Neither height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:39
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Listen to an interview with Alan Ogier, Chaplain to the Prison Service |
PRISONS SUNDAY
15 November 2010 (Prisons' Week begins)
Prisons Sunday is the third Sunday in November and Prisons Week continues throughout the week until the following Saturday. An ecumenical Prisons Week Committee was formed in 1975 to encourage Christians to focus their thoughts and prayers, upon prisoners and their families, victims of offenders, prison staff and all those working for prisoners and their families.
The Committee publishes an information and prayer leaflet which is distributed to all who are planned to lead worship on Prisons Sunday. You can visit the Prisons Week website on www.prisonsweek.org for additional materials including prayers, posters, worship resources and books.
PRISON INFORMATION
The prison population in England and Wales is nudging 83,000 and expected to rise to 94,000 by 2012.
There are a number of often conflicting emotions apparent on Prisons Sunday. Many people in the congregation young and older, will have been the victims of crime. It is important that the younger generation is not singled out as perpetrators. In a time of sharing one often finds that young people have the same fears of crime as the older generation.
Drug related crime accounts for a high proportion of those in prison. Mental health, illiteracy, a broken family background; drug, alcohol addiction and self harm are common among the prison population.
There is a high rate of re-offending (64% for adults and 72.6 % for children). An ex-prisoner is often the last in line for housing, jobs and training. The same pressures will return the offender to prison if the causes are not addressed.
Prisons are trying on limited resources, to address housing, finance, drugs and other resettlement issues on the inside. As part of this process, prison chaplaincies are trying to support community chaplaincies or resettlement chaplains who aim to take the work of supporting the prisoner on the inside though to the outside of the prison. They often have to find the grants and funding to support their work.
Support for the prisoner is often done through befriending and mentoring by trained volunteers from faith communities. These volunteers meet the prisoner inside the prison about three months prior to release. They spend time building a relationship, discussing goals, housing problems, employment, hopes and fears, and what is going to get in the way of breaking the cycle of offending. Instead of meeting the dealer at the gate the ex-offender meets a befriender who helps him adjust to the outside world for up to six months. There are other schemes which use group support, which is beginning at Wandsworth prison called Basic Caring Communities using trained volunteers.
We must not forget that there are also churches which have for many years provided food, counselling and drug advice to men who are in and out of prison. In London - Chelsea Methodist Church, the West London Mission, The Upper Room (St Saviour’s) and St Mark’s who have a small group of ex-offender lunchtime worshippers whom they support. Much of chaplaincy work is now interfaith and is an example of how faith communities can work together to restore society.
Christians can challenge society about root causes - sexual morality, broken families, a culture of alcohol and drugs, materialism: an education system that rewards and emphasises academic skills - at the cost of more hands-on or vocational skills.
Many young people leave school feeling they have failed in the system having learnt no usable skills. We can also challenge how society works out the love of God, in relation to the care of those with mental health and disability such as autism and learning difficulties. Often prisoners feel more secure in the system, than outside, where proper support is not available and they become institutionalised.
THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PRISON CHAPLAIN
At Reception
Often prisoners come into prison with many concerns about home and family. They have fears about whether they can survive prison or if there is any future for them when they are eventually released.
Many prisoners come from disadvantaged and debilitating backgrounds. Given the deep needs of many of those being received into prison today, chaplaincy teams are committed to offering support to prisoners throughout their time in custody, and upon release.
Pastoral Care for Prisoners
Throughout the time a prisoner is in custody the chaplain will offer pastoral care to all who are in need, particularly at times of bereavement or personal distress; these will include prisoners who for various reasons feel vulnerable or suicidal. Chaplains visit all new receptions, usually within 24 hours of their arrival, and also make daily visits to the health-care and segregation units.
Pastoral Care for Staff
Pastoral care is also extended to all members of staff. The work of the prison officer is demanding at every level and chaplains are committed to caring for staff and officers especially during times of stress.
Worship
At the heart of the Chaplain's ministry is worship. Chapel services are often well attended, sometimes by men and women who have never previously attended church. The sanctuary of the chapel, combined with the devotion of liturgy and prayer offers a respite from the rigours of prison.
In some ways the chapel stands apart from all other places within the establishment as a place of hope in the midst of despair, of forgiveness in a place of punishment and the restoration of life in a place which, for so many, feels like a dead end. Worship provides an opportunity for men and women to be lifted above their circumstances into the liberating world of faith and love.
Group Work
A prison chaplain will frequently be involved in leading groups for Bible study, Discipleship courses and programmes that address offending behaviour. Such groups enable chaplains to meet with prisoners on a regular basis and help nurture them in the faith.
The level of conversation is often more insistent and profound than in many churches, probably because the needs of prisoners are usually more urgent and because they have more time to reflect on issues of life and faith.
FREE CHURCH PRISON CHAPLAINCY
There are approximately 150 part-time Free Church chaplains and 40 full-time Free Church chaplains, of whom thirteen have been appointed co-ordinating chaplains. Together with chaplains from the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and in partnership with chaplains from all the major world faiths, Free Church chaplains work to create sacred space in prison where all human life can be respected and dignified.
Click here to download worship materials for Prisons Sunday 2009
Methodist churches and others in linked ecumenical projects are free to use this Special Sundays material for their own use. Any other organisations or individuals wishing to reproduce the material must contact the Methodist Church for permission. The material is copyright and cannot be used commercially without permission.
© Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes
