Spring 2012 Newsletter - Freedom in Christ Prison Ministry

Spring 2012
Volume 2, Issue 3
“I was in prison and you came
to visit me.”
Matthew 25:36
Task Force Members
Rev. Robert Leaverton,
Secretary
Absarokee, MT
[email protected]
M eet R everend R obert (R ob) N edbalek
We are so pleased to
announce our new
Pastor for Freedom in
Christ
Prison
Congregation Ministry!
Baptized
in
a
Congregational Church
(now UCC), confirmed
in a LCMS congregation,
married in a Methodist
church, he got his first
taste of ministry as youth pastor, Sunday
school teacher and bus driver at a
Baptist church (ABC). Joining an ELCA
congregation, he ultimately went to
Wartburg Theological Seminary, seeking
an M/Div. and ordination to the ministry
of Word and Sacrament.
Ordained March 17, 2002, he served
as pastor of rural, multi point parishes in
Montana, North and South Dakota before
returning home to Montana with his
family.
Convicted of vehicular homicide in
1980, gave Rob a different appreciation
for prison ministry.
While at the seminary, he and a
classmate, Carl Fulk, became acquainted
with Ed Nesselhuf and Prison
Congregations
of
America,
who
encouraged both to consider making
themselves available for call to Prison
Ministry in the PCA. But Rob chose to
return to Montana, where family ties
tugged at him, and entered parish
ministry, which took him away from
home, again.
Now time has taken a full circle, as Rob
has been called to serve as the pastor of
Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation at
the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge,
Montana.
Rob and his wife Lori have six children:
Todd, Tara, Trebor, Danyelle, David and
Johnathan, twelve grandchildren and one
great-grandchild. Johnathan remains at
home, entering the seventh grade next
year.
Vocationally, Rob has a background in
retail and wholesale business, automotive
and motorcycle mechanics, and a myriad
of other “jobs.” To quote a friend, “You
name it, Rob’s done it.”
Rob and Lori are very excited to begin
this next chapter in their lives, sharing the
love of God in Christ Jesus with those who
are incarcerated in body within the
Montana State Prison, through Freedom
in Christ Prison Congregation.
With S adness b y Pas tor Rob
Saturday, March 10,
Pastor Leroy Iseminger
passed away. “Pastor Ike”
was the first pastor of the
Prison Congregations in
America congregation, St.
Dysmas, at the South
Dakota State Penitentiary
in Sioux Falls, SD. When
Leroy was talking to his
congregation and would
begin a sentence with the
word, "Men," it sounded
like an endearment. He
retired from the congregation in 2000.
He never stopped
loving his congregation,
nor did their love for him
wane.
Please join me in
prayers for Ike's family,
his wife, Orpha, and their
six children and all who
love him.
Barbara Davis
Hamilton, MT
[email protected]
Rev. Greg Karlsgodt
Helena, MT
[email protected]
Rev. Melanie Martin-Dent
Anaconda, MT
[email protected]
Rev. David Peters
Montana Synod Liaison
Billings, MT
[email protected]
George Sorensen
Great Falls, MT
[email protected]
Rolf Tunby
Plevna, MT
[email protected]
Chaplain David Young
Bozeman, MT
[email protected]
Rev. Chris Flohr, Chair
Missoula, MT
[email protected]
Bea Rosenleaf
Project Administrator
406-560-4993
Page 2
Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation Project
We’re on the web!
http://ficprisonministry.com
C ongratulations and Welcome from P C A!
We are so grateful
for the work that
the Task Force has
done , and for never
giving up. To say
we are excited is an
understatement!
On behalf of the board
and staff, as well as our
founding director, Pastor
Ed Nesselhuf, I extend a
warm welcome to Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation into the PCA
family! FIC is the 18th
congregation organized in
the PCA model, where the
inmate members, have
their own pastor and support from outside churches.
It was several years ago
that Pastor Ed entered
into conversation with
people in Montana about
this possibility.
From
those conversations came
the Freedom in Christ
Task Force, which has
worked long and faithfully to bring this ministry to
fruition.
