Prison Ministries
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"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."Matthew 25:35-36
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How can I get involved?
- Participate in Kairos Prison Ministry, Bible Study Groups, Praise and Worship Service or Christmas Blessing Bag Day at Hightower Prison Unit (see details below)
- Assist recently released inmates to transition back into our community. Help inmates to find jobs, places to live and to purchase automobiles for transportation.
- Assist family members who have incarcerated loved ones.
- Visit inmates once each week at Montgomery County Jail.
- Be a Christian mentor for an inmate who is about to be released from a State Prison unit.
| Kairos Prison Ministry |
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Men from Christ Church United Methodist currently are serving as volunteers on Kairos Teams at both the Hightower Prison Unit in Dayton, Texas and the Polunsky Prison Unit in Livingston, Texas. The Kairos Weekend is a four-day spiritual program held in prison for forty-two inmates which begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
Fifty plus volunteers are needed, made up of both 'inside' teams (men only) and 'outside' (men and women) teams. Each volunteer is expected to pay their own way ($150) and sponsor one inmate ($150). Funds can be raised by soliciting funds from family members, friends and CCUM Sunday school classes. This fundraising process helps to garner outside support, recruit new Kairos volunteers and gain additional prayer support for the Kairos team and the Kairos Weekend.
The 'inside' team is an all-male team assisted by fifteen inmates Stewards who have already completed a Kairos weekend. To volunteer as a member of the inside team, a man should have completed (1) The Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo or Tres Dias Fourth Day Programs and (2) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Prison Volunteer Training Program (retraining required every two years)
Bible Study Groups
This year, men from Christ Church teach Disciple I, Disciple II and Quest for Authentic Manhood classes at the Hightower Prison on a weekly basis. Other courses that will be offered in 2010 on a weekly basis are Disciple III, Experiencing God and Alpha. On a monthly basis is the Rob Bell NOOMA DVD video series will be offered. Additional teachers, facilitators and substitute teachers are needed.
Praise and Worship Services
Members of the Christ Church United Methodist Praise and Worship Team, the Loft Boyz, Reverends Daniel Hannon and Marc Donaldson, and the Disciple I and Disciple II teachers provide Praise and Worship Services for the 300 plus inmates of Hightower Prison Unit. The prison allows both men and women from Christ Church to attend and participate in these services.
The service includes:
- A sermon (Dr. Hannon)
- Scripture Reading and words of comfort (Reverend Donaldson)
- Inspirational music, led by the CCUM Praise and Worship Team and Loft Boyz and/or the Hightower Praise Team and Choir
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2009-2010 schedule:
| May 2009 |
CCUM Praise and Worship, Hightower Praise Team and Choir |
| Dec 2009 |
CCUM Praise and Worship, Hightower Praise Team and Choir |
| Feb 1010 |
Hightower Praise Team and Choir |
| May 2010 |
CCUM Praise and Worship |
| Aug 2010 |
Hightower Praise Team and Choir |
| Dec 2010 |
CCUM Praise and Worship |
Christmas Blessing Bag Day
During one Saturday in December, men from Christ Church assemble and personally deliver 1400 “blessings bags” to inmates in their two-men cells. The bags contain toiletry items, such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, an apple, a banana and an orange. The visiting volunteers also tells each inmate that "Jesus loves you and so do I! Merry Christmas!” The volunteers have an opportunity to visit with individual inmates selected by the Chaplain and approved by the Warden and taste prison food by having lunch in the Correctional Officer’s Dining Hall.
For more information, please contact one of the members of the Prison Ministry Leadership team listed below: