I was very excited when an opportunity became available for me to work alongside my husband as part of the prison ministry and to be able to bring live Christian praise and worship music inside the prison walls. Attending the Sunday morning service is so enjoyable. Pastor Tony opens with a half hour question and answer time. There are usually about a dozen or so guys that attend and during this time they have some very interesting and challenging questions.
Pastor Tony really knows the Word, he points us to scriptures that answers these questions and gives the guys tools to use as they have conversations with others during the week that have questions of their own or are challenging them as they try to share their faith. I keep waiting for them to stump him….hasn’t happened yet! Then there is the actual church service with some praise and worship time and a great word from Pastor Tony. I see some of the same men week to week. Others trickle in here and there, and then there are those you suddenly stop seeing and you hope it’s because they have been released. It’s been enjoyable from the onset, but more so each week as I am starting to get more familiar with the men, the routine and the environment now after a few months.
At first I can honestly say I didn’t know what to expect and if I would feel comfortable. But the Holy Spirit is there and allows for an atmosphere of reverence and respect where we are able to focus on the Word and the Lord. The men seem grateful and I can say I am honestly moved and blessed when we all praise the Lord and worship together during the music time. Kathy is so friendly, welcoming and encouraging both to me and the guys. And Gary peaks our interest each week with the most fascinating tidbits of things hidden in the scriptures that I have usually passed right by. By the time I leave there on Sunday morning I have had some brief but fruitful fellowship, have been blessed and fed by the Word and have shared in a beautiful time of corporate praise and worship.
I know that we have a unique audience there and know that the soil that the seed falls onto may not withstand the elements of freedom once these guys are out. So the added ministry that needs to be done on the outside is so important. Reaching out to the families and having some kind of continuous discipleship for the guys once they are out is so important. I’m just starting to learn a bit about all of that and hope to be a part of the ongoing process. Participating in this ministry was simply an act of obedience in answer to a request…a reluctant act of obedience I might add due to the commitment, the time involved and just the apprehension of “are we equipped to do this?” But can there be any wrong in obedience? We ARE equipped. So we step out in faith and serve. And are blessed. So very blessed.
