By Chauncey Bailey

Faith and God’s love can heal deep wounds Bishop Bob Jackson told those attending the 28th annual Jonestown Memorial Service in Oakland on Saturday.

    They gathered at Evergreen Cemetery where 406 of the 913 victims of Jonestown are buried. All perished in November 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana, where they had been living in a settlement led by Rev. Jim Jones. Jones ordered his followers to consume a poisoned drink that took their lives.

   “I struggled to be here ... to give you comfort,” said Jackson, pastor at Acts Full Gospel Church. “How could God have allowed this? Or 9/11 or Katrina? But He is a God of love. He allows you to operate in your own will. Hatred puts you in bondage. Praise Him because He is a God of love. When you really love, He sets you free. Most of us want something in return for love. But He loves you in spite of what you may do. Instead of condemning, we should say forgive them, for they know not what they do. We will see young people and babies in heaven, not just old people.”
    Jackson also donated $1,000 toward a Jonestown Memorial Wall, which organizers predict will cost $250,000 to complete.
    Dr. Jynona Norwood, who lost 27 family members at Jonestown, said, “We are here to honor their memory. They did not go to Jonestown to die. They were victims of manipulation and murder. They were pioneers to build a better world ... we need to build a better world. They saw inequality in America.”
    Jones’ Peoples Temple was based in San Francisco. Most of his followers to Jonestown were blacks. Among the victims were 276 children. The youngest was three months old.
    Since the deaths, survivors and their supporters have been holding annual memorials in Oakland.
    For more information about the Memorial Wall visit www.jonestown.org or email Norwood at dnorwood@jonestown. org.