Some years before Pastor Ed starting work in
Montana, he told a couple
of seminarians that they
should consider prison
ministry. That suggestion
stayed in the heart of one
of those seminarians,
even as his call took him
in other directions. Now,
these years later that person, Pr. Rob Nedbalek, has
been called as the pastor
of FIC! God’s hand has always been in this work!
We are so grateful for
the work that the Task
Force has done – and for
never giving up. To say we
are excited is an understatement!!! Together you
will continue to change
lives – and who knows
where the seeds that you
plant through Freedom in
Christ will spout?
God bless!
Mary Mortenson, Director,
Prison Congregations of
America
MSP Volunteer Training C lass
The next volunteer training class provided by Montana State Prison (MSP) is
scheduled for Saturday, May 5th at MSP in Deer Lodge. The class begins at 8 a.m. and
lasts all day. MSP provides lunch.
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer for the ministry inside the prison, you
are required to complete this training and be able to pass a background check. You
must complete an application form and send it to MSP. This application must be
received by MSP NO LATER than 10 days before the class date. Applications are
available as a PDF downloadable file on our website at:
http://ficprisonministry.com/volunteer-opportunities
Please send us an email, or give us a call, to let us know you are attending this
training session. These training classes are only scheduled two or three times a year, so
plan accordingly if you want to volunteer inside the prison walls!
Please note that this does not pertain to folks who are only interested in attending
worship services as a member of their home congregation. Future information will be
available for this situation.
Wish List
Pastor Rob is in need of
a few copies of the old
altar version of the LBW.
Can anyone help us with
this request? We have
services in several
locations in the prison
and it will be nice to have
a copy of the book for
each location.
Also, if you happen to
have copies of the old
green Hymnal book you
are no longer using, we’d
sure appreciate more
copies!
Thanks for thinking of
the prison congregation in
your donations!
Page 3
Volume 2, Issue 3
P astor R ob’s C orner
Talk about hitting the
ground, running! My first
OFFICIAL day as Pastor
was March 15th. I attended my first Freedom in
Christ Prison Congregation Ministry Task Force
meeting at Hope Lutheran Church in Anaconda
and, with task force members, worked through
some of the new (and old)
business and changes that
are taking place, or are
going to take place, for
FIC.
Then, on Friday, I sat in
the classroom at Montana
State Prison, with 21 new
Correctional Officers, 5
other new support staff
persons, for my first day
of New Employee Orientation. This is 8 hours a
day of learning the policies and procedures of
the prison. It is a bit intense for this old guy
whose study habits were
not all that great in the
first place.
I drove back home to
Huntley that night and
gave my first presentation at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Shepherd on
Sunday. That isn’t quite
as courageous as it
sounds, since Emmanuel
is my home congregation,
so I felt pretty safe there
for my first outing.
Back to Deer Lodge for
the next five days, during
which I got my Employee
ID, which meant that I do
not have to remove my
belt, glasses, watch and
other metal objects from
my person just to get in. It
also means that I can
move
more
freely
throughout the facility. At
the end of the week I was
actually starting to feel
like I belong. There is a
growing sense of family
among the class. Then
back home Friday night
to spend a bit of time with
my REAL family.
The weekend was
short, though, as I spent
most of the day Saturday,
along with other family
members, helping my
niece move into her new
apartment. Then I was up
bright
(actually
still
dark!) and early to drive
to Bozeman to do my second presentation, at
Christ the King Lutheran
Church.
As I type this, I have
just returned from my
seventh day of class, and
have four more to complete this week, to
“Graduate.” Then Friday, I
will drive back home, eat
with my family.
Saturday, I will head to
Great Falls for an interview and on Palm Sunday,
April 1st, I will lead my
first worship service at
the prison! I am very excited about that!
There is more in the
wings after that. More
presentations and meetings, as well as working
with the RAC (Religious
Activities Center) staff
learning my way around
and within the facility,
and trying to get a feel for
things.
