A Volley from the Canon, number 60

“I WAS IN PRISON, AND YOU VISITED ME”

Not.

This may be a tad preachy, but it has been weighing on my mind now for some time. I work with congregations who are considering what their mission in their community might be. They talk about all manner of service projects and activities. None has ever mentioned a ministry to the incarcerated or recently released. With few laudable exceptions (thank you, Betsy!), we Episcopalians, especially in West Virginia, are a washout in following Jesus’ express command to visit the imprisoned. We will clothe the naked; after all, we have plenty of clothes to get rid of so we can buy new, more fashionable clothes. We will feed the hungry; our tables groan with excess. We almost have a specialization in ministry to the sick; we can see ourselves in that kind of need someday. But the imprisoned are another species of creature to us. We want nothing to do with them.

We are even worse when it comes to a natural outgrowth of prison ministry, advocating for prison reform. After a century of evolution, fomented by Christian activists, including Episcopalians, toward a more compassionate, rehabilitative system of justice-- long before we had time to develop processes that would actually work effectively—our nation lapsed, a generation ago, back into a penal system that grows harsher, meaner, more punitive and less restorative (also vastly more expensive!) annually. The Episcopal Church has had nothing to say about these deeply grieving developments, because we are too busy thinking about what might or might not go on in one another’s bedrooms even to notice.

Yes, there are other Christians who do visit the jails and prisons—of the brands that preach judgment, guilt, and condemnation, to remind inmates, in case they need reminding, how deeply flawed, unworthy, and unlovable they are. Surely, if there is any Christian community prepared to reach out to men and women in desperate trouble with good news about God’s unfathomable love, grace, and redemption, we ought to be the one. Yet, when congregations are going through lists of possible ministries and special callings for themselves, this one never comes up.

It isn’t easy. Government and bureaucratic regulations, entrenched interests, and deep cultural attitudes can make for daunting hurdles. Yet no obstacle is so large, or so in need of confronting, as our own prejudice, fear, judgment, and denial. I believe we suffer from Respectability Syndrome, also known as Pharaseeism. Those locked up for crimes may not be the only ones imprisoned.

Thinking of a good scripture-based theme to build an adult forum series around? How about ministry to the imprisoned and formerly imprisoned, and their families? Seems to me there is a lot for us to learn and to share in that area.