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e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service | ||||
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Leaders firm up plans for prison ministry By Jenna De Marco | Aug. 5, 2010 {1204} As someone who once helped maintain order in prisons, Nancy Vallario looks at prison ministry from an insider’s perspective. Vallario says her work as a former probation officer and deputy warden have given her a first-hand awareness of the spiritual needs of prisoners. “They want that caring, spiritual guidance, and some of them have never had it,” she said. Armed with that knowledge and a passion for reaching people behind bars, Vallario leads the prison ministry at her church, First United Methodist Church in Williston. Although she says it’s hard to measure what the ministry has accomplished, the level of participation offers some clues. More than 500 inmates housed in three different correctional institutions have completed the church’s three-month programs, which have included such studies as “Alpha,” an introductory course to Christianity, and “Breaking Free” by Christian author Beth Moore. Vallario says the prison staffers appreciate and welcome the sessions. “They understand how important the volunteer programs are, and they realize that the inmates are most impacted by volunteer programs,” she said. Another hat Vallario wears is volunteer training coordinator for the area prison system, which she says keeps her up to date on policies and procedures while she’s educating others about the system. And if that weren’t enough, Vallario is also the prison ministry representative for the North Central District of the conference. Every district must have such a coordinator, according to a prison ministry resolution approved at the 2009 Florida Annual Conference Event. The resolution spells out other policies, as well. “I’m really excited about this new initiative,” Vallario said, referring to the resolution. Empowering for ministry That initiative includes four areas of focus for prison ministries — education, information, fellowship and networking, and advocacy. The ministry also has the working title “Jail and Prison Ministry Coalition,” according to Melinda Trotti, director of the Florida Conference’s justice and outreach ministries. Trotti says the conference is experiencing a “kairos moment” in prison ministry, with growing ranks of interested volunteers and greater sharing of ideas and information among them. “The Spirit’s really been moving in a variety of people’s hearts in churches,” Trotti said. “And the job of the conference justice and outreach ministries is really to find out where the Spirit’s already been moving and help resource and educate and connect with that.” About a dozen people met at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando May 1 to plan a strategy to empower local churches to be more involved with prison ministry. The four areas of focus were chosen as a realistic framework for moving forward, Trotti said.
Tammy Fisher, project coordinator for justice and outreach ministries, has been working on expanding the plan’s details. The education piece of the ministry, Fisher said, is for churches to learn more about “our responsibility to jail and prison ministries … and what the difference between jail and prison ministries is — the basics.” Education is important because it helps local churches find ways to participate and access needed resources, Trotti said. To that end, Fisher and Trotti are preparing a curriculum and five-minute presentation for churches. In the meantime, a “basic 101” slide presentation that can be sent to individuals or groups interested in educating themselves on the topic is available. Information sharing is the ministries’ second goal and includes creating an information center, or directory, of each district’s prison ministry representatives and related United Methodist resources. A prison ministry website is also planned. A related need, Trotti said, is volunteers with a passion for prison ministry who could serve as district representatives and provide expertise in legal matters, social work, and media and website development. Connecting volunteers from across the conference for fellowship and networking is the third area of focus. That includes helping inmates’ families get to know one another. The fourth emphasis — advocacy — relates, in part, to governmental oversight of prisons. Other issues, such as incarceration versus rehabilitation, treatment of minors and juveniles, and cultural concerns, fall into that category. Advocacy also looks at prevention. “It’s about justice,” Trotti said. Advocacy plays a critical role in the prison systems in the United States, she said, because statistically “we incarcerate more (people) than any other country in the Western Hemisphere.” Individuals interested in more information about prison ministry can contact Fisher by e-mail at tfisher@flumc.org or 800-282-8011. *Parham is managing editor of e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service. |