P astor R ob is O ff and R unning!
Pastor Rob isn’t known
for letting the grass grow
under his feet! Since the
first day on the job (March
15th) he has been busy
with meetings, training
and presentations at various congregations.
Looking forward, in
April, he travels to Great
Falls to join forces with
George Sorensen (a Task
Force member) to visit
with folks at First English
Lutheran Church about
Freedom in Christ Prison
Ministry.
Would you like to
learn more about the
prison
congregation
ministry? We can help
with that!
Pastor Rob
and Task Force members
are available to come to
your congregation or
community organization
to visit about our ministry project. Pastor is also
available for sermons,
children’s sermons or
visit with youth groups.
Give us a call to schedule a time at:
(406)560-4993
Or send a request to our
email address on the back
of this newsletter.
We’d love to send
Pastor Rob to your neck
of the woods!
I want you to know that
through all this, I have felt
your prayers and support
surrounding me, and seen
many examples of the Spirit at work. This is going to
be exciting and rewarding,
and I know this is what
God has called me to do,
sharing the love of God in
Christ Jesus with people
whose bodies are imprisoned at Montana State
Prison in Deer Lodge.
Grace and Peace † † †
Pastor Rob Nedbalek
FREEDOM In CHRIST
Prison Congregation
Ministry
"So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed."
John 8:36
Page 4
Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation Project
We’re on the web!
http://ficprisonministry.com
B uilding a C hurch of M any Faiths
One of the goals of
Freedom in Christ is to
build an ecumenical congregation with our full
communion partners, other denominations and the
prison population. We are
reaching out to you, our
sister congregations asking for your help in supporting this ministry
through prayer, financial
giving, becoming volunteers, and participating in
worship services once the
congregation is in place.
A congregation within
prison walls is made up of
people of many faiths, not
just Lutheran. As such, it
is our vision to include all
Christians and warmly
welcome them into the
new prison congregation
to worship in peace and
harmony and share in
God’s Word of love, forgiveness, hope and healing through the power
and presence of the Holy
Spirit!
As you have read, we
now have a pastor in
place to serve the new
congregation
ministry.
Now we can focus our
attention on organizing the
congregation and having
our first worship service.
With the model we are
using, outside congregations are invited to come
worship with the inmates.
We hope you will join us in
this endeavor and schedule
a worship service date to
come and worship with the
inmates. It is truly a rewarding experience - just
watch the video on the
home page of our website
to see what others are saying about prison ministries!
C omputer P rogrammer N eeded!
Are you a computer
wizard? Do you have programming
experience?
Are you familiar with
HTML, CSS and PHP code?
We are looking for
someone who possesses
these computer programming skills to help add a
little more pizzazz to our
website AND to help coordinate linking computers
in
several
locations
throughout the
Synod
region.
Our website is selfhosted with well known
hosting company. We use
WordPress for our website management.
This position is a longterm volunteer position
requiring good time management skills. If you are
familiar with Word Press
and possess the skills to
work within the software,
and you would like to offer
your talents to our ministry, then we WANT you!
Please
contact
Bea
Rosenleaf, Project Administrator at 406-560-4993,
or email her at:
[email protected]
We’ve H ad a M ake-O ver!
Our website has a new
look Lots of action, lots of
information, and THE
place to visit for up-todate events. There is
short video on a prison
ministry showing how
the Prison Congregations
of America model works
for worship services plus
some interesting statistics.
We frequently add
links to many websites and
articles regarding prison
ministries and re-entry programs. Information on
ways you can help is available as well as forms, past
newsletters and more.
We even have a PayPal
button to make donating to
our ministry easier. Be sure
to sign up for our electronic
newsletters and website
news feed to keep abreast
of all the exciting developments to come.
We are joining the ranks
of social media enthusiasts!
