NEWS
Prisons Week 2016
Free Churches Moderator, Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, share his thoughts on at the start of Prisons Week.
As I write, initiatives are in hand all around the country to inspire the nation’s churches to pray for all involved in the Criminal Justice Service. We are being urged to engage more effectively with prisons and prisoners, chaplains and officials, law-makers and law-enforcers, victims and rehabilitators. It is one week in the year when our focus can shift to effect the fifty-one weeks that follow.
This Prisons Week it was my privilege to speak at the launch in Pentonville Prison. Taking this year’s theme of ‘Lord, have mercy’ I was able to speak on the significance of Pauls’ words in Ephesians 3:15 ‘He [Christ] has broken down the middle wall of separation’, underscoring the importance of showing mercy without condescension – even-handedly, sacrificially and securing equality of access.
Those of us present were aware that the walls of separation that can exist in our minds, ensuring that many never give Prisons and the Criminal Justice System a thought, can be greater than the 15ft walls of Pentonville prison that surrounded us. Paul’s words to the Ephesians are certainly still relevant!
Interestingly, there was ample evidence at the service of how other walls can be broken down. The co-operation between the institutions and the Churches was remarkable. Not only were many of our Free Church denominations and chaplains represented, with contributions from myself and a Baptist magistrate, but the Governor and offenders took part, along with Pentonville’s Anglican Chaplain, the RC HQ Advisor, the Bishop of Rochester and Pastor Agu Irukwu of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Rarely do we get the chance to see our sermons illustrated so visibly!
Revd Dr Hugh Osgood
Moderator of the Free Churches Group
For more information to get involved in Prisons Week, please visit here
Press Release from Prisons Week
CHURCH AND CHARITY LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE HEADING FOR PRISON - “LORD HAVE MERCY”
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
on behalf of Prisons Week
Registered charity no.1020920
Over 90 Church leaders are expected to congregate in HMP Pentonville to pray during Prisons Week this year.
The Rt Revd James Langstaff (Anglican Bishop to Prisons) has invited Christian leaders from across the Church to gather together with charity leaders on 10th October to pray in this, the 40th anniversary of Prisons Week.
Over four decades the Church has observed a week of prayer for those affected by imprisonment, but never before has such a diverse range of church leaders congregated inside a prison’s walls with the sole purpose of praying together.
Revd Bob Wilson, chair of the Prisons Week Committee and Free Church Advisor to NOMS said
“This event is witness to the church uniting across denominations behind the power and potential of prayer – bringing together prisoners, victims, those who work in prisons, the criminal justice system and communities; people usually separated by prison walls. Prayer knows no such barriers.”
Prisons Week is run by a broad alliance of Christian denominations and leading faith-based charities working in the criminal justice system. It motivates prayer through its resources and encourages practical engagement through the voluntary sector.
Beginning on Prisons Sunday, the week of prayer runs from 9 -15 October. Across the country, people will gather in small groups and large cathedrals to support all those affected by prison, through events and services under the collective prayer theme of ‘Lord Have Mercy’. It is the great unifying prayer of all those who have ever called to God for help and this Prisons Week, the call to prayer will extend to prisoners, their families, victims, communities and all those working in the justice system.
The event at HMP Pentonville will also include the introduction of Prison HOPE, an initiative to encourage the church to engage actively with their local prisons.
Further information and resources can be found at www.prisonsweek.org
ENDS
For more information, please contact the following representatives from the Prisons Week Committee:
Rev Bob Wilson
bob.wilson@freechurches.org.uk
020 3651 8338
Tim Rosier
tim.rosier@reflex.org
07803 888 255
Rachel Shackleton
rshackleton@spurgeons.org
07976 323502
Notes to editors
• Organisations involved include: Assemblies of God, Caring for Ex-Offenders, The Catholic Bishops Conference of England & Wales, The Church of England, Churches in Communities, Clean Sheet, Community Chaplaincy Association, Free Churches Group, Langley House Trust, The Methodist Church, Prisoner Advice and Care Trust, Prison Fellowship, Reflex, The Salvation Army, Spurgeons, Spread Creative Agency, United Christian Broadcasters and The United Reformed Church.
• BBC Radio 4 Daily Service will include prayer each day during Prisons Week.
• A short film on the theme is available here.
Justice, Mercy, Hope
“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, duty, mercy, hope” Winston Churchill
I was recently issued with a parking ticket by the Forestry Commission. Or rather I wasn’t! I parked illegally in a car park which they had recently taken over and, unbeknown to me they had introduced a new parking charge. It seems that at some point in the day I was issued with a ticket which subsequently got lost before I returned to my vehicle. I was therefore surprised when a few months later I received a letter from them with a notification of the fine due. “Unjust”, I thought. Unfair! Lord have Mercy!
Mercy, justice and hope are key themes in scripture which it is hard to ignore. However, even as a Prison Chaplain I often find myself wondering if I have a good perspective on these – a godly, or biblical perspective.
When I think of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Lk 10, I find myself thinking that the ‘good’ Samaritan was considered a neighbour because he showed kindness. Jesus clearly uses the word “Mercy”.
When I think of the coming messiah, the suffering servant prophesied in Isaiah, I think about the new life that he will bring, about salvation and life. Isaiah clearly talks about the one who will ‘bring justice to the nations’ (Isa 42:3).
And what about that crucial moment in salvation history, the death and resurrection of Jesus? Do I think in terms of a loving Father’s sacrifice and love, or in terms of a just God who ‘will not falter until he establishes justice on the earth’ (Isa 42:4)?
But perhaps such polarised thinking is not helpful. Perhaps justice, mercy, hope, forgiveness, kindness, suffering, humility and hope are all inter-related terms. Perhaps they are terms which give us an indication as to the means by which we experience God’s passion for justice, a justice that is beyond simply punishment and retribution, a justice that lovingly brings about change. Considering the crucifixion in ‘The Crucified God’, Jorgen Moltmann points out that Jesus “humbles himself and takes upon himself the eternal death of the godless and the godforsaken, so that all the godless and the godforsaken can experience communion with him”. We, who once were godless experience communion, or possibly even community with God through the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the ultimate act of mercy, the ultimate act of justice. These are not exclusive, they are expressions of the kindness of God, He is willing to travel through the cross without faltering to offer us new resurrection life that is eternally changed.
And where we have this sort of justice, we have hope. Martin Luther King said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” I love the fact that the first Christians were recognisable as people of hope. Peter, in his first letter, encourages those living as exiles in what is now Turkey to: “…revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Pet 3:15. Hope was such a characteristic of the early believers’ lives that the sense we get from Peter’s letter is that people would stop and ask them about it. “Why are you, of all people, so hopeful?” I wonder what it was about their way of life, their conversations, their worship, their values, that provoked people to ask them about hope?
As we all know, hope saves lives. Since 2014 we have seen a substantial recorded increase in the number of people taking their own lives in prison. The figures initially jumped by 69%, continued to rise in 2015, and then we have heard again recently that 2016 has seen a further 29% rise. But day by day I see Chaplains bringing messages of hope that save lives, going the extra mile, making every contact count in ways that offer hope to the hopeless. My hope, my prayer is that as one people, characterised as those who have experienced this life changing justice ourselves, we daily offer mercy and hope in the prisons we serve. Let us continue to be those who demonstrate God’s real justice; a justice that does not ignore the wrong, but deals with it in a way that changes lives … eternally.
I appealed to the Forestry Commission for mercy, but really without much hope! I knew that I was wrong, ignorance did not lessen that fact, however I appealed to them for mercy and with a refreshing sense of justice they agreed to halve my fine. God has said through the prophet Isaiah that ‘he will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on the earth’. If we are to experience this, then we must surely cry out with all of our being, as we will this Prisons Week - ‘Lord have Mercy’, and expect that with a passion for justice, He will.
Bless you all, and really do take care
Making God smile
I seem to be stuck in Hebrews at the moment! I find myself preaching from the book of Hebrews, leading bible studies based on the faith the letter inspires, and even ministering as a Chaplain to those affected by the Hebrew dietary rules. Even this year’s Prisons Week material is to have a Hebrews scripture as its inspiration. There are so many great messages therein, and until God lets me move on, I guess I’ll stay stuck in the lessons to the Hebrew people.
Hebrews 11 is a great example of the essence of our faith. It is filled with the stories of faithful women and men who follow God’s leading, many times not living to see their works bear fruit. The perseverance we see in them is astounding, and hugely challenging. These are people who experienced the pleasure of God; who knew the comfort of the smiling face of God. These are the people who knew how to please God, for “without faith it is impossible to please God.” . How would we we have responded, faced with the situations they faced. Would we have been more “I’m a Chaplain, Get Me Out of Here” than “What Would Jesus Do”?
