Many people have never set foot in a prison. In one way, that’s a good thing! However, once you have visited someone behind the bars, you realize how demoralizing and dehumanizing that experience can be. That loud “clank” speaks volumes. Reminding those who find themselves imprisoned that they have not been forgotten is a gift that is priceless. The blessings flow both ways.
We have heard the statistics about mass incarceration in our country. We have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.
Prison Congregations of America introduced the idea of congregations inside prisons across the country and across denominations. Now there are 26 active prison congregations in thirteen different states representing eight denominations. I have served a prison congregation for the past eight years. It’s been an unexpected and powerful blessing.
You are invited to join a movement to shake the foundations of systems of human exploitation.
Learn about the faithful work that Pastor Nora Jacob is doing in Southern California!
We train small groups of people to serve together as mentors to returning citizens.
I have been trained to be a restorative justice facilitator for a pilot program in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Restorative justice is an alternative to the retributive justice system so many of our young people are encountering. In our very complicated world, restorative justice brings people together, holding the offender accountable, giving the victim an opportunity to participate, and engaging the community in problem solving. Learn more about how it works.
We have more people in prisons and jails than any other country in the world. One in one hundred Americans are under some type of corrections supervision—jail, prison, probation or parole. Even more scandalous is the fact that a disproportionate number of those incarcerated are people of color. Read more about this.
The National Benevolent Association (NBA) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is excited to initiate a collaborative ministry addressing justice issues within America’s jails and prisons. In particular, NBA will focus on supporting congregations as they engage in prison and jail related ministries and in connecting conversations across Disciples-related ministries in order to strengthen this work.
There is a role for the church. Our churches can equip themselves to welcome, support and hold accountable those returning citizens who are coming back to our communities. By being there for them and their families, the church can demonstrate the unconditional love of God expressed in the life of Jesus Christ. Read more about "Welcome and Support for Returning Citizens" by Dean Bucalos.
