Yup…they actually let me out of prison yesterday 🙂
You might be wondering, though, why I went to prison in the first place. I didn’t get in trouble, but rather I went to prison to worship. Last night I took six people to Prisoners of Hope Lutheran Church at the Prairie Correctional Facility — a privately owned prison outside of Appleton, MN (near my hometown of Dawson). Prisoners of Hope is an ELCA congregation within the walls of the prison with a full time pastor. During their first year of existence they received 100% funding from the ELCA. Year two the funding went down to 75% and so forth. Next year they will receive nothing from the ELCA. The idea is to have congregations in SW MN support the mission of the congregation. The congregations I serve are going to help sponsor Prisoners of Hope.
That’s a little background for you, now to the worship last night. After we checked in at 6:30pm we were escorted into the visiting room that was set up for worship. We were immediately greeted by some prisoners who were the greeters for the evening. They were extremely friendly and appreciative of our visit. As we worked our way in, more and more of the inmates came to shake our hands and greet us. As this was happening I felt more and more convicted myself. I had a picture in my head of these guys being rough and tough and maybe not as approachable as you and I — I was wrong. These guys were kind and welcoming and full of love for our Lord Jesus Christ. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were all wearing the same outfit, it almost would have felt like any other congregation (except not all congregations are as friendly and welcoming as Prisoners of Hope).
Worship began around 7pm and the room was full. There must have been 80+ inmates there in addition to the other visitors that were in attendance. During the announcements Pastor Roger mentioned that we were a group from Jackson, MN and that we traveled nearly 3 hours to be there. The inmates turned toward us and gave us a huge applause and thank you — I felt very humbled.
Later we got to the part where we "shared the peace" with one another. In a lot of congregations that I have been in, this lasts maybe 4 to 5 people. After that many handshakes people are ready to sit down and get on with the worship service — not these guys. The "sharing of the peace" went on and on and on. I must have shaken a few dozen hands. People did not want to quit — and you know something, it was kind of refreshing.
After worship, we had some more fellowship time. I spoke with a number of the inmates (once again, very kind and friendly). We were thanked again and then our evening of worship and fellowship was over. All seven of us had a great time and want to return again to visit and worship. Unfortunately prison rules limits our visits to Prisoners of Hope to once a year. But next year we will be there. If you want some more information follow this link: Prisoners of Hope
A couple thoughts that are running around in my head from last night:
(1) Don’t judge people. Preconceived notions of others keep people from having community.
(2) Prisoners of Hope may not have a "traditional" worship building and space, but that does not matter. The church is the people.
(3) We all make mistakes in our lives — we are all sinners — but God loves each and everyone of us the same.
Last night will not be a night I will soon forget. If you have a prison ministry close to where you are I encourage you to visit them and offer your support. We are all children of God and we all deserve to hear the Good News. Thanks be to God. -edh-
The Heart of a Pastor 
Pastor Eric: A few years ago I attended a session at a WELCA assembly and heard about the ministry at the prison. The pastor there – at that time indicated that the prison offered little or no training. I believe his comment was that “when a person was released, he could mop a floor or flip a hamburger.” Hardly skills that would help him navigate on the outside. Are the prisoners there in for white collar crimes? If so, perhaps they have had some education. Is there any kind of training program set up at the prison now? Incarceration is not going to accomplish much if there is recidivism. I am a county commissioner and our jail is busting at the seams. We have 34 counties in Minneosta building new jails. They are extremely costly and really do not get to the root of the problem. Spending the money on education and support for families would be a better choice – but county governments are mandated to follow state laws and have only the property tax (a regressive tax) to fund the mandates.
Judy,
I am going to do some research on your questions. In the mean time check out the Prison Congregations of America web site at: http://www.prisoncongregations.org
Thank you for stopping by. Check back later and I will have a better response to your questions.
Eric
Judy,
I emailed the pastor at Prisoners of Hope Lutheran Church and I have a couple responses for you:
(1) Some of the inmates have been entrepreneurs hence they have some education. Some are less educated. There is a range of crime levels, but a big chunk is drug related.
(2) There are some training programs offered such as: computer, small business classes, GED, college correspondence, horticulture, woodworking and the like. The problem is that not everyone takes advantage of these opportunities. The pastor believes it is a small fraction.
(3) After care support is definitely needed and churches can play a big role in this — forming small groups to care for released felons as they would care for refugees, for example.
Judy, you make a lot of good points and there is definitely a need to make sure that these guys do not end up back in prison, but rather become contributing members of society.
Thanks again for your comment and questions. Take care.
Eric