Karon's email, followed by my email...

-----Original Message-----
From: kcarroll10@juno.com [mailto:kcarroll10@juno.com]
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2003 5:18 PM
To: bob.jordan@hydramaster.com; dsgoff@DOC1.WA.GOV; GVT@pfcom.org
Subject: WSR family svc 11/15 cancellation
 

Greg, Bob, and Darren,

I came home from work Thursday evening to a message from Darren that the 11/15 service has been cancelled.  Only 1 inmate signed up.  Our team is meeting tonight at 6:00 for the sol purpose of prayer for this ministry.  We are seeking God's direction and guidance as to what He would have us do. Darren, we need to meet to discuss the next step.  Is there no interest or a conflict in time and date?  Greg are there other ministries from PFC actively involved at WSR such at Bible studies?  Please be in prayer with us.

"For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:10

Karon
 

My response. Note: I talked with Karon as I sent this to her - her team was assembled at the church for prayer.

Hi Karon:

I believe there are a number of issues here. The excellent results we had at the first TRU service is providing a model for what looks like will work very well. You don't need to pray about what God would have you to do. I don't mean than to sound hard or insensitive. You are doing the right thing and are in the center of God's will when you are out and about advancing the kingdom of God. The verse you quote in Eph. 2:10 reinforces that. You already have his direction and guidance in serving in the prison ministry. The thing we have to do is implement what we've learned.

On my website I've listed a number of lessons learned both from WSR and then from TRU. Please review them at http://www.bobjordan9.com/ministry/pfc/monroe.htm  Here's the model that's working:

1- Monthly church service on a weeknight.
2- Allow inmates to invite anyone on their visitation list.
3- Service to last one hour.
4- Allow at least 45 minutes of visitation time.
5- Allow inmates to access vending machines.
6- Have service at a time separate from normal prison visitation. This provides the incentive of coming out because an extra visit would be involved.
7- Have lively singing. Have one drama or skit. Have a short 20 minute adult message.
8- The leader of the church service also visits the inmates during the week. This build trust, credibility, and provides for marketing opportunity. (Note: this has since been discussed and deemed not as important as originally stated.)
9- The leader should be experienced at prison ministry.
10- Strong male leadership.
11- Weekly communication with PFC/Bob/Darin on what's going on, what the plans are, whose doing what. Pastor Burkholder and I talk almost daily about TRU and meet face-to-face two to three times per week.

Your team is to be commended for initiating the family services. None of us knew that limiting the families to only those with children would place an extreme limit on those who could attend.

There is no doubt about the sincerity and commitment of the Central team. Be assured that God is pleased with your heart for ministry, and he's placed that burden within you and your team.

The issues we have are both logistics, communication, credibility, leadership, and experience. We don't need to pray about what to do, we need to pray and commit to do the things we need to do and to address them and correct them and move forward. I believe we can do this.

* We fix logistics by moving the service to a weeknight. That has proven itself to work.
* We improve communication by you and your team talking much with each other and keeping me, Darin and Greg in the loop by phone and email. This area needs improvement.
* We improve credibility by having people from Central ministering inside WSR on a regular basis (see note above on this). PFC has a team that they can plug into. Here there is an issue- WSR is a male institution and outside of Family Services men only minister to men. Central will have to have men rise up to this challenge.
* We improve leadership by you and your team being mentored by me, GVT, and
Pastor Burkholder.
* We improve experience by getting your people trained in conducting church services. I can take people to Shelton to learn to preach and I can come to Central and teach our PFCU preaching workshop. We can also consider blending current PFC volunteers at WSR into your Family Service.

Call me at 425-268-8072 when you get this. I can meet with your team at Central if needed. We can have an open forum to discuss what I've written. On Tuesday, November 18 after Advisory Council GVT, Pastor Burkholder, and I are meeting to discuss TRU. Can you and Allen and others of your team attend? It's an opportunity that ideally you can re-arrange your calendar for. Advisory Council ends at 9pm so that's about when we'd start this meeting. Can you be there?

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

-Bob