Archbishop Gregory Aymond and others speak up for prisoners returning home: Jarvis DeBerry

From Louisiana-

All those things, the archbishop acknowledged, require us going "beyond our comfort zones." But when we are hesitant to do so, he said, we should ask ourselves, "What happens if we don't say, 'Welcome home?'"

Sunday's event was the brainchild of the Rev. William Barnwell, a retired Episcopal pastor who has been ministering to prisoners since the 1970s, and its chief purpose seemed to prick the consciences of believers, to persuade them to be true to the faith they profess -- and in all situations.

Rhett Covington, assistant secretary in the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, said that he often jokes that Jesus must be in prison. He's seen lots of clergy visit prisons to minister to inmates. But when those same people are released from prison, he said, those ministers don't welcome them as members of their church.

More here-

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2015/06/welcome_home_sunday.html

Ex-offenders in New Haven find hope, smiles at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

From Connecticut-

When Danny had finished serving his time in prison and was dropped off outside the Whalley Avenue jail, he knew where to go — down the street to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

But when he sat down for breakfast on a recent Wednesday, he was just one of the many who come for a hot meal at the church at 111 Whalley Ave.

St. Luke’s, through its nonprofit corporation, St. Luke’s Services, serves the ex-offenders because of its location. But you couldn’t tell the ex-convicts from the others who eat there, use the clothing closet, even the diaper bank. Serving everyone without question is St. Luke’s mission.

“As far as this church and these people that run the church,” said Danny, “We get a good meal. We get received of the love of God.”

More here-

http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20150328/ex-offenders-in-new-haven-find-hope-smiles-at-st-lukes-episcopal-church

Brotherhood of St. Andrew expands prison ministry

From ENS-

A half-way house to help parolees adjust to modern society is being planned by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.

A site in Texas has been selected and brothers meeting in Mississippi June 10-15 heard reports from the organization’s prison ministry volunteers who say such a facility is “sorely needed.”

The proposal was delivered to the brothers during the 134-year-old ministry’s annual national council meeting held this year at the Bishop Duncan Gray Camp and Conference Center, a 700-acre facility of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi.

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/06/23/brotherhood-of-st-andrew-expands-prison-ministry/

Mecklenburg removes jail chaplain after her 'Moral Monday' arrest

From North Carolina-

An Episcopal priest is barred from ministering to inmates at the Mecklenburg County jail because she was arrested during a “Moral Monday” protest at the state legislature.

“It was like a slap in the face,” said the Rev. Jane Holmes. “I love doing what I’m doing.”

Reverend Jane, inmates called her.

She is 72, a retired accountant who was ordained in 2004 and helps minister to 31 Episcopal churches and hospital patients.

Holmes was arrested on the evening of June 3 in the halls of the General Assembly building in Raleigh. Back home in Charlotte the next morning, she got a call from the chaplains’ office for the jail. She said she was told that her clergy privileges were being revoked because of her arrest and that she needed to return her badges immediately.

Asked why Holmes is barred as a jail chaplain, a spokesperson for Sheriff Chipp Bailey said in a statement: “The sheriff absolutely supports a person’s right to peacefully protest their convictions. However, he will not allow a person who is an employee or volunteer representing the sheriff or his office to willfully disobey a legal directive given by a law enforcement officer and get arrested.

“It is disrespectful to the badge and authority of law enforcement officers across the state. He and citizens hold Sheriff’s Office employees to a higher standard and expect all to obey the law.”

Read more here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/09/3020371/mecklenburg-removes-jail-chaplain.html#storylink=cpy

LOS ANGELES: Nun cultivates ‘Good Seeds’ at juvenile jail

From ENS-

Feeling beloved is a tough sell for “Serena,” 15, and the other students in the “Good Seed” classes taught by Episcopal nun Sr. Greta Ronningen at a California juvenile jail.

Their schoolwork says so.

Like Serena, whose series of colored pencil self-portraits depict “parts” of herself and also illuminate her inner battles:

A huge sun;

A small white spot showing “God” inside a well of darkness, all of which is nearly swallowed up by bright red anger.

Another, of a demon she called “Rebelision,” is a derivative of rebellion and confusion, with question marks for eyes, jagged teeth in a mouth opened in rage, scary enough to evoke tears.

