Last Monday, I was invited by a friend (CJ) to go to this prison for worship and Bible study. CJ has been a part of this prison ministry for the last 12 years (every Monday) and has been asking me to go with him for a very long time now. I usually have something going on on Monday nights - basketball, coaching soccer, etc. - but last Monday night I was free so I told him that I would go with him. He was thrilled nonetheless. He said that it is so hard to get people to go with him to the prison. After my visit last Monday, now I know why!
I told him that I thought I had been there before with my youth group back in the mid-80's , but that was 20 years ago. I had mixed feelings about going simply because I would be around so many criminals at one time. Once we got there it was very intimidating to see how big the prison was and to see all of the barb wire surrounding it. We had to pass through several areas of security before we were allowed to enter into the common area where we were to have worship and Bible study. Once we got into the common area, the inmates who chose to come to worship (about 100 of them) were filing into the large room (about half the size of a gym) and CJ started introducing them to me. All of the inmates wore tan jumpsuits and were extremely nice and seem to be so grateful that we were there. It was amazing to see how excited some of these inmates were to see CJ walk into the room. It was almost like he was a celebrity. He obviously has known some of these inmates for a while and has built a friendship with a lot of them. So, I started to feel a little more comfortable as time passed.
After about 10 minutes of mingling we started worship which was VERY traditional. There was a prison ministry volunteer who played the piano as this older black gentleman would holler out and ask for hymn #'s for all to sing. There was your typical traditional hymn requests such as Amazing Grace and all of the others you know by heart. All of the inmates would just sing as loud and proud as they could. At first it was very intimidating, but as we sang each song I found myself singing louder and louder. I shared a hymn book with this older inmate who seemed very excited to be there. Once we were finished singing, we broke up into small groups and began having Bible study. I was amazed at how much the inmates in my small group were knowledgeable about the Bible. Some of them offered such in depth perspectives of Scripture that you would have thought that they were theologians or something. After about 45 minutes of Bible study it was time for us to leave and a lot of the inmates came up and said how much they appreciated us being there and hoped to see us again.
Once we got back in the car and started on our way home, CJ asked me questions about my experience of helping with the prison ministry. I told him that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and that I did enjoy being there and being a part of it. Then I asked the question that I wished I hadn't of asked. I asked him if he knew why most of these guys were in prison? I was expecting to hear him say that these guys were in prison because they had maybe stolen a car, robbed a convenient store, multiple DUI's, minor drug possession, etc.; however, he went on to tell me that most of these guys were murderers, rapist, pedophiles, big time drug dealers, etc.! Wait a minute CJ, back up! You mean to tell me that I just spent an hour in a room full of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc.? He went on to tell me that the guy singing next to me was in there b/c he had raped and killed a child. The guy sitting next to me during Bible study had raped a 12 yr. old girl. The guy sitting across from me during Bible study had stabbed a man. Apparently, I had my prisons mixed up and the prison that I thought that I had gone to when I was in the youth group was NOT this one! Turns out that the one that I went to when I was younger was for juveniles in a pre-release type program (minor offenses). These inmates were big time criminals! I had no idea! It's probably good that I didn't know that prior to going into the prison or else I might not have gone in so willingly. Don't get me wrong! It's not that I wouldn't want to minister to these inmates because God knows that they need him, too! To be honest with you, I couldn't get home fast enough to jump into the shower! There was just something about it that made me feel dirty. I think I washed myself from head to toe at least 3 times and stayed in the scalding HOT shower for at least 20 minutes. Was I going overboard? Probably, but it was almost as if I just couldn't help it.
The truth of the matter is that these inmates really do need to hear about the GRACE, MERCY and LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! They honestly do! Although their crime has sent them to prison, some for maybe just a few months or years and others for one or more life sentences, it's really no different than our sin! Maybe we haven't' killed anyone physically, but remember that Jesus said that if we hate someone, we have committed murder in our heart. He also said that if we look at a woman with lust that we have committed adultery in our heart. I began to think of the types of people that Jesus reached out to in his short 3 years of ministry and realized that Jesus reached out to those that nobody else would. The ones that everybody else thought didn't deserve it. The down and outers of the world.
Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever go back to this prison ministry. It was an experience that really shook me for several days, but I will pray about it. If God wants me to be a part of that ministry He will move me and it will be done. But how many of us are really willing to get out of our comfort zone to go into an environment like that week after week - even just once? It is a question worthy of our time to pray about and answer! Maybe like me, the prison ministry is not for you, but what ministry is for you? When was the last time that you were inconvenienced to serve the Lord or meet the need of another? And believe me, I am speaking to myself just as much!!!
I would like to say that I am very proud of my friend CJ and the commitment that he has had to this ministry every Monday night for 12 years. It takes a special person to be involved in this type of ministry. Props to CJ!