We now have a Facebook
Page. Please go and “Like”
us to keep up to date on
current events with Freedom in Christ!
http://facebook.com/
ficprisonministry
Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 5
Freedom in C hrist History
Are you familiar with the
Parable of The Sheep and
the Goats? You can find it
in the Book of Matthew,
chapter 25, verses 31-46. In
the story all the nations are
before Jesus and he separates the people into two
groups – one on his right
and one on his left. The
group on the right he calls
sheep (the righteous), the
group on the left are the
goats. To the group on the
right he says,
“Come, you who are
blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since
the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you
invited me in, I needed
clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked
after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit
me.”
The sheep answered him
by asking, “When did you
see us doing these things
for Him?” He answered, “I
tell you the truth, whatever
you did for one of the least
of these brothers of mine,
you did for me.”
While we, here at Freedom in Christ, do not
consider ourselves “righteous,” we do believe in the
need to visit those in prison. To share the Good
News and show that God
does indeed provide grace,
love and forgiveness –
even to those in prison.
The Freedom in Christ
Prison Congregation Pro-
ject began its work about
four years ago. Due to fiscal cutbacks and program
changes, the minister position at the Montana State
Prison was eliminated and
replaced by a Religious
Activities
Coordinator.
The men no longer had
consistent, full-time pastoral care. A group of folks
recognized the need for
this consistent pastoral
care, and presented the
idea to the Montana Synod, ELCA. A task force was
established to create a
congregation at the Montana State Prison for Men
based on the Prison Congregations of America
(PCA) model.
The difference between
the PCA model of prison
ministry and other ministries going on in prisons is
that in this model the inmates are the church
members. They have a
trained pastor from the
outside and they host worship guests from churches
on the outside, which also
support the inside congregation financially.
After four long years of
hard work, the Freedom in
Christ Prison Congregation Task Force and Call
Committee recommended
a candidate for the pastor’s position to the Montana Synod Council in
February. We are pleased
to announce that the official Letter of Call was received by our new pastor.
He will begin to establish
a network of connections
with other prison congregation ministries to help
acquire information and
assistance in setting up
the new congregation at
Montana State Prison.
The rest of the year will
require rolling up our
sleeves and really digging
into the work to set up the
congregation for their
first worship service. This
journey will truly be a
learning experience!
Part of the work is to
find ways to sustain the
congregation financially.
We depend upon outside
sources through their
gifts and donations. Our
financial supporters to
date are awesome, but
unfortunately we are still
short of projected budgets.
Another goal of
Freedom in Christ is to be
ecumenical in nature. We
are extending an invitation to our Communion
Partner Churches to join us in
this endeavor.
While the word
is spreading, it
could
spread
even faster if
you can help us!
Tell
everyone
you know in
your community about
Freedom in Christ! Word of
mouth is the best voice we
have for getting information out to others. We
hope you can help with this
little task.
During the past year, our
Project Administrator has
been busy setting up databases for mailing lists, volunteers and donors, creating a website, designing our
logo and brochure, and
talking to people. We are
trying hard to be “green” by
establishing an electronic
newsletter. We know that
not everyone has the internet or email, and we will
continue to print a limited
number of hard copies for
those who don’t have electronic means. For those
who do have internet and
email access, we ask that
we can communicate with
you through this tool. Information can be delivered
quicker, thus getting the
word out about what we
are up to, and it helps us
keep costs down. Paper,
ink, printing services, and
postage are expensive, and
we would rather be able to
keep funds available for the
congregation and new program development. Our
contact
information
is
listed below. Please let us
Con’t. pg. 7
Page 6
Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation Project
We’re on the web!
http://ficprisonministry.com
Visitations M atter b y Da vid Young
Visitations matter. Visitations matter in reducing recidivism. Visitations matter in successful family reintegration.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) recently completed a study that examined the effects of prison
visitations on offender recidivism. Using an average follow-up period of nearly five years, the study evaluated the
relationship between prison visitations and recidivism among 16,420 offenders released from Minnesota prisons
between 2003 and 2007. Two significant findings were:
1.
2.
Any visit from a mentor reduced reconviction by 29 percent;
A visit by clergy lowered recidivism by 24 percent.