But God has called us to have faith just as those in Hebrews 11
Their faith wasn’t limited to one particular instance or event, but it was woven through everything they did. Everything we do in life and ministry needs to be inspired by our faith in the Faithful One, whether that be breaking bad news to prisoners, leading Sunday services, writing policies to oversee volunteer engagement, attending Equalities or Safer Custody meetings, or (as Chaplains we still get to do this) prayer. James noted in his letter said that if we don’t pray with the faith that God will answer our prayers we are unstable in all our ways. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord, they are double minded and unstable in all they do". (James 1: 6 – 8). As I said earlier – challenging.
Our Christian disciplines can easily become routine and no longer be part of our faith in God as they once were. It is tempting to let our reading of scripture, our praying, our going into prison be just another thing to check off our list of Christian things to do. Instead, we should do them with faith, knowing that a loving and powerful God will move in and through us as we by faith follow his leading. Knowing that our faith brings a smile to the face of God.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11: 6.
About Prison Chaplaincy
An insight into prison chaplaincy, including a 'day-in-the-life-of' a chaplain.
"Prison! Me? No way!". I now know this to be the title of an innovative programme run by Prison Officers to introduce secondary school children to the realities of prison life. In 1993 however, this was my response when an enthusiastic member of my church announced "a door has opened for effective ministry in prison". Nearly twenty years later I have spent a considerable part of my life and ministry working in various establishments of incarceration in varied roles. "Prison! Me? Absolutely!"
Working in Prison Chaplaincy can be both an immensely rewarding and frustrating experience. It combines traditional church ministry as many would understand: leading worship; running bible studies; preaching and teaching; offering pastoral care, along with a radical cross- cultural opportunity. Apart from the diverse cultural mix of people in prisons, there is the culture of prison itself to work with. Chaplaincy is never dull!
Let me outline a day in the life of a Prison Chaplain:
0800 arrive at prison, meet with multi-faith team. Pick up any messages from through the night. These could include information about self-harm, death of relatives of prisoners, or messages from worried family members. At this point the team will also work out how many prisoners were admitted the previous day and agree who will go to see them. The plan for the day is shaping up.
0830 meet prisoners on their way to work; managing chaplain will often go to attend Governor's daily briefing
0845 embark on priority work - this will include visiting all prisoners who have arrived in the last 24hrs, visiting healthcare, visiting the special care and segregation unit and seeing prisoners vulnerable to self harm.
1200 ... breathe, remember to breathe ... then paperwork for volunteers' coming into the prison, religious registration, Chaplains log, etc....
1230 lunch; maybe a staff prayer meeting / pastoral work with staff
1300 begin preparations for afternoon; catch up with rest of team on how things are going, prepare for up-coming events eg Sunday worship
1345 meet prisoners on way to work in afternoon. Often afternoons are used for more structured work, eg. One to one support, resettlement work, pastoral visits, victim awareness and other structured courses, etc....
1700 evening activities. Bible studies, meditation classes, fellowship groups, music practice, informal support groups etc.... often involving management and supervision of chaplaincy volunteers.
1830 time of prayer? Ensure that any issues raised during the evening are followed through eg. Prisoners feeling vulnerable, security issues, family concerns. Complete chaplains log.
1900 Check chapel is Secure and go home!
... not to mention breaking bad news, marrying prisoners, arranging religious festivals, praying with people (staff and prisoners), having discussions about faith, escorting volunteers, ordering tea and coffee, loaning books, blessing rosary beads, hearing heartbreaking stories, attending equality / security / management meetings ....
If you are still reading then for you it is probably a case of "Prison! Me? Absolutely". If you are a minister, lay or ordained, and would like to find out more, then please contact me. Vacancies do come up from time to time, and it would be good to discuss with you how to take things forward.
All things change in life, but these three remain ... Faith, hope and love. Prison Chaplains help people discover and grow in faith, whatever that faith may be. Prison Chaplains offer hope that life can and does change. Prison Chaplains offer unconditional care and support, or love, wherever and with whoever they work. Who would want to do anything else?
Rev Bob Wilson MTh
Free Churches Faith Advisor
(SfPC)