Trip to County Jail - An Invitation
A week ago, I got an email from the Minister of the First Congregational Church. He invited me to join him on a visit to the county jail. The church has a group of men that visit the jail weekly to meet with inmates. He suggested that I check it out, with the hope that I would join the regular group.
After a quick read of the invitation, I immediately thought of a number of reasons why it would not be a good idea:
1) I don't feel like I have much in common with jail inmates. I don't think I have ever been close to anyone who has spent significant time in a jail. I am sure that some of my acquaintances have had some brush with the law and may have spent a night in jail. However I would expect that the church group will be meeting with people who are spending extended time in jail. I find it hard to believe that I would relate well with this group. This may be my prejudice, but I do not see us sharing conversations about long bike rides or about movie documentaries.
2) I do not consider myself a very religious person. My wife and I have gone to church periodically this year. I have read a little of the Bible, but I would hardly consider myself a deeply religious person. What business do I have representing the church at the county jail?
3) The visits may be very depressing. Many of these people have had pretty rough lives without much hope of getting better. How much can I really do to help them? If I become a regular member of this group, I may get to know some of the inmates and it could be really depressing to see the lives that they lead.
4) The invitation mentions "a little singing". I am a really bad singer. It is one activity that I just do not enjoy. I have a hard time picturing myself in a county jail singing.
5) Each member of the group commits to two visits a month. The visits occur on Tuesday afternoons. I currently have this time free, however this will probably change when I get another full time job.
The invitation came when I was really busy, so I put it aside to deal with at a later time. A few days go by and I re-opened the e-mail and thought about it some more. A couple of comments from the invitation include: "It's very meaningful: the feedback we receive from inmates indicates its an important part of their lives." and "We don't have to have lots of answers for these guys - just a willingness to listen, to pray and pay attention to their stories. It's been powerful to all of us."
As I thought about it, I realized that some of the reasons not to go actually could be reasons to go. Often it is interesting to do something completely different. I enjoy meeting and spending time with people who are completely different from myself. I would certainly learn more about their lives and maybe more about myself.
The worst that can happen is that I will come out and say, "I'm never doing that again!" (or the Minister may ask me not to sing anymore). On the other hand, it may prove to be a very powerful experience. I am not quite sure what I am getting into, but I have accepted the Minister's invitation. My visit to "check it out" is next Tuesday.
After a quick read of the invitation, I immediately thought of a number of reasons why it would not be a good idea:
1) I don't feel like I have much in common with jail inmates. I don't think I have ever been close to anyone who has spent significant time in a jail. I am sure that some of my acquaintances have had some brush with the law and may have spent a night in jail. However I would expect that the church group will be meeting with people who are spending extended time in jail. I find it hard to believe that I would relate well with this group. This may be my prejudice, but I do not see us sharing conversations about long bike rides or about movie documentaries.
2) I do not consider myself a very religious person. My wife and I have gone to church periodically this year. I have read a little of the Bible, but I would hardly consider myself a deeply religious person. What business do I have representing the church at the county jail?
3) The visits may be very depressing. Many of these people have had pretty rough lives without much hope of getting better. How much can I really do to help them? If I become a regular member of this group, I may get to know some of the inmates and it could be really depressing to see the lives that they lead.
4) The invitation mentions "a little singing". I am a really bad singer. It is one activity that I just do not enjoy. I have a hard time picturing myself in a county jail singing.
5) Each member of the group commits to two visits a month. The visits occur on Tuesday afternoons. I currently have this time free, however this will probably change when I get another full time job.
The invitation came when I was really busy, so I put it aside to deal with at a later time. A few days go by and I re-opened the e-mail and thought about it some more. A couple of comments from the invitation include: "It's very meaningful: the feedback we receive from inmates indicates its an important part of their lives." and "We don't have to have lots of answers for these guys - just a willingness to listen, to pray and pay attention to their stories. It's been powerful to all of us."
As I thought about it, I realized that some of the reasons not to go actually could be reasons to go. Often it is interesting to do something completely different. I enjoy meeting and spending time with people who are completely different from myself. I would certainly learn more about their lives and maybe more about myself.
The worst that can happen is that I will come out and say, "I'm never doing that again!" (or the Minister may ask me not to sing anymore). On the other hand, it may prove to be a very powerful experience. I am not quite sure what I am getting into, but I have accepted the Minister's invitation. My visit to "check it out" is next Tuesday.
posted by Steve @ 3:50 PM
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