Twelve members of Clarkston Community Church spent two days in a Findley, Ohio, prison this past July, hoping to help inmates jumpstart their lives.
‘With Clarkston Community Church we’re trying to be relevant in our community and get outside our four walls and contribute to the community by having an external focus,? said Bob Bjurman, prison ministry leader at the church. ‘We think this is one item in our portfolio to do that.?
‘The Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ,? said Pastor Greg Henneman said. ‘We are his hands. We are his feet. It’s awesome to pastor a church that really lives that out.?
The church works alongside Bill Glass Champions for Life prison ministry, based out of Dallas, Texas. Bjurman got involved with the ministry 22 years ago.
The Clarkston group headed to Findley, Ohio, July 18, and spent the next two days talking face to face with prison inmates, sharing with them messages of hope, love and redemption as a part of the churches prison ministry. For some, it was their first time, while others had gone previously, he said.
‘What makes this different then going down to the city jail is they (Bill Glass ministries) get their counselors inside the prison,? said Bjurman. ‘Inside to the exercise room, the yard, the dorm, the cell blocks, segregation units and some of the advanced counselors will even go to death row. We get to go where the public and families never, ever go.?
A series of entertainers and celebrities come in and perform for the inmates and then share their testimony of what led them to become a Christian, Bjurman noted. Afterwards the counselors get one-on-one time with the prisoners.
‘For them to have a normal conversation and look eyeball to eyeball with a free man is quite a treat,? he said. ‘It helps to build dignity, self respect and hope as well as builds a fresh desire to do good when they get out.?
Through conversation Bjurman said counselors are given the opportunity to share their faith and share what Christians call ‘the plan of salvation.? He said there is a lot of opportunity for ‘turn-around? in American prisons, compared to those in the Third World.
‘Everybody loves a turn-around story,? said Bjurman. ‘We’re not negating what your crime was, but when you’ve paid your debt to society, here’s your chance at a fresh start. You’ve made a commitment and we’re helping them by presenting the basic plan for salvation to jumpstart that fresh start.?
He noted there is 80 percent recidivism in this country. For those who make a sincere commitment to turn their lives around, the number is lowered to single digits.
‘Two of the most common denominators throughout the whole prison system for both men and woman are a lousy relationship with the father and the love and respect for the grandmother,? Bjurman said. ‘We say in our church that our senior ladies can have a tremendous impact, they have a tremendous draw.?
Women ministers only go to women’s prisons and men to men’s prisons, though, he noted.
The hardest prison facilities for Bjurman are those for youth.
‘As a parent, it just rips your heart out,? he said. ‘An 8-year-old comes bouncing in and he’s not there for sidewalk littering. The first thing you want to do when you get home is hug and kiss your kids and tell them you love them.?
Saying the words ‘I love you,? is one of the major things counselors stress to the inmates to tell their children.
The two toughest areas of the trip, Bjurman said, are the beginning and end.
“The beginning is getting your legs to move when that big steel door opens. It slams shut just like in the movies,? he said. ‘Then when you depart, there’s a sense of semi-panic because they’re not going to see you again. It is some of the most sincere ‘Thank yous? and handshakes I’ve ever had.?
Upon departure, Bjurman says he asks prisoners if they will pray for him and his family.
‘And are they sincere,? he said. ‘Some of the most gut wrenching prayers I have heard have been on that exercise yard.?
Trisha Thomas said she had a blast on her first trip to prison.
‘You’d never think going to prison would be fun, but I had a good time,? she said.
She said it was scary at first, but then she realized that the inmates were just people who made mistakes.
‘Some of them made one bad choice that got them there and others made a few bad choices,? Thomas said. ‘Being in the prison they were very appreciative of us being there and having someone to talk to besides a correction officer, or a lawyer to talk to.?
Thomas said she found herself looking for prisoners who were off by themselves sitting alone, or ones who looked like they just needed and wanted to talk.
‘The whole experience made me more aware of people in need,? she said. ‘After I got out of the prison and got into the public I found myself looking around for someone to talk to or someone who might need something.?
Over the past five trips, 33 church members have met with 26,428 inmates, Bjurman said. For more information visit www.clarkstonchurch.com or www.billglasscfl.org.