Jade talks honestly about the idea of a drop-in centre in Southampton for released prisoners not having been as successful as hoped, and explains briefly why she thinks this is:

One of the things I have found is that the men I meet upon release do not want to meet up with ex-offenders because they are worried about being tempted to commit crimes again. But they are happy to have coffee with me and meet on a one-to-one. So this is what I continue to do each week spending a full day in and around Southampton and Portsmouth meeting up individually with men who have served time at HMP Winchester. This consists of coffee… and listening to the men talk about how the week has been, the highs and lows. We have a prayer and then arrange to meet again in a fortnight and keep in contact via texts and phone calls. Through meeting with the men I believe that they are encouraged to keep walking with Jesus and stay away from the temptation of crime.

Jade has also been encouraged by those Mothers’ Union groups that have hosted her as a speaker, and the way that those who came wanted to know how their churches can support men who go along to church. She says:

I always say to churches treat visitors with love and respect and no matter what their background make them feel welcome. Not all men will identify themselves as men who have served time in prison, but that means that each person is treated with the Christian love that God tells us to treat everyone to we meet.

At least two Mothers’ Union members from the Diocese of Winchester hope to attend the next Presentation Day on the SORI course that Jade runs, which starts on Monday 17th May. You can find out more here about this Restorative Justice scheme – please pray for this important work.

Please also continue to pray for

• all the men who have served time at HMP Winchester and are now trying to settle back into the community;
• the Chaplaincy team and all those involved in selecting a new chaplain to head the team.

If you think you could become part of the Mothers’ Union ministry at HMP Winchester which happens on the first Sunday of each month among those men awaiting release, please contact us via the link on the bottom right of your screen. For insurance reasons you will need to be (or become) a Mothers’ Union member.

We have just completed our 11th SORI programme. We had nine men attend and it was a rather challenging week. It is the first time we have run a group where the majority of men are in for drug dealing. This is one of the crimes where it can be hard for the offender to see his victims – in his eyes he thinks he is just supplying drugs to drug users. During the week we were able to encourage them to see the wider picture and it was a time of growth for both the men and for the tutors.

On the Thursday afternoon the men were able to express their feelings through letters they had written to their victims and also to their own families.

We have now seen 108 men go through the SORI programme. I currently have 5 men in the community who have been through the course. I often get text messages from them telling me that they have been tempted to re-offend and then they remember what they did on the SORI programme and how they don’t want to make any more victims, and so they walk away from certain situations.

This is such an encouragement to me and I praise God for the opportunity to continue with the SORI Programme and to see men’s lives changed.

Jade is speaking at St Peter’s Church Yateley on Tuesday 27th April at 7.30pm – everyone is welcome.

In her prayer letter this month Jade shares news of talks she’s been able to give to Year11 pupils in a Winchester school:

I was very encouraged by the questions that the young people asked me, to do with the prison and also the rehabilitation of ex-offenders…The second time I took a set of prison clothes and all the things that the men get given on arrival. I found that having some real life prison property with me enabled the young people to interact a bit more.

Jade also talks about the 6-week trial of an ex-offenders drop in, currently being run from the Weston Healthcare Centre in Southampton. They may then try out another area in which they know ex-offenders are living, as they seek to discern which is the best venue.

Among all this, and her continued commitments to prisoners inside, Jade continues to be able to support men who have been released, some of whom are attending churches. Currently this sees her weekly in Portsmouth supporting a group there who need her time one-to-one to help them deal with personal issues as she seeks to help them avoid the temptations of returning to a life of crime.

This month Jade is particularly asking our prayers for:

• the next SORI programme (a week-long restorative justice course Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside) will start on 21st March with the presentation afternoon on Thursday 25th March in front of invited guests;
• the whole chaplaincy team as the senior chaplain moves towards retirement in June;
• the drop-in centre at Weston and the volunteers who are making themselves available to be their for ex-offenders each week;
• men back in the community trying to live crime free lives;
• that God will continue to bless the ministry and all those men who have made a commitment to God in the past, or who will in the future.

If you are interested in knowing more about Jade’s ministry as a Community Prison Chaplain through the Church Army/Fresh Expression, please “Contact Us” through the link bottom right of this screen and we will pass your message on.

Jade, the Church Army Community Chaplain at HMP Winchester has also given us her prayer letter for December (having missed writting one in November because of the dreaded swine-flu).

Jade has recently spoken at Holy Trinity, Brompton speaking about the real help that men and women leaving prison get – which is not very much. She is sad that many return to prison through circumstances that include lack of funds and housing difficulties. With her was ex-offender Dan T, now living in a shared flat with his brother (a home of his own for the first time) made possible by funding through people’s voluntary care for ex-offenders.

