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Covenanter Helps Prisoners Transition to Life Outside
By Craig Pinley
OLATHE, KS (July 22, 2003) - This article is part of a series of stories about prison ministries
throughout the Covenant.
As a corrections officer, Billey Davis of the
Olathe Evangelical Covenant Church in Olathe, once helped prisoners
adjust to life inside in the walls of prison.
She now helps prisoners make their way back into back into society. As a
resource developer at the Johnson County Corrections Department, Davis
teaches life skills, does job placement and assigns community service
hours for male and female felons who have been screened for safe behavior.
After graduating from Arizona State University, Davis lived in
California for a time before returning to her hometown of Excelsior
Springs, Kansas, (30 minutes from Kansas City) to care for her mother.
She found a job at the Jackson County jail as a corrections officer and
eventually was promoted to working job development. After six years at
Jackson County, she transferred to nearby Johnson County in 1986.
"I knew immediately that this was the job for me," she said. "I love
finding people jobs - I love every single thing about it. I've never had
a boring day."
When an offender in Johnson County is convicted for a felony offense,
they often must complete an intensive probation period where they are
supervised by the county. They must have a job in order to stay within
intensive probation mandates.
Davis helps them find and keep jobs and teaches four classes: career
decisions, budgeting, job retention, and substance abuse issues. In the
final component, Davis enlists the help of previous offenders who have
successfully completed probation and are drug and alcohol free. Besides
helping people find jobs, Davis matches those on probation with
community service options they must fulfill as part of the probation
process. She also helps educate volunteers on how they can get involved
in Bible studies for prisoners.
"It is so gratifying," said Davis. "Seeing the before and after (of
offenders) is unbelievable. It's so heartwarming to see people make
those changes. I feel like I was made for this job. I wish everyone
could see how people who have been in the depths of despair and sin
recover. I've had at least five people come and tell me that probation
may have saved their lives."
For more information on how churches or individuals can volunteer at
corrections programs, call Davis at 913-432-5160, extension 3472 or
email her at billey.davis@jocoks.com.
Here are a few of the other places where Covenant prison ministry is
being done.
EAST COAST
Hopkinton, Massachusetts: Community Covenant Church parishioner
Carol Hodney has led a church ministry to inmates at Pelletier Center, a
correctional facility in nearby Westboro. The church group - a group of
five or six people - organizes birthday parties for the inmates (whose
ages range from 12-18) and Hodney is a pen pal to a woman in the
facility. She is also part of an in-the-mail Bible study program through
a parachurch organization called Straight Ahead Ministries. Last fall,
Hodney and fellow parishioner Holly Smith mentored a few girls who will
be released from prison and will live in a small group discipleship home
as they transition back into society. Smith also helped lead a church
redecorating project for the facility.
Hodney, a mother of four, said that she got involved in prison ministry
four years ago after being encouraged by her pastor, Bruce Johnson. At
first, Hodney and nearly a dozen others ministered at a correctional
facility for boys in Westborough. The church gave gifts to inmates at
Christmas and led a worship service at Easter. Later, Straight Ahead
Ministries helped Community Covenant make connections with Pelletier
Center - the church originally went to Pelletier last Thanksgiving and
delivered dinner to inmates. Johnson often gives a message or
individuals will give their testimony during the monthly birthday
parties. One such event led to a dozen girls being led to Christ. One
woman who is en route to being released has connected with Hodney and
Smith as she considers how to transition back into society.
"One time we did a birthday party and one of the girls was in the corner
crying," Hodney said. "When one of the Straight Ahead Ministries people
went over to her, she said that no one had ever celebrated a birthday
her in her 16 years. It has changed me. And it has affected our church
as well. At first we thought we were limited in what we could do because
we're a small church," said Hodney. "But God is a big God and everything
we've set out to do we've done--and more."
For more information about the Community Covenant prison ministry, call
Hodney at 508-478-5419.
GREAT LAKES
Ludlow, Pennsylvania: John Nelson, a pastor of First Covenant
Church in Ludlow, Pennsylvania, is chaplain at the Warren County Prison
in nearby Warren. He has been chaplain there since 1989. Nelson is a
member of the American Correctional Association, along with the American
Correctional Chaplains Association and the national and state Sheriff's
Association.
Nelson, who went to high school in nearby Kane, Pennsylvania, leads
Sunday night chapel services at the prison and will visit prisoners when
they are being delivered meals to their cells. "I accompany the officers
and trustees who serve the meals, which provides an excellent
opportunity for a chaplain to see all the inmates, greet them, and pick
out any problems they have," he says. "The staff enjoys an unusually
good working relationship at the Warren County jail. They work together,
not against each other, which, in turn, makes everyone's job easier."
NORTHWEST
Moose Lake, Minnesota: Three parishioners at the Evangelical
Covenant Church in Moose Lake are involved in prison ministry on a
regular basis. Dawson Gentry leads a Bible study at a medium-security
prison in Moose Lake. Charlie Clucka and Millie Entner lead a Bible
study and worship service at a prison for first-time offenders. The
facility, known as "The Boot Camp," is located in nearby Willow River.
It is a coed program that helps discipline adults in order to curtail
re-occurrences in crime.
The church has advocated for prisoners for many years. The church has
hosted minimal security prisoners for worship services and more than a
dozen inmates have been involved at the church in various ways. Some
were even allowed to attend Covenant Park Bible Camp, getting special
releases for a day with a parishioner taking responsibility for them.
To send information about other prison ministries throughout the
denomination, call 773-907-8333 or email Covenant Communication at
newsdesk@covchurch.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
