Anybody Up For A Weekend In Prison?

By Editor | May 22, 2024 |

DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Water Valley High School band banquet and how enjoyable it was. Javi Sanchez, a friend of band director Wes Brown, was also there with a photo booth and we reacquainted. A few eyes got big as we explained we met behind bars.
It happens occasionally, First Presbyterian preacher Kurt Presley is another guy I met in Parchman.

No, we weren’t doing hard time but instead serving in prison ministry. People travel all around the world to share the gospel, but I would like to tell you about an amazing mission field an hour from Water Valley. Twice a year a volunteer Kairos Prison Ministry team goes to Parchman for three-and-a-half days to share the gospel. I have been going since 2015 and it is always a blessing and a humbling experience. I can tell you, lives are eternally changed. You learn about agape love and getting out of your comfort zone.

That was the introduction, now for the call. We are putting together a team to go in July 11 – 14. Since the lull during Covid, it has been a struggle to field enough volunteers for these teams. The bigger the team, the more guys we can serve. Truthfully it takes a big commitment as we have six to eight team meetings before we go in. Each team has different people serving on it, and the team meetings allow us to bond in Christ and prepare for the weekend. The meetings also include training for different roles each person is assigned, learning the rules of the warden’s house and how the overall weekend will flow.

A Kairos weekend in Parchman is a life changer. I mentioned that we are struggling for volunteers, but specifically for new volunteers. The guys who have been going keep going, but like all ministries, we also need new volunteers.

Now a disclaimer – there are few who would disagree with the old saying, if you do the crime, you do the time. I mentioned that to explain that this ministry is not about advocating for a prisoner, it is about sharing the gospel as an advocate for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Think about it, we were all born with an inherited sin nature, guilty in God’s eyes. Thankfully God, in His infinite love, provided a plan of redemption by sending his Son to die on the cross, shedding his blood for our sins. That’s agape love, the message we share during a Kairos weekend.

Care to join us?

Our next team meeting is Friday night in Oxford.

While the guys go into the unit, we also need ladies on the team. Marla Sartain, who works at Turnage Drug Store, is leading the lady’s team that serves alongside the guys. She desperately needs a few more volunteers.

Call me at (662) 473-8444, or Marla at (662) 832-7502 if you think you might be interested. And I promise, nobody has ever been left behind when we leave those gates after the weekend.