Enabling Serena and the other girls to connect with themselves, with one another and with God through art therapy, meditation, journaling, prayer and counseling are aims of Ronningen’s program, also called the “Peace Project.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/18/los-angeles-nun-cultivates-good-seeds-at-juvenile-jail/

The Rev. Richard Turk, known for his prison and church ministry, dies at age 72

From Florida-

To the Rev. Richard Turk, church wasn’t contained within the four walls of a sanctuary.

He ministered to prisoners throughout North Florida, served on a board that prepares ex-offenders to re-enter the workforce, helped build homes for the needy, collected presents for underprivileged children, served parishioners at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and taught college courses.

The former Catholic priest also was involved in an unlikely love story with a former Catholic nun that endured to his death Christmas morning. The Rev. Turk was 72 and died from complications of a heart condition.

“He had a servant’s heart, especially for the poor, the forgotten and the disenfranchised,” said Frank Cerveny, retired bishop of Florida. “He will be greatly missed because he was greatly loved.”

Read more:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-12-27/story/rev-richard-turk-known-his-prison-and-church-ministry-dies-age-72#ixzz1hpSS9T5E

Ex-NJ Gov. McGreevey finds niche mentoring inmates

From the AP-

For anyone curious about what Jim McGreevey is up to seven years after coming out of the closet to become the first openly gay governor and resigning over an affair with a male staffer, his simple answer is this: "Having lunch at Hudson County Correctional Center."

But the story of McGreevey's nationally televised fall from grace on Aug. 12, 2004, and subsequent search for a more authentic life is much more nuanced than that. His journey finds him, on weekdays anyway, inside one of New Jersey's largest jails.

McGreevey, 54, is the spiritual counselor to 40 female inmates who have been locked up for crimes ranging from manslaughter and gun possession to drug dealing. Almost all have addiction problems and pasts stained with sexual violence.

The women McGreevey counsels — he affectionately refers to them as "my ladies" — are enrolled in a pilot program aimed at reducing recidivism by addressing the problems that keep them coming back to jail: drug dependence, difficulty finding jobs, lack of decent housing, absence of psychological counseling.

"Prison ministry is something that spoke very deeply to me — allowing women and men to reclaim their lives, to go beyond our personal circumstances," says McGreevey, who was introduced to jailhouse mentoring after enrolling in an Episcopal seminary in 2007. Following the 12-step treatment model made famous by Alcoholic Anonymous, he encourages the women to find and embrace a higher power.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g85nsGA2cosQaQGbAKOIW3j1H99A?docId=1f4c49f8f23445c8bbc909e4c940e046

Magdalene House a home away from home for visitors of federal inmates

From Maryland-

With an average of 16 people a weekend for five years, the Magdalene House has provided more than 4,000 comfortable and free nights for those who visit inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution.

“And there have been many nights when we have had 14 visitors. That’s as many as the fire marshal allows,” said the Rev. John Martin of Holy Cross Episcopal Church.

The residence at 206 Columbia St. is owned by the Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Washington Street. As a lay minister there in 2004, Martin traveled to a similar hostelry at the federal jail at Alderson, W.Va., and has modeled the Magdalene House after that home.

Ordained in 2009, Martin continues to oversee the home away from home for the family and friends of federal inmates.

Most visitors are females: mothers, wives, daughters, significant others, with an occasional brother or uncle thrown in.


More here-

http://times-news.com/local/x1939353356/Magdalene-House-a-home-away-from-home-for-visitors-of-federal-inmates

Good Stuff in TEC: New Jersey

Meeting Thursday in Salem to focus on helping the incarcerated and their families

Community representatives have banded together to help make a difference in the lives of children of incarcerated adults.

Their goal is to make sure these children have the opportunity and help needed so they don't follow in their parents' footsteps.

This Thursday, they are inviting the public to attend a meeting at St. John's Episcopal Church at 7 p.m. to learn how they can play a role in this important mission. Those attending will learn how they can play a role in mentoring these youth.

In preparation for the public meeting, a wide-ranging group met Nov. 25 in Pennsville to explore the many opportunities they can provide to aid the children of incarcerated adults.

They hope to expand the idea of the Amachi program -- which aims to mentor the children of adults in jail -- into the SAFARI program (Strengthening American Families and Reducing Incarceration).

http://www.nj.com/south/index.ssf/2008/12/meeting_thursday_in_salem_to_f.html

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