Other key findings included the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Nearly 40 percent of the offenders were not visited once while in prison;
Visits from siblings, in-laws, fathers and clergy were the most beneficial in lowering recidivism;
The frequency with which inmates were visited had a significant effect on recidivism;
Visits closer to an offender’s release date had a greater impact on reducing recidivism;
The larger an offender’s social support system, the lower the risk for recidivism.
David Young is a
The results of this study suggest that prison visitation can significantly improve the transition
professional member of
offenders make from the institution to the community. In addition, the results indicate that
prison visitation can improve recidivism outcomes by helping offenders not only maintain social
the American
ties with both nuclear and extended family members (especially fathers, siblings, and in-laws)
Correctional Chaplains
while incarcerated, but also by developing new bonds such as those with clergy or mentors.
Association and a
The authors of the study said that revising existing visitation policies to make them more
member of the Freedom
“visitor friendly” may represent a relatively low cost-potentially high benefit measure that
in Christ Task Force
correctional systems could take to help ease the burden of prison overcrowding and budget
deficits. The authors also indicated that efforts should be made in the community to help to
Committee.
preserve the social ties that were established or maintained in prison so as to further strengthen
the beneficial effects of prison visitation.
Armed with this new evidence, Prison Fellowship in its March 2012 newsletter, has offered up the following four
ideas as ways to encourage prison visits:
1. Place Inmates in Institutions Closer to Where Their Families Live. More than half of prisoners with children
live more than 100 miles from where they lived before prison. This study shows by discouraging visitation,
long-distance placements are harmful to public safety. Institutional convenience should never trump public
safety;
2. Expand Visiting Rooms and Visiting Hours. Visitation is severely limited, often restricted to a few hours one
day a week, or even every other week. Inmates should not be denied opportunities to stay involved with
their families;
3. Allow Mentors to Remain in Contact with Inmates after Release. Many prisons prohibit mentors from
staying in touch with inmates upon release. This study shows the policy of “non-fraternization” undermines
public safety by cutting off offenders from an important relationship at the most important time;
4. Pick a Prison and Go… In this study, 40 percent of the inmates never received a visit. Consider how
intimidating it would be to face release after five years in prison and not have had contact with anyone
outside prison. Where would you sleep? Who would help you find a job?
A two-page summary of the Minnesota study is available at:
http://www.doc.state.mn.us/publications/documents/11-11PrisonVisitationResearchinBrief_Final.pdf
The full report of the Minnesota study can be downloaded at:
http://www.doc.state.mn.us/publications/documents/11-11MNPrisonVisitationStudy.pdf
Volume 2, Issue 3
Page 7
Photo © Bea Rosenleaf
Upcoming Events:

April 15th, 11 a.m. -- Pastor and George Sorensen at First English Lutheran Church in Great Falls

May 5th, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. — MSP Volunteer Training in Deer Lodge, Lunch provided. Applications are available on
the website for download. Mail to the address provided on the website.

June 1st—3rd Montana Synod Assembly, Crown Plaza, Billings. Installation of Pastor Robert Nedbalek.
Freedom in C hrist History
know if you would like to
receive our newsletter
(and in what format), volunteer or be placed on our
electronic mailing list.
As we go forward, the
need for volunteers will be
great. With the proposed
fundraiser, we will need
volunteers to help in various areas around the Synod. If someone wants to
volunteer to attend Bible
Studies and other programs, they must attend a
mandatory one-day training session at Montana
State Prison. These training sessions are only held
two or three times during
the year, so if you are con-
(c on’ t fr om pg. 5 )
sidering volunteering inside the Prison, please
keep this in mind. If you
would like to volunteer,
please contact us and we
will put you in our volunteer database to keep you
informed of all the details.
While we are moving
forward, we are still in
need of your prayers and
support! Your past support is much, much appreciated.
God is guiding us in this
wonderful journey and we
hope that you will join us.
God is so good…all the
time.
