Thursday, August 11, 2011

MY TIME IN PRISON



I just got out of Chino prison. The environment, discipline, and food reminded me of my Army experience over thirty-five years ago. Of course I ate what I was given. If I got a heel to go with that greening tuna, I was considered fortunate—it was a thicker piece of bread. The occasional apple was mealy and the coffee was weak. I moved through bared doors and checkpoints per the CO’s (correctional officer) direction and at the CO’s timing and discretion. I wasn’t free to do things the way I did on the outside. But everyone loses a lot of freedom. That’s why its prison.

Did you gasp? Were you even fazed? Or did you simply not register the potential implications of me in prison? Why was I in prison? Did I commit a crime? Why should you care about people in prison—me or anyone else? Well, if you easily guessed I was there in some other function than an inmate, you are correct. In fact, I was in Chino Men’s Prison with Kairos Prison Ministry International as one of three clergy with a team of loving men to minister to a group of Chino prisoners.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (emphasis added, Matthew 25: 34-40).
These are men paying the consequences of regretful actions. For some it was a single act; for others it is a lifetime of actions. We were not there to lobby for the relief of those consequences. Nor were the prisoners asking for such relief. In fact we were only able to include half of the men who applied to be part of the four-day experience beginning late on a Thursday evening and ending late on Sunday. We went back the following Saturday and the first Saturday the month after, and we will follow-up with them every first Saturday of each month for one year. We are trying to build Christian community within the prison environment to support the prisoners while incarcerated and to prepare those leaving to live an ethical, moral, and law-abiding life within the communities they left by following a Christian world-view.

If someone is not convinced by Jesus’ words, quoted above, I think we can all be moved by the practical affects of reaching out to prisoners. There is only an 8.0% recidivism rate in comparison to the expected 20.3% recidivism rate of those inmates not exposed to such a program.1 This translates into less crime on the streets you share. It means less robbery, rape, and mayhem in our neighborhoods.

But let me say, these are real people with regrets, pain, and dreams. By the end of our time, that first weekend, many of these men were crying and hugging one another and us like born brothers. These are people not meant for the trash heaps of our moral indignation. They, too, were created in God’s image and likeness. Christ loves them and died for them too. We are called to love them no matter the practical affect, no matter if they go back to a life of crime and prison, and no matter our feelings. I am not, nor are the men with whom I went into Chino Prison, special. We simply love Christ and through him those whom he loves, and he loves prisoners. Isn’t this what the two greatest commandments are about?
Jesus answered, "The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ '" (Mark 12: 29-31).
We are called to a life of love—without exceptions. We are the neighbor of the prisoners as well as those we might like who are like us and easy to love and serve. I have numerous stories about many of these men, and perhaps those are better left for another time. But let me tell you about one of these men now. We will call him Paul.

Paul was a “really bad person” per his own admittance. He had become a Christian only seventeen short months before. He has put his life on the line by turning from his “bad” life and living a God-honoring life. This big man is now evangelizing the prison community and is raising-up disciples to assist him in his efforts. This man’s tears and hugs ministered more to me than I may have ministered to him. The warmth of many of these brothers’ hugs and love toward me has changed me forever. This “bad” man is now a beautiful brother in Christ, and I truly love him.
The joy of serving Christ by serving others is literally immeasurable. 

If you are interested in Kairos Prison Ministry International, you can either contact me of go to their link for an overview:


http://www.kairosprisonministry.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=23761