tie these ribbons around town to let Paul’s parents know that Manchester saw them, prayed with them, and remembered with them. This was an opportunity to let Ed and Rosemary know they were not alone in the struggle.
Months passed, and the yellow ribbons became faded, soiled, and tattered. Yet, the community continued to pray for Paul’s freedom. Still, as time moved forward, other Americans imprisoned in Russia had their release negotiated, but not Paul.
On August 1, 2024, the community started to hear whispers that today might be the day. Politicians, law enforcement, and residents of Manchester were told to prepare — Paul might be freed soon. Late that same night, Paul and other prisoners released with him touched ground in the United States.
News media started coming to Manchester once Paul had been moved from Russian custody to American care. Locally, people hugged Ed and Rosemary at the ice cream social in town on August 1. Everyone was overjoyed!
On the same day, a lay person from my church who is heavily involved in Lay Servant Ministries called me to ask if we could have an opportunity to thank God for the release of Paul Whelan. Though Manchester celebrated the release of Paul Whelen on the day it occurred, there was a pent-up desire for people to have time and space to gather together with their gratitude. I agreed that it was a great idea and a much-needed opportunity.
Planning this gathering felt strange to me, having landed in a global news story in a town where I had only pastored a year. However, I had connections with other clergy in Manchester, so I reached out to them to make a plan. We met at a corner table in the town diner with a photo of Paul’s parents on a poster over our table. There, we set out to give Manchester the opportunity so many had been seeking — a chance to give thanks to God for the answer to our community’s prayers that had been lifted up for more than five and a half years.
We decided to create a thanksgiving gathering on the two-week anniversary of Paul’s freedom. This gave us five days to plan everything and get the word out. Each of us had to work from our strengths. One pastor had been a long-time member of Manchester and was clergy throughout Paul’s imprisonment. Another pastor was a natural at problem-solving and gifted in public prayer. I was a strong administrator and a quick communicator. Somehow, all the tasks started to come together.
On August 15, 2024, a park in this tiny Michigan town teemed with 77 people who came out on a weekday morning to thank God for answering prayers for Paul’s safe return to the United States. We sang, celebrated, and worshiped as a community in a way that stretched beyond our individual faith traditions. Some brought cards to share with Paul and his family, who were watching the event together via livestream since he had not made it home to Michigan. Later, I explained The Yellow Ribbon Project and invited the community to collect those ribbons that had been held with love and prayer into a basket. The ribbons would be given to a local fabric artist to create a lasting gift for Paul and his family. This way, they would have a tangible memento of a town’s love, prayer, and support.
On the day of this thanksgiving gathering, three television news stations reported on the event. Later, a radio news station called to interview me for Detroit area radio coverage. This story has spread well beyond the Detroit area, as I have heard from people in other parts of the state who have seen the interviews broadcast in their area. The message of gratitude to God was repeated in each broadcast or news story. Whenever I spoke to the media, I made it clear that we gathered to thank God. Others who spoke to the press also discussed their faith perspective regarding Paul’s freedom. We gave all the credit to God and celebrated answered prayers.
One television reporter pointedly asked me why we would gather as a community now. I told him that we often pray but frequently forget to thank God when those prayers are answered. We didn’t want to make that mistake after such a long journey as a community. I explained that praising God was the only response we could have in this beautiful moment.
Manchester residents never gave up hope and never forgot the plight of the Whelan family. They prayed together, tied ribbons as a community, and celebrated together. When the time came, the laypeople of the community called out for an opportunity to thank God. Clergy moved beyond denominational lines to work together. Everyone did what we could to say yes with our gifts and abilities to give God the glory and show love to a family that had experienced so much. We worked together, and everyone was better because of it. This is how we love God and love our neighbor in a small town in Michigan.
Last Updated on August 28, 2024