The restorative justice scheme that Jade co-ordinates recently completed another SORI course, where 10 men spoke from their hearts at the presentation day before being given their certificates by the Mayor of Winchester, who is a great supporter of the scheme and of the Church Army funding that enables Jade to be in the chaplaincy to run it. Those visiting for the presentation were also enthusiastic about sharing what they had seen and heard with others ‘outside’ who are more negative about prisoners.

You are invited to pray in the coming weeks for

• the 9th SORI course due to take place in January and for the men who want to take part;
• the Governor and the decisions he has to take every day;
• the Transformed meetings for ex-offenders on the last Saturday in each month in Southampton;
• for all those in prison, inmates, warders and chaplaincy staff, this Christmas.

Each month Jade allows us to publish excerpts from her prayer letter so that Mothers’ Union supporters across the region can remember the needs of the inmates and staff in their prayers as individuals or as groups. Please do join us in sharing this months items of prayer and praise. Jade writes:

I have spoken in several churches, schools and Mothers’ Union meetings across Hampshire in the last month, and been blessed by the number of people who are encouraged by listening to what God is doing at HMP Winchester. Here’s an example:

J was a very distressed young man when I was asked by a prison officer if I would begin to see him on a one-to-one basis. Through lots of prayers and listening to some of the very distressing things he had been through, I was able to lead him to faith in Jesus. Today J is living in the community, and with the help of those who faithfully support this ministry, we have been able to enrol him onto a hairdressing course and help him to start worshipping at a church near his new home.

The restorative justice course that Jade has been co-ordinating inside the prison starts again on 16th November. 26 men have applied, but only 10 can do the programme at any one time, so the other 16 will be put forward for the January programme.

There have been some very good evening fellowship events at the prison and in the last week three men came to faith and will hopefully join another three who want to be baptised. Please continue to pray for all the men at HMP Winchester and especially those who have recently found faith. We are constantly seeing men transferred out just before they come for baptism, but would love to see them baptised in Sunday Service at HMP Winchester as a witness to others that they have found faith here.

In addition to these items please pray for

• Jade as she goes on retreat 19th – 21st October
• the newly arrived Number 1 Governor
• those men who come regularly to chapel services
• the ‘Transformed’ meetings in Southampton on the last Saturday of each month.

Jade is also part of planning for a new community centre at Weston near Southampton where they hope to use one of the rooms as a drop-in venue for ex-offenders and their families, and where there is already a Church Army colleague ministering among this community. Please pray for the meetings that surround this project.

Other items for prayer and praise:

• The new Governor due to start work on Monday 21st September
• The current SORI programme (see previous posts under the Prison ‘tag’ for more about the restorative justice scheme)
• The “Transformed” meetings for Christian ex-offenders now meeting on the last Saturday of each month in Southampton
• The men coming regularly to the chaplaincy and the chaplaincy team who minister prison-wide on a daily basis.

Please remember also the Mothers’ Union members from across the region who visit the West Hill and Hern Chapel of HMP Winchester on the first Sunday of every month, to preach, participate in worship and enjoy fellowship with the inmates.

Jade writes that due to a promotion, HMP Winchester has once again lost it’s number one Governor, so there is now a wait whilst applications are sought and selection made for a replacement.

Jade and her team have just finished another week of SORI (Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside) which was attended by 13 men, and the encouragement of many new community representatives attending the Thursday Presentation afternoon. For more information about SORI please look back at previous entries about Jade’s work at HMP Winchester.

Jade was also able to dedicate a whole week to the men in the category C (Westhill and Hearne) areas of the prison, speaking to several of them (one to one) about family concerns and others things that troubled them. She also had a chance to get to know some of the uniformed staff in that area, and hopes that she was able to support them in their work.

Jade has also been able to talk in a local school during the Winchester Hat Fair. In response to questions about whether and how we should care for prisoners, she talked about how God created each of us and loves each of us equally, how important it is for us not to judge, and how people in prison may have done some bad things, but still need to be cared for themselves.

There are increasing numbers of men going to Sunday Chapel Services and on July 16th several of them will be taking another step in their faith journey by being confirmed.

Please pray:

• for the selection and appointment of a new senior Governor at HMP Winchester, and that this person might be a Christian;
• the uniformed and chaplaincy staff in their specific areas of work, particularly with the impact of being a Governor short at present;
• in thanks and praise for the men who took part in the recent SORI week;
• for Jade and her family to have a really good holiday in August.

]]> http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/07/06/summer-prayers-for-hmp-winchester/feed/ 0 http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/06/04/prison-prayers-for-june/ http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/06/04/prison-prayers-for-june/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:04:10 +0000 Administrator http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/?p=293 Jade, the Fresh Expressions Community Prison Chaplain supported by the Church Army at HMP Winchester, has sent this month’s letter for praise and prayer. Please share it with those who will join us in supporting this vital ministry.

The biggest news is that the Philo Trust have agreed to provide her with copies of the Just10 films featuring J John talking about the Ten Commandments, recorded recently at Winchester Cathedral. This will mean she can run Just10 in the prison, hopefully starting in September.