Page 8
Freedom in Christ Prison Congregation Project
We’re on the web!
http://ficprisonministry.com
“Where our treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21
$1 to $99:
Rev. Alvin & Linda Beyers
Rev. Mike & Dorothy Borge
Barbara Connolly
Anne Dobney
Gerald Ebelt
Harold Everson
Ken & Pat Gjerde
Joe Haugestuen
Rodney & Sandra Herrick
Ruth & Rex Ijames
Curtis & Karen Johnson
Rev. Darius Larsen
Rev. Melanie Martin-Dent
Ann & Morris Mitteness
Maynard & Shirley Olson
Ronald & Marian Paulson
Ken Schneider
John & Gladys Simonds
Hinsdale Lutheran Hinsdale
Hope American Lutheran Fallon
Sacred Heart Church Harlem
Saco WELCA
St. James Lutheran Columbus
St. John’s ELCA Women Great Falls
$100 to $499
Howard Albers
Jacob Block
Jeremy Blyth
Mike & Diane Conner
Bishop Jessica Crist &
Turner Graybull
Jim & Kathy Eff
James & Sharon Engh
Revs. Rick & Mary Green
Ronald & Eleanore Hasley
Paul & Kay Hanson
Michael & Marjorie Holland
Rev & Mrs. Marc Kolden
Rev. Betty Mawbey
Rev. Robert Nilsen
Jeff Olgaard
Ron & Nancy Osborn
Rev. David & Deborah Peters
Carl Rohr
George & Marilyn Sorensen
David Streufert
Gayland & Barbara Westoff
Terry & Kim Wilker
Bethany Lutheran - Dutton
Christ the King Lutheran Bozeman
Hope Lutheran - Powell
Immanuel Lutheran Absarokee
Peace Lutheran Men’s
Breakfast Group - Billings
St Paul Bazaar Team Missoula
Valley of Christ Lutheran Frenchtown
$500 to $999
Barbara Davis
Greg & Carroll Karlsgodt
Rolf Tunby
Hope Lutheran - Anaconda
All Saints Lutheran - Big Sky
Bethlehem Lutheran Kalispell
Faith Lutheran - Hamilton
Golden Triangle Cluster Chester
Immanuel Lutheran Missoula
Our Savior’s Lutheran Thompson Falls
Peace Lutheran - Billings
Zion Lutheran - Fairfield
$1,000 to $4,999
1st English Lutheran Great Falls
American Lutheran - Baker
Prison Congregations of
America
St. Paul Lutheran - Missoula
Trinity Lutheran Hot Springs
Help Us S ave - E lectronic N ewsletters
Newsletter are expensive, and the postage to
mail them is expensive.
However, we WANT to
communicate with you,
our supporters and prayer warriors! Can you
help us in our endeavor
to go green AND save
money for ministry program development instead of printing and
mailing expenses?
There are several ways
you can let us know you
would like to receive the
newsletter electronically:
 Sign up on our
website
 Send us an email
 Write a note
 Give us a call
You can also print the
newsletter through a link
on our website! We know
not everyone has a computer, or access to the internet, but did you remember your local library has
computers with internet
access?
If you would rather have
a hard copy, just let us
know. We will print a limited number of copies to
mail out.
Thanks for your help!
Page 9
Volume 2, Issue 3
Jesus in R eal Time b y Tom Wilson
“What church in town
is taking the kids to Silverwood?” he asked, obviously wanting to ensure that
his children didn’t miss
out. I responded that I
didn’t know, and continued to work at my desk—
without looking up. The
inmate was mildly irritated. Wasn’t I the religious
guy? Shouldn’t I know
what’s going on in the religious community? He sifted for answers to his unspoken thoughts by continuing to probe, “Well,
how many churches are
there in Deer Lodge?” It
couldn’t be that hard to
keep track of such things
in a small town.
“Twelve,” I said, “soon
to be thirteen.” Looking
up, I observed that he was
muscular, cocky, hair
slicked back like DeNiro in
his prime.
