The eighth annual ‘open to all’ meeting of Christian Prison Resourcing (CPR) was held in the Spring at Elmstead Baptist Church, Kent.
Over 100 supporters, staff and associates were at the two-hour, fast-moving presentation.
Almost 30 people reported, including those involved in support work, in-prison ministry, prison chaplains, resettlement, and the many correspondence courses. Several ex-offenders gave moving testimonies of their changed lives when they came to faith in Jesus Christ. One is now happily married, employed and working towards pastoral training; another gave up his in-cell TV, preferring to spend his time in Bible study.
Behind the scenes
There were reviews of the ‘behind the scenes’ work, which ranged from marking thousands of Bible studies to creating new courses. These included basic courses in Mark’s Gospel and Acts to advanced theology, with certificates. CPR’s goal is for the work to count towards an accredited degree; some in-prison students are already at this level.
The resettlement work, supporting offenders once released, was encouraging, as was the influence and friendships of the CPR workers with fellow staff and chaplains. CPR has had significant success equipping associates and offenders with dyslexia or learning difficulties to process the Word of God, including the use of mind maps.
Need for the young
The challenge, as the meeting closed, was to encourage more younger men and women to become involved in prison ministry. Book in for next year’s meeting on 13 April.