Jade also writes:

“We have also had a wonderful group of men complete our 5th SORI Programme (Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside). We had a great week with the 7 men who volunteered all being very honest about their crimes: a very emotional but a powerful week. I am now getting ready for our 6th SORI Programme.”

Jade has spoken at several places this month, including the Transformed event in Southampton when the Lord used her testimony to speak into the life of one of the ladies who was there. Jade is to be part of the ministry team who heads up these events, with particular responsibility for following up any ladies who make commitments.

She also writes about her continued trips to support two men on the Isle of Wight, one completing his sentence whilst growing in faith as God transforms him, and the other with whom she has been praying after his release as she encourages him on his faith journey.

She finishes her letter with the following words:

“Last week I had the privilege of praying with a young man who had suffered terrible abuse as a child. I know without the faithful prayer warriors who intercede daily for these men, I could not have been able to see Jesus set this man free from so many painful memories. I never want to take any of you for granted and I praise God for each one of you… God bless you all and remember you are also in our prayers.”

Please pray specifically for

• the next SORI Programme due to start on June 15th
• the Transformed meetings in Southampton on the last Saturday in each month
• for Wendy as she undergoes chemotherapy and seeks Gods healing.

“I have been spending time recently with a young man who has been in and out of prison for a number of years. He recently had a big upset in his life where his partner told him she did not want to have anything to do with him. Well as you can imagine this is devastating to someone who is at a low ebb in his life. Gently I shared with him how God helped me when I was in a very dark place, and I was able to pray with him to receive Christ. Now that in itself is wonderful, but it didn’t just end there with a prayer of commitment. He has since been released and today I heard that he is about to go into a Christian rehab centre where he will be discipled and helped to rebuild his life. Please remember to pray for him; his name is Matt and he is trusting God for the very first time.”

Jade also talks about a newly launched monthly meeting in Southampton called “Transformed” that has been set up to support ex-offenders and encourage them in their faith. A Baptist church are providing a venue for a praise and worship service once a month where ex-offenders will also be able to receive prayer and mentoring from mature Christians with a heart for prisoners and ex-offenders.

Jade requests our prayers this month in

• praise to God for the men who went to the recent Alpha course, that they may grow in their faith in Jesus;
• praise to God for all volunteers who regularly go into the prison and minister to the men, and for the prayer support the chaplaincy receive from many faithful Christians;
• faith, for the next SORI Programme (Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside) due to begin on 11th May, especially that each one of the 12 men who have volunteered will be open to finding out about what victims go through during and after a crime;
• love for Sheena who is on placement with the Chaplaincy Team as part of her training for ordination.

]]> http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/05/03/prison-prayers-for-may/feed/ 0 http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/04/09/i-was-in-prison-and-you-came-to-visit-me-matt-2526/ http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/2009/04/09/i-was-in-prison-and-you-came-to-visit-me-matt-2526/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:13:00 +0000 Rachel http://www.muwinchester.org.uk/?p=230

By the end of our Holy Week thoughts this Maundy Thursday, Jesus will have been arrested, and as Peter denies any association or friendship with him (Mark 14:66-72) he is held as a criminal. Jesus is in prison and alone.

It therefore seems appropriate, that today, I post details from our second speaker at last weeks Diocesan Meeting.

Jade is from the Church Army who fund and support her work as a Community Chaplain at HMP Winchester. She is part of the chaplaincy team working in the prison, but is the only member who is able to work directly with prisoners families, and able to support released and transferred prisoners once they leave HMP Winchester. She was able to share stories of how God has intervened in the lives of guys trying to develop their new-found faith, and relate to both family and community after release.

Part of Jade’s work includes leading the SORI programme. SORI stands for Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside, and takes the form of a weeklong course that enables inmates to find out more about the impact of their crimes on victims, and change their attitudes and thinking. It brings inmates together with people who have been victims of similar crimes and works towards the inmates being able to express publicly their own feelings about their crimes at the end of the week. With the help of Victim Support the scheme also helps victims to put their past experiences behind them.

Jade asks for our prayers for the following:

• The 9 inmates who will be celebrating this Holy Week and Easter having just completed the first Alpha Course to be held at HMP Winchester for some while;
• The chaplaincy staff who work throughout the prison, especially during this Holy Week;
• The men who God wants to be on the next SORI course to be held after Easter, that they will volunteer to take this important step;
• For the Governor and all the staff;
• With thanks for all those whose financial giving through Church Army supports Jade’s work.

Jade will be making her monthly prayer letter available to several members in future, and the main points will be posted on this website to inform the prayers of members and other supporters across the region.

Please also remember our Diocesan Mothers’ Union Project through which some members visit the West Hill Chapel on the first Sunday of each month, to spend time with the inmates, share in the leading of worship, and preaching during the service.