>Volunteer at a Prison >Bring God's love to inmates. >By: Whitney Hopler, Live It Channel Editor >Prisoners are locked away in a world that's drastically different from the >world outside. If you help bring God's love to them, you'll help them find >the spiritual freedom that will transcend their physical imprisonment. > >Here are some principles to guide you in prison ministry: > * Pray that the Holy Spirit will go before you to prepare inmates' > hearts for your ministry, and give you the grace you'll need to be a good > ambassador for Christ. Remember that prisons are full of hurting people > whose circumstances naturally motivate them to turn to God (often, they > know they've made wrong choices, they can't pretend to live independent > lives anymore, they're lonely, and they're genuinely seeking better futures). > > * Find an established prison ministry organization in your area and > join its work if you can to have the support of existing relationships. > But if there is no existing prison ministry at your local jail or prison, > contact the institution's chaplain (or, in the absence of a chaplain, the > head administrative officer) and ask about specific ways you can help. Be > respectful and patient, seeking to establish trusting relationships with > all prison officials. If you find that there aren't any current ways for > you to volunteer in a religious program, consider volunteering in a > nonreligious one, such as by helping inmates learn vocational skills or a > second language. > > * Study the institution's rules and commit to following them closely. > Expect to encounter some situations you don't understand, but decide to > comply with the rules when you do. > > * Don't bring anything into the prison or out of it, unless you've > received authorization to do so. Always bring a picture identification > with you. Refuse to carry items between inmates or pass messages back and > forth. > > * Dress modestly and try to volunteer only with prisoners who are of > the same gender as you. > > * Don't get involved in an inmate's legal problems, no matter how much > you may want to help. Leave such situations in the hands of professional > legal counsel. > > * Don't ask prisoners about their crimes. If they want to talk about > them, they'll start the conversation themselves. > > * Arrive on time and leave on time. Remember that prison life operates > within the confines of a tight schedule. > > * If you plan to conduct a Bible study in prison, choose to study one > of the Gospels if most of the inmates are new to the study (if they're > continuing, go on to Acts, Romans, or one of the smaller epistles). Plan > for an hour- or hour-and-a-half long session on a weekly basis if > possible. Begin and end with prayer, and incorporate some singing if you > can. Use a modern, easy-to-read translation of the Bible. Seek to tell > the Bible stories in exciting ways and ask inmates questions to help them > think about how they can apply what they're reading to their own lives. > Bring some copies of whole Bibles and New Testaments to give to the > prisoners. Keep in mind that you'll likely have new faces every week, and > may have to deal with interruptions, noise, profanity, and blunt comments > meant to test you. Pray for God to help you deal wisely and lovingly with > the circumstances, and if a particular inmate is disruptive, have the > courage to respectfully yet firmly take control of the gro... > > * Listen well, and seek to learn from the prisoners who share their > stories with you. Show appreciation for their contributions to your life > rather than just thinking about your contributions to theirs. > * Help expand the inmates' lives by describing life in the outside > world to them within the context of things they're interested in (such as > telling them about a recent car show if they enjoy cars). If you get > permission to do so, bring them magazines, games, or videos to enjoy. > > * Encourage prisoners to seek and accept God's forgiveness for > themselves, ask people they have hurt to forgive them, and forgive others > who have hurt them. > > * Consider volunteering to help people who have recently been released > from prison make the transition to life back in the outside world. > Remember that in prison, people have most decisions made for them, and > when they must start making their own decisions again, they are often > overwhelmed. > > * Consider volunteering to help families of prisoners. > > * Adapted from Prison Ministry: Understanding Prison Culture Inside > and Out, copyright 2002 by Lennie Spitale. Published by Broadman & Holman > Publishers, Nashville, Tn., > <http://www.lifewaystores.com>www.lifewaystores.com, 1-800-448-8032. > > * Lennie Spitale has been involved in prison ministry in scores of > correctional institutions, including adult, juvenile, male, female, > state, county, federal, maximum, medium, and minimum security prisons for > more than twenty-five years. He is Director of Prison Ministries for > Vision New England, a member of the Coalition of Prison Evangelists and a > seminar instructor for Prison Fellowship. > > * Do you participate in prison ministry? If so, why? How has your > service helped others and drawn you closer to God? ----------------------------------------------------- This mail is generated from http://www.jesusyouth.org To subscribe to this mailing list send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe from the list send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----------------------------------------------------
