Lessons Learned and Observations
Family Services, WSR and TRU
Status: Three planning sessions and four actual services have been conducted for the new Family Services initiated by Darin Goff at WSR and being carried out by PFC, Central Christian Church, and Cascade Community Church.
Service Format: The four services at WSR have all been geared toward children. There have been songs, skits, drama, and activities all intended for the children. There have not been adult-style messages or traditional altar calls. This was the original design of the services.
Training Activity: His Harmony (team of four) took the leadership role in launching the first two services and mentoring Central through the third and fourth services. Further, HH invited the Central team to a specific off-site training session. Central handled the fourth service and is now ready to assume the permanent role of being responsible for the services. Pastor John Burkholder has been at all four services to date as an observer and to build a relationship with HH, PFC, WSR leadership, and to prepare for his own church plant at TRU in October/November. Numerous persons have been through orientation at WSR and have attended PFC training.
Ministry Team Attendance: The attendance by all persons on the ministry team has been excellent.
Inmate Attendance: The inmate attendance, though 7 to 9 have been signed up each month, has been as follows: June (5), July (4), August (1), September (1).
Inmate Response in Service: The response has been exceedingly positive from all observation, by inmate, family, and children.
Service Times: Whereas the visitation room is full during our services, our services are not well attended. This may be in part to the actual service time, which coincides with regular visitation. This time was chosen to allow for children to get home for the next-day's school as well as to not place a burden on the wife if she works during the week.
TRU Model: After four months of review, and regular discussion with GVT, Bob Jordan, Darin Goff, and Rich Fricks, Pastor John Burkholder and Darin have advanced the concept of opening up the service to wives (even without children), grandparents, etc. John and Darin also have suggested the service be on a weeknight that is in addition to the regular visitation times (not instead of). The format of the service would have to appeal to both child and adult, thus be a mixture of adult sermon and skits/drama/singing.
Differences between WSR and TRU: Pastor Burkholder has the advantage of seeing how the WSR services are working and thus can formulate his plan for TRU. Further, John is in the TRU on a weekly basis building a relationship with the men and teaching the scriptures. He is able to promote the pending Family Services and he has the credibility of being there on a regular basis. Central is new to prison ministry just as Cascade will be, but Cascade is led by an experience minister (John) who has the confidence of the men. The Central team does not have this dynamic. Further, there is no regular chaplain at WSR to promote the Family Services in a way similar to what John is doing at TRU.
Risk Mitigation: At WSR there has to be a combination of the inmate being present, the wife being present, and the child being present. If the child has a conflicting school assignment or sports event, then the inmate does not attend. If the wife has a car problem or conflict, then the inmate cannot attend. If the inmate has an infraction and loses privileges, then he cannot attend and thus the family cannot attend. If there are too many hassles for the wife and child to get in on a busy visitation day (every day on Sunday afternoon there has been overflow crowds at check-in) then they defer to another time and the inmate cannot come to the service. In short, the schedules of three entities have to work out at the same time for the inmate to be present. If the service shifted to wives being invited too (even if they do not have children), then a larger pool of inmates are available (not all inmates with wives have children) to attend. This again would require a change to the approach to the services since it could no longer be exclusively geared to children.
What's Next: Numerous actions can be taken:
1- Keep praying - God will lead!
2- Find out why the many inmates who are signed up at WSR are not showing up.
3- Have PFC volunteers who minister at WSR already promote the Family Services.
4- Consider having a Family Services team make a presentation at the WSR chapel to "market" the program.
5- Ensure proper posters with the next dates are being posted at WSR.
6- Begin at TRU with any family unit being invited to attend. Judge response.
7- Begin at TRU on a weeknight. Judge response.
8- Begin on the first day at TRU with Pastor Burkholder leading and HH supporting. John has credibility with the inmates and he should be seen as the leader from the start for Family Services at TRU.
9- Get Cascade team through PFCU and WSR orientation ASAP. (Dates for both of these are set - Cascade needs to make these dates a priority.)
10- Leadership team (GVT, Bob, Darin, John, Rich, Allen, Karon) communicate often (phone, email). Keep everyone in the loop on activity.
11- Anything else???
Everything above is open for discussion. Everyone's inputs are desired. We're all playing for the same team and wanting the same good results. God's blessing to the new volunteers at Central and Cascade who are doing something for God and stepping out of their comfort zone. Thanks to the "old hands" in His Harmony and others who are taking a leadership role and mentoring others.
Through it all God will get the glory, we will get the victory, and the devil will get a mouthful of dust.
It's a bright day in the kingdom of God!
- Bob Jordan, September 22, 2003