“When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” Matthew 25:39 (NIV)

On Tuesday, February 17, I was in attendance at the Prison Ministries meeting, held at Calvary UMC, which was open to our community. I was very impressed and quite relieved to find that Warden Lewis Barlow, recently assigned to the Eastern Regional Jail, in Martinsburg, is a strong supporter of Prison Ministries and believes in the difference that God can make in ones life. He stressed that he has found that change in the cycle of a prisoner's behavior can only be achieved through a combination of spirituality and education; and that one by itself is often not effective. He pointed out that our nation's prison system, including Martinsburg's, is severely lacking programs that incorporate both elements and would welcome more spiritual involvement from the community at his facility.

Many other knowledgeable and dedicated individuals were in attendance to share their support and ideas for the program. I was pleased to see that there is a push to bring the word of God to those who may not feel His presence at a time in their life when they are secluded from the general community and may well feel alone and in need. Often times, once a judgment has been handed down to an offender, the community forgets that the offender still has human needs and frequently he or she is not a bad person, just a person who has done a bad thing; someone who needs to connect or reconnect with God to find a straight path.

I hope that there are others here at Trinity UMC and in our community of faith that will feel the call to reach out to those who are incarcerated for the mistakes that they have made. There are many things that can be done to make this a successful program. From ministering to the incarcerated, to becoming support staff for those who do the ministering; we all can find a way to participate in changing the lives of those among us who have been lost. This program is a benefit to them as well as to our community when they return to us. A man or woman who feels the self worth that can be achieved through education and feels the presence of God is much less likely to be a repeat offender and much more likely to contribute to our community. Martinsburg and Berkeley County need this program just as much as the residents of the Eastern Regional Jail do.


Chrissa Cunningham