I told him that I thought I had been there before with my youth group back in the mid-80's , but that was 20 years ago. I had mixed feelings about going simply because I would be around so many criminals at one time. Once we got there it was very intimidating to see how big the prison was and to see all of the barb wire surrounding it. We had to pass through several areas of security before we were allowed to enter into the common area where we were to have worship and Bible study. Once we got into the common area, the inmates who chose to come to worship (about 100 of them) were filing into the large room (about half the size of a gym) and CJ started introducing them to me. All of the inmates wore tan jumpsuits and were extremely nice and seem to be so grateful that we were there. It was amazing to see how excited some of these inmates were to see CJ walk into the room. It was almost like he was a celebrity. He obviously has known some of these inmates for a while and has built a friendship with a lot of them. So, I started to feel a little more comfortable as time passed.
After about 10 minutes of mingling we started worship which was VERY traditional. There was a prison ministry volunteer who played the piano as this older black gentleman would holler out and ask for hymn #'s for all to sing. There was your typical traditional hymn requests such as Amazing Grace and all of the others you know by heart. All of the inmates would just sing as loud and proud as they could. At first it was very intimidating, but as we sang each song I found myself singing louder and louder. I shared a hymn book with this older inmate who seemed very excited to be there. Once we were finished singing, we broke up into small groups and began having Bible study. I was amazed at how much the inmates in my small group were knowledgeable about the Bible. Some of them offered such in depth perspectives of Scripture that you would have thought that they were theologians or something. After about 45 minutes of Bible study it was time for us to leave and a lot of the inmates came up and said how much they appreciated us being there and hoped to see us again.
Once we got back in the car and started on our way home, CJ asked me questions about my experience of helping with the prison ministry. I told him that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and that I did enjoy being there and being a part of it. Then I asked the question that I wished I hadn't of asked. I asked him if he knew why most of these guys were in prison? I was expecting to hear him say that these guys were in prison because they had maybe stolen a car, robbed a convenient store, multiple DUI's, minor drug possession, etc.; however, he went on to tell me that most of these guys were murderers, rapist, pedophiles, big time drug dealers, etc.! Wait a minute CJ, back up! You mean to tell me that I just spent an hour in a room full of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc.? He went on to tell me that the guy singing next to me was in there b/c he had raped and killed a child. The guy sitting next to me during Bible study had raped a 12 yr. old girl. The guy sitting across from me during Bible study had stabbed a man. Apparently, I had my prisons mixed up and the prison that I thought that I had gone to when I was in the youth group was NOT this one! Turns out that the one that I went to when I was younger was for juveniles in a pre-release type program (minor offenses). These inmates were big time criminals! I had no idea! It's probably good that I didn't know that prior to going into the prison or else I might not have gone in so willingly. Don't get me wrong! It's not that I wouldn't want to minister to these inmates because God knows that they need him, too! To be honest with you, I couldn't get home fast enough to jump into the shower! There was just something about it that made me feel dirty. I think I washed myself from head to toe at least 3 times and stayed in the scalding HOT shower for at least 20 minutes. Was I going overboard? Probably, but it was almost as if I just couldn't help it.
The truth of the matter is that these inmates really do need to hear about the GRACE, MERCY and LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! They honestly do! Although their crime has sent them to prison, some for maybe just a few months or years and others for one or more life sentences, it's really no different than our sin! Maybe we haven't' killed anyone physically, but remember that Jesus said that if we hate someone, we have committed murder in our heart. He also said that if we look at a woman with lust that we have committed adultery in our heart. I began to think of the types of people that Jesus reached out to in his short 3 years of ministry and realized that Jesus reached out to those that nobody else would. The ones that everybody else thought didn't deserve it. The down and outers of the world.
Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever go back to this prison ministry. It was an experience that really shook me for several days, but I will pray about it. If God wants me to be a part of that ministry He will move me and it will be done. But how many of us are really willing to get out of our comfort zone to go into an environment like that week after week - even just once? It is a question worthy of our time to pray about and answer! Maybe like me, the prison ministry is not for you, but what ministry is for you? When was the last time that you were inconvenienced to serve the Lord or meet the need of another? And believe me, I am speaking to myself just as much!!!
I would like to say that I am very proud of my friend CJ and the commitment that he has had to this ministry every Monday night for 12 years. It takes a special person to be involved in this type of ministry. Props to CJ!
1 comment:
You hit the nail on the head - God forgives ALL sins. There's only one person who lived without sin, and He died so that we would not die but have everlasting life. As our pastor at church always says "His mercy endures forever".
I will make a more conscientious effort in the future to step out of my comfort zone, and help others! I'd like to thank you and CJ for setting such a good example!!
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