I first heard the following lyrics in prison, sitting next to a woman convicted of murder, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
I thought that I was too far gone
For everything I’ve done wrong,
I’m the one who dug this grave
But you called my name
The chorus continues…
All at once I came alive
This beating heart, these open eyes
The grave let go
The darkness should have known
You’re still rolling stones.
I was singing along with a room full of women enrolled in the Prison Fellowship Academy at the Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility. These women were behind bars and many of them would be serving a long sentence, but they displayed more interior freedom than a lot of people I knew on the “outside.”
If you had told me five years earlier that I’d be getting involved with Prison Ministry I would not have believed you. This was not a natural interest or passion of mine. Intimidating, fearful, and suspicious would’ve characterized my attitude toward anything prison related. But over the course of several years and quite a few books, my heart became drawn to spend time visiting those in prison.
This is the power of narrative. Getting proximate to people’s real life experiences can warm hearts and correct misconceptions far more than facts and figures.
Justice and Mercy Conversations
This year, we are hosting three “Justice and Mercy Conversations.” These events will include a book discussion and Q&A with a panel of practitioners engaging in the following areas: incarceration, foster care, and refugees. Our first one is this Sunday, October 27th.
The goal of these evenings is not for everyone to walk away committing to lead a Bible study in prison, become a foster parent, or lead a refugee welcoming team (though none of those commitments will be discouraged). Rather, the idea is to move beyond stereotypes with curiosity and compassion toward people in society that we might hear a lot about but not actually know.
Another goal of these conversations is to give people at Restoration a chance to share about their involvement in these spheres. Christians are doing incredible work in these areas, in a variety of different ways, and many of them attend our local church! How has proximity to these groups of people changed their attitudes and conceptions of hot topic issues? How has their view of God been affected? Their understanding of the Church? How have they been transformed as individuals?
Lastly, if the evening’s topic grabs your interest, there will be a plethora of opportunities laid out to get more involved. Who is your neighbor, really? And how might God be calling you to love and serve them? Let’s come together and find out.
