In 1997, my husband, Mike and I got involved with prison ministry. It was the prison version of a weekend we had experienced. Mike and others served a weekend in Central prison and I went alone for the closing of their weekend. Matthew 25: 36, "I was in prison and you came to visit me." Was I scared as a female in a men’s maximum security prison? I thought I would be when I heard the big doors close behind me with an echo but as soon as I walked in, I heard 50 prisoners coming down the prison halls singing, “Surely The Presence of the Lord is In This Place” for everyone to hear. I knew the presence of the Lord was in Central Prison. These men stood up for Christ in front of all the other inmates!
The inmates answered the question, “what was their spiritual life like before the weekend? Most said, “low, down, or dead.” One inmate said, “I had no spiritual life.” No one had ever shared Jesus with Him. Mark 16: 15, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" Like many, he had never known his earthly father. He cried as he told a team member that he was the only earthly father he would know and thanked him for teaching him about Jesus. Heads were hung low, some only looked at the floor as they spoke. Silence would take over when one got too emotional, the others would yell, “take your time, brother”; “it’s ok man, let it out”; “we love you, man” or “you have been forgiven”.
Only a Christ filled weekend could have those men crying and hugging. Many forgave each other for "wronging” them. Over and over I heard how they had never been loved before this weekend. The warden wiped his eyes as he listened to the testimonies and even got an apology for all the pain and anger someone had caused him. Another inmate told the head of security that this ministry had taught him how to “escape” and the head of security replied, “I can handle this kind of escape.” The chaplain and the warden told us that they can see a big change in the inmates who attend this weekend. There are not as many fights, there is more respect shown to the correctional officers and each other and the church choir and services are getting bigger. Hebrews 13: 3, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Thanks be to God.
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