Joshua Kezer to talk about life as a free man Sunday at Centenary United Methodist Church

Centenary United Methodist Church senior pastor Jeff Long wants to have a conversation with Joshua Kezer -- an Illinois man wrongly convicted of murder -- and is going to share the experience with his congregation.

Members of the public are also welcome to Centenary on Sunday for "Liberty for the Captives: A Conversation with Josh Kezer." Long plans to interview Kezer about being exonerated in the 1992 murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless and life as a free man.

"Every experience that we have has something to teach us," Long said. Kezer "is able to take his experience and, yes, see how terrible it was, but also look at it and say 'I would not be the person I am today if this had not happened to me.' He's able to see the good in it and how God's hand was in it."

In this photo taken on Jan. 28, Josh Kezer speaks to a group of children in Columbia, Mo. Kezer was released from prison last year after a Cole County judge ruled that prosecutors improperly withheld key evidence from his defense attorneys. (AP photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kezer first spoke at Centenary, at 300 N. Ellis St. in Cape Girardeau, in April 2009, just two months after his release from prison. Kezer, charged and convicted of murdering Lawless in 1994, spent 16 years in prison before being exonerated by a Cole County judge who said the prosecution kept key evidence from Kezer's defense attorney.

During his first visit to the church, Kezer spoke to the congregation about forgiveness. Long said many who attended worship that day were "very moved" by Kezer's message and his steadfast faith in God.

"It was clear that something had happened to him. He'd had an encounter with God that was powerful," Long said.

Kezer said he's been back to Cape Girardeau a few times since his release from prison, and it's almost always a "welcomed experience."

"I get a chance to show the community down there that witnessed the whole thing happen to me that it's not beating me. I'm living my life; I'm living with a purpose," Kezer said.

So, because he lent Kezer the pulpit during his last visit, Long wanted worship this time to be different. Long wants to hear what's happened since Kezer's been a free man and hopes to hear how his faith plays a part in his life now as a free man.

"It's an opportunity for us to continue our relationship with somebody, frankly, who had a grave injustice committed to him," Long said.

The conversation with Kezer will be at 8:45 a.m. Sunday in the church's sanctuary and at 11 a.m. in the Family Life Center. A question-and-answer session with the congregation will follow the 11 a.m. service, per Kezer's suggestion.

"I invite questions," he said. "I want people to ask questions, and I'll answer any questions regarding Christ, this case. I'll answer any question as long as it's asked respectfully."

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent Address:

300 N. Ellis St., Cape Girardeau, MO