Tim Abbey
Chaplain at Kirkconnell Correctional Centre
A Story from Kirkconnell - November 2023
The Apostle Paul has the great analogy in 1 Corinthians 3 of how we’re ‘only servants,’ each with an ‘assigned task.’ Paul “planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-6)
This is so blatantly obvious in what happens at Kirkconnell Correctional Centre. Often inmates turn up at Chapel who have already benefited from Gospel outreach at another gaol from a godly Chaplain or some godly cellmates, or usually both. Then I get to ‘water’ that ‘seed’ through weekly preaching from the Bible at Chapel Services, leading Group Bible Discussions, and one-on-one interactions around how God’s Word is so true in bringing life to us when we are dead in our sins.
But the teamwork doesn’t stop there. The prayers from those who have signed up for regular prayer updates is felt everyday. There are too many coincidences, too many connections, too many hearts softened and given hope that can only be explained by the power of God, or like Paul says, “God makes it grow.”
Christians on the outside, through organisations like Crossroads, Prison Fellowship and Emmaus, help mentor inmates through Bible Correspondence Courses, visits and letter writing.
“The prayers from those who have signed up for regular prayer updates is felt everyday. There are too many coincidences, too many connections, too many hearts softened and given hope that can only be explained by the power of God.”
But there’s more. It’s a privilege to help inmates link up with Bible-believing Churches in their local area who then continue this work in their lives – welcoming them to a Church meeting. There are pastors finding ways to work with any necessary legal hurdles and protocols, and grassroots Christians believing in God’s grace, that even the worst crime can be forgiven. They invite ex-inmates appropriately into their homes, helping them practically and in time, letting them reciprocate. Some Churches even establish these links with an inmate before release through correspondence and visits – either in person or via Audio Visual Links (one of the compensating benefits of the COVID-19 period). This helps to make the transition for the inmate into outside Church a little bit easier, bearing in mind it is such a culture shock for many inmates, especially those who had little or nothing to do with Church before incarceration.
“… Christians believing in God’s grace, that even the worst crime can be forgiven.”
Ironically, we too are beneficiaries of this, just like Paul could rejoice in so many of his letters when he saw this godly teamwork in practice. It is so encouraging to see what Paul wrote about all those years ago about teamwork really working, even with all the hurdles from what a dark place like prison can be. God’s word is seen to be so relevant and real as we each play a part in seeing God bring life to the dead. Many on the ‘outside’ in local Churches are in turn spurred on in their faith with their more immediate ‘teamwork’ or local Church – it is such a great antidote for the disease of spectator Christianity.
