SOME THOUGHTS ON MINISTERING TO OTHERS

This verse was shared at our recent St. Dismas Jail Ministry meeting:

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

This is what we are about:

We plant seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the the rest.

We may never see the end results,

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero

Joyful Souls aftercare poster

WOMEN''S AFTERCARE

 10 IDEAS FOR GETTING STARTED

Theresa Bauer from SC wrote to me about her jail ministry. She read "The Women of Block 12" on Kindle and said it was like reading about her own experiences. She also asked about mentoring ex-offenders. Thank you, Theresa for your encouragement and questions. 

Our Joyful Souls Aftercare group has just hit the one-year anniversaary mark!  I personally never thought we'd make it (oh woman of little faith!) 

We started out kind of slow. There were only two clients and a couple of mentors. For a while there were more mentors than clients! I got pretty discouraged. Our ministry thought our idea was too far out there and that we'd never have enought to do. Boy, were they ever wrong! As for me, I had one of my bright ideas (or maybe it was the Holy Spirit nudging me) and not much faith to go along with the idea. Talking about being wrong, I needed an attitude adjustment - which my friends gladly gave me!

God has truly blessed our efforts. We meet on Friday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00. I picked that night because it is a time when women offenders are looking for something fun to do, and while their old choices may be fun, they are often not such a good idea.

How to get started:

1. Find a free meeting place  that is on a bus line for easy access. Your church, or a community center. We meet at the St. Vincent dePaul Thrift Store.
2. Design a poster - pass out to churches, women's shelters, probation and parole officers, meal sites and food pantries. Our poster emphasizes, FAITH, FUN, FRIENDS, FOOD.
3. Make business cards for you ministry to hand out during jail visits - if permitted.
4. Tell everyone you know about this new group - people may be willing to help
5. Ask friends, church members, etc. to come and speak to the group about various topics (i.e. job readiness, women's health, community volunteer opportrunities, hobbies, make-up (Mary Kay distributors will give free classes), photography, yoga, essential oils, line dancing, cardmaking, favorite Bible stories, personal testimonies of faith - the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and the number of people you know..
6. Make a list of ideas and start putting speakers on your calendar.
7. Ask church members to be mentors or provide treats for the meetings - some of our friends have brought a whole meal!
8. Start with a get-to-know-you fun night. Use name tags. Play Bingo with yard sale prizes.
9. Make sure you get names and phone numbers of guests. Call them the following week to invite again.
10. Provide a list of community resources - clothing, health care, meals etc. for the women to take with them. Your local health and human services will have this information.

Your questions and suggestions are welcome!



For more information on women offenders, please visit:

 http://www.TheWomenOfBlock12.com

JOYFUL SOULS RETREAT

It all started at a horse farm in Campbellsport, WI

A cold and rainy day



The Loft - a peaceful place to  gather

Getting to know our new best friends

What's in if for me if I step over that board?

The labrinth -time for reflection

Sharing our authentic selves through art

Joyful Souls

Thank you Traci & Kathy!

Sleeping Mats for the Homeless

Here's a great way to recycle plastic bags and help the homeless.



These sleeping mats are made from PLARN - that's a made-up word meaning plastic yarn. They are waterproof, cushioned, easy to carry, AND easys to make. Mats measure 3 ft. by 6ft. and take about 500 bags to make. You just cut the bags, knot them together and crochet the mat. Here's a video showing how. ENJOY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiUC0iDQtkA&feature=related

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Please visit my website: http://www.TheWomenOfBlock12.com.

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PUBLIC OPINION ON SENTENCING AND CORRECTIONS

A 2012 public opinion study on Sentencing and Corrections Policies in America shows:

1.      American voters believe too many people are in prison and the nation spends too much on imprisonment.

2.      Voters overwhelmingly support a variety of policy changes that shift non-violent offenders from prison to more effective, less expensive alternatives.

3.      Support for sentencing and corrections reforms (including reduced prison terms) is strong across political parties, regions, age, gender, and racial/ethnic groups.

Read the whole study here: 

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/initiatives_detail.aspx?initiativeID=85899379380

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For more information on women in the prison system visit:

http://www.TheWomenOfBlock12.com

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SOUP & SUBSTANCE AT CHRIST THE SERVANT CHURCH

Wednesday, March 21 -Lenten Service featured a panel discussion on the St. Dismas Jail Ministry in Waukesha, WI.

Kay Styza and Linda Pischke preparing for the panel.

Panel speakers: Kay Styza, Linda Pischke, Rob Wright, Vicki Downs, John Quaal

John Quaal, from St. Dismas answeres questions about Jail Ministry

For more information about the St. Dismas Jail Ministry visit:
http://stvincentwaukeshacounty.org/

BOOK REVIEW

FORMER INMATE REVIEWS
"THE WOMEN OF BLOCK 12"



My name is Romaine and I'm training at St. Bartholomew's for the COMMUNITY OF HOPE as a lay chaplain. I mentioned to one of the members that I've always had a deep longing to get involved with "Prison Ministry" because that is where I turned my life around. Yesterday before class, he gave me your book to read and I put it in my bag to read sometime when I had time.

     Needless to say, it was burning a hole in my backpack when I got home and I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to read the preface. That was all she wrote! It took me back 23 years ago to when I was incarcerated in Coldwater Women's Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. I read every woman's story and kept nodding my head, remembering the women I had shared time with and the struggles we went through, learning how to live, how to adjust to a "racial" culture, how to give up your total identity until you feel that you have nothing left to give.....

And the strip searches..... I will remember those until the day I die, TAKE ALL OF YOUR CLOTHING OFF, BE PATTED DOWN OVER YOUR BODY -- AND THEN TOLD TO BEND DOWN, TOUCH YOUR KNEES, AND DEEP COUGH.....

     I only had a few visits during those 5 years but that was fine with me because I felt so degraded every time I had to "submit to the search" before I was allowed to return to my housing unit.

     It was as if a well opened inside of me and I kept saying this is what I need to do. I'm not some "fire and brimstone" kind of person. This isn't something I want to do because I have a "whim" for it. This is something I want to do with all of my being because I know I would have never become the person I am today if a volunteer wouldn't have stepped in to ask me to join a Bible Study group-- or a chaplain at the facility wouldn't have taken the time to help me-- or a teacher wouldn't have taken the time to teach me that I was still a human being--or the psychologist who helped me find out who I was and where I was going....

     I'm sorry if I sound like I'm on a soapbox but your book moved me in ways that I haven't felt in years. The thought of those lost souls housed in over-crowded gymnasiums where no one was looking for them but a few good people like the ones I met who helped me along the way.  Thank you for telling your story and the stories of all of the women of Block 12.

Romaine

Thank you, Romaine!

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For more about "The Women of Block 12" visit"

http://www.TheWomenOfBlock12.com

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