“Waddaya
mean, ‘soon to be thirteen?’” he said with just a
hint of a smirk. I explained
that I was part of a team
that was planting a new
church in Deer Lodge. He
inquired
about
what
“kind” of church so I elaborated. He’d never heard of
the small movement that
I’m a part of, so I told him
that some refer to our tradition as Empowered
Evangelicals.
I briefly
shared that we embrace
the concept of the citychurch (that believers
from every denomination
are on the same team), and
that we sometimes experience God in trans-rational
ways. He narrowed one
eye and cocked his head.
“How so?” he asked. I
responded, “We’ve seen
supernatural
physical
healings, and we sometimes get what we believe are prophetic insights.” His smirk was full
-blown now, and he commented, “I bet you get
funny looks from people.”
I smiled and said,
“Sometimes.”
He began to tell me
how he didn’t like orga-
nized religion. He told
me about the hypocrites,
and how he could find
God in the mountains. He
began to talk faster as he
explained how religious
people had defrauded his
vulnerable grandmother
of a considerable amount
of money. He was making himself mad. In the
middle of his soliloquy,
the Holy Spirit spoke a
word into my mind. The
word was, “Teresa.” I
wrote the name on my
large monthly desk calendar as he continued to
speak. When he took a
breath, I interjected,
“What was your grandmother’s name?”
He
paused, “What?” “What
was your grandmother’s
name?” I repeated.
He told me her name.
It was Teresa Sullivan. I
rotated the desk calendar
so he could read the
name that he had just
watched me write moments before. He stuttered, looked at me, then
back to the calendar. He
gave me a funny look and
searched my face for an
explanation. I told him
that God revealed his
grandmother’s name to
me
because He
wanted
him
to
know that
He knew
her, knew
her story,
and was
equally
offended
by what
happened to her.
The inmate’s countenance melted into wonder. He humbly asked if
he could have the paper
with his grandmother’s
name. I carefully cut the
entry from the page and
gave it to him. He responded to the “God moment” by living with a
new sensitivity toward
faith. He began to study
the bible with his kids in
the visiting room.
But that beautiful story of Jesus-in-real-time
doesn’t have a storybook
ending, not yet anyway.
Dysfunction and rebellion scar deeply, and this
man’s issues weren’t totally resolved in the few
moments it took for this
story to play out. What
he needed, and still needs,
is the very thing I can’t give
him. He needs discipleship.
He needs a shepherd in the
context of community. It’s
a powerful thing when the
witness of the Spirit combines with the plumb line of
Scripture and the scrutiny
of the body of Christ. That’s
what he needs. The very
thing I can’t give him.
I’m glad God has called
volunteers like the Freedom in Christ team and the
Deer Lodge Ministerial Association to Montana State
Prison. The fields are white
unto harvest and the workers are few, but the ratio is
changing because of willing
and giving souls who are
serious about the Great
Commission and the Kingdom of God. Yes, the ratio is
changing, and with it the
demographics of heaven—
what could be better than
that?
Tom Wilson is the
Religious Activities
Coordinator at
Montana State Prison
and Pastor of the Deer
Lodge Vineyard
Christian Fellowship.
He writes as a private
citizen.
The name in this article
was changed.
Freedom in Christ Prison Ministry Project
P O Box 617
Anaconda, MT 59711
Phone:
406.560.4993
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
ficprisonministry.com
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Did You Know…

Inside this issue:

Welcome. Training, Wish List 2
From the Pastor, Off &
Running
3
Build a Church, Help Wanted, 4
Website Make-over
History
5
Visitation Matters
6
Upcoming, History (con’t)
7
Circle of Freedom,
Electronic Newsletter
8
Jesus in Real Time
9



The U.S. has more than 1,100 state and federal
prisons and that they employ about 1,600
professional chaplains?
More than 9 million individuals cycle through local
jails each year?
The U.S. spends $74 billion on corrections each year?
1 in 28 children have a parent behind bars; 1 in 9
African American children has a parent incarcerated?
More than 700,000 sentenced prisoners are released
into communities from state and federal prisons each
year (about 13,600 per week); 2 out of 3 will be
rearrested within 3 years?