Free Indeed—A Prison Ministry Update

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Free Indeed—A Prison Ministry Update

November 26, 2007

By Chris Anderson

Overview
On Monday, November 12, 2007, two of us visited the Fayette County jail in Vandalia, IL. On that visit, 23 inmates signed up for Bible studies. I worked with the prison administrator, on scheduling these Bible studies. For safety reasons, he did not want any more than eight inmates in the library at a time, so we scheduled three 30-minute classes with approximately eight inmates in each class. This was our plan—God had other plans.

When I arrived at the jail the next Monday, on Nov 19, five teenagers had just been brought in on a drug bust. The cops were quick to inform us that they needed the library (our library!) to interrogate the kids. This forced us to go up to the physical plant and visit the inmates block by block. As it turned out, this was a good thing.

Fayette County has eight blocks designated A-H. Blocks A and B are federal prisoners, C through G are state prisoners, and H is designated for female inmates, of which we (as males) have no access to at this time.

Block A—Magic Phone
We ministered to 10 inmates in block A; all are interested in next week’s Bible study. God moved in profound ways, ensuring the inmates that He was hovering over them in their darkness just like He hovered over the darkness in Genesis 1:2—“Let there be light!”

As we prayed, one inmate expressed how the block phone was causing him distress. You see, inmates rely on phone calls as their only link to the outside world. If nobody will accept their calls or follow through with simple requests, the inmates are powerless and at the mercy of the penal bureaucracy. This in turn causes fear and anxiety. He said that every time he picked up the phone on Monday, he just wanted to scream and punch somebody because nobody would do anything for him. We prayed a simple prayer of faith, asking the Lord to help him by opening up doors and hearts.

At the end of the night, as we traveled back through A block to leave, this inmate flagged me down and said, “Man, when I picked up the phone, it was like magic! After you guys left, I went to the phone, and it was just like magic, man! Everything was better.” He thanked us and planned to be at the next Bible study.

Block C—Families
In the next block, we ministered to six inmates, five of which are interested in the next Bible study. After a simple Bible discussion and prayer, we started talking about their families.

One inmate requested a simple prayer—that when his little girl (age 5-8?) visits him he be able to give her a hug. Right now, when she visits he is forced to see her through the glass. All he wants is a hug and a simple touch. It would mean so much to him. (Can you please pray for this with us?)

Another inmate is getting out in a couple of weeks. He lives in Ramsey, Illinois and when he gets out, he will be coming to Christ Tabernacle with his wife and children. He is ready for a fresh start, and is wide open to the Gospel. His family is a great candidate for home fellowship groups.

Block D—Gifts of the Spirit?
This story is a little complicated, but worth retelling because it demonstrates God at work. Names are changed to protect identities.

On our first visit, we had visited Frank in Block D. Although we felt the Holy Ghost flowing throughout our visit, in Block D, for some reason, I felt like a blanket was quenching the Spirit. In my desperation, I asked Frank what God could do to help him. He said, “God can heal my back! It’s killin’ me.” I laid my hands on his back and prayed in faith, though I did not feel anything. All week long this had bothered me.

So last night we revisited Block D. Frank was still in there, and there was a new guy, a pudgy 25-year-old with a shaved head. I asked Frank how his back was, and, no surprise, it still hurt. I apologized that we weren’t able to meet in the library as promised. Frank was looking forward to the plastic chairs of the library to be a relief for his back.

I then asked the other gentleman if he would be interested in joining us for Bible study next Monday. “Nope. Not interested. I’ve seen what you church-folk are all about and I am not interested,” was the reply. My partner asked for chance to make a new impression. He continued to deny us opportunity. Once again, we did not feel much unction of the Spirit. My partner moved on to the next block, and I was about to follow him to “more fertile soil,” but then I stopped.

I turned to Frank and said, “You know, you really tick me off!” He looked shocked, “Why’s that?” This had gotten the other inmate’s attention as well. He stood to watch what was about to happen.

I said, “Frank, as I walked through this jail, I’ve done nothing but feel God! Everybody I’ve talked to, God has given me a word for, but when I talk to you, I don’t feel a thing. It’s like His Spirit has been removed from me, only when I talk with you, and it ticks me off! What’s up with that!”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Frank replied. “It’s like there’s a veil or something hovering over me and I can’t get out from under it! You feel it too? It’s always there? What’s up with that?”

Suddenly, I felt God. “Is there a curse in your family? A generational thing? Something that happened to you as a kid?”

Frank’s eyes lit up, while at the same time he sagged. “Yeah, something horrible, and it haunts me every day. It’s been at its worst in the last six months, but it’s haunted me my whole life.”

Then I remembered a great book that helped deal with childhood trauma. “Frank, I think you have a generational curse, and I believe that God wants to lift it, but to do it, in addition to the Bible, I’m going to bring in another book for you next week. Do you promise to read it?” He agreed. “It’s going to be the hardest book you ever read because it’s going to deal with the root of your problem.”

Throughout the night, I had been compiling a list of things that I needed to bring for next week. I walked over to my list to write Frank’s name down.

“I’ll bring that book in next week for you. What’s your last name? Darnell?”
“No. It’s Dennison.”
I wrote down Frank Dennison.
Then the other inmate stepped forward. “Why did you say that?” he asked.
“Say what?”
“What name did you say?”
“Uh . . . Dennison?”
“No, before that, you said Darnell. That’s my name! How did you know my name? When you introduced yourself, I didn’t tell you my name! How did you know my name?”

“Maybe it was coincidence?” I shrugged. “Maybe it was the Holy Ghost telling you that He wants you in that Bible study next week? I guess you’ll have to decide whether it was coincidence, or whether it was God. That’s really your call. You’re always invited to the study next Monday.”

When I returned downstairs, the deputies informed me that Darnell was in jail, with his father, for child molestation. His father was in one block, and Darnell was in another. So as I was talking to Frank about how God wanted to cure his generational curse, it was actually a message for Darnell, and God then gave me his name to call him out. We’ll see what happens . . .

Distributing Truth

By the end of the night, 28 inmates were signed up for next week’s Bible study, including two Muslims who listened intently. We handed out 24 KJV Bibles with the Apostolic Doctrine in the front, 24 Word Aflame Adult Series Bible studies, 12 Pentecostal Heralds, 10 Bible studies on atonement and repentance, and a handful of Worshipper magazines and tracts. Next week, I will bring Frank in his book, and a Hispanic inmate has requested a Spanish Bible.

Please pray for our visit scheduled each Monday evening.

ninetyandnine.com

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Chris Anderson is the Editorial Designer for Word Aflame Publications. He also serves as Children’s Minister under Pastor Thomas Suey at South Central Regional Apostolic/Christ Tabernacle in Herrick, IL. Anderson did not know what to expect when asked to participate in Free Indeed. Thus far, in a short two-week stint, he has felt intimacy with Christ like no other ministerial opportunity.