PRISON MINISTRY

In this second article, Rev Chiu describes how the Prison Ministry is of service by helping

Serving Prisoners, Released Prisoners, and Prisoners’ Families

The Prison Ministry cannot be restricted to preaching and teaching the Word of God inside the prisons. When a prisoner who has responded to God’s Word is released from prison, he or she needs the support of Christians to continue in the Christian life. While the prisoner is in prison, his family also needs to be ministered to. Otherwise, he returns to a very broken family which, in turn, will drag him back to the old life. On the other hand, when a prisoner sees his family moving from brokenness into wholeness, he is encouraged, and spurred on to work on his recovery.

The ministry of Prison Fellowship Singapore (PFS) may be divided into 3 departments, namely the In-Prison Ministry, Aftercare Ministry, and Family Life Ministries, the latter comprising Children’s Ministry, Spouses and Parents’ Ministry and Elderly Ministry. We are exploring ministry to prisoners’ teenage children.

In-Prison Ministry

The period inside prison is often when the prisoner is most open to change. Being sentenced to prison forces offenders to see their need for a transformed lifestyle, and many prisoners turn to God for hope. At this point, the prisoner seeks a new lifestyle and wants to unlearn sinful ways and learn godly ones.

PFS ministers to more than 1,200 inmates through chapel services, Bible studies, and individual counseling. The aim of the ministry is to train inmates in godly living, and to experience the love of God in their lives.

Aftercare Ministry

Upon the prisoner’s release, he finds that the challenges, obstacles, and temptations outside are overwhelming. Where he had regular Christian fellowship in prison, he now finds himself struggling alone with huge problems.

Jonathan’s family lived on illegal earnings. His two brothers and a sister were engaged in international money laundering, and earning very comfortable profits. The family’s expectation of Jonathan was that he continue the family work, and were dismayed when he chose to work in a warehouse earning a meager $1,200 a month. To the family, Jonathan’s lifestyle choice was foolish and unfilial as he was unable to support his parents’ lifestyle with his salary. It was a daunting challenge for Jonathan to follow his Lord Jesus Christ.

PFS provides Christian fellowship for released prisoners through nightly support group meetings, computer and guitar classes, and fun weekend fellowship meetings. Through these meetings released prisoners find a platform to share their challenges, victories, and defeats with volunteers and staff who pray with, and encourage them to walk with the Lord.

Family Life Ministries

Life in prison was torturous for James, not because prison conditions were difficult, but because he worried for his wife and young daughter. He had received news that his wife was very ill and unable to properly take care of his daughter. James had not been a good husband or father, and this added to his guilt and mental anguish.

PFS Family Life Ministries seeks to minister to prisoners’ families in holistic ways. The weekly Saturday Kids’ Care Club provides prisoners’ children with personalised help in school work, as well as enrichment activities which develop their abilities in music, art, dance, and general creativity. Holiday activities expose children to healthy recreational options such as visits to the local library with guidance on selecting interesting books, visits to parks, and arts and craft classes. At the same time, children with learning or behavioral challenges are identified and given more specialized attention.

PFS also conducts support groups for wives and mothers of the incarcerated. Those who are less mobile are visited by volunteers, who also identify their specific needs.

PFS aims for churches and individual Christians to embrace prisoners’ families and to draw them into their communities. As their burdens are shared, many will find it more manageable to rise beyond dysfunction, to create an emotionally healthier environment for the family.

My hope is that over time, churches will realize that Prison Ministry is not restricted to having several members regularly visiting the prisons to conduct chapel services. Rather, released prisoners and prisoners’ families are all around us, needing and hoping for communities to extend a hand of friendship to them. For many, condemnation and rejection have been all that they have known. They need God’s people to show them God’s Fatherly embrace.