Rev Bob Wilson is the Free Churches Faith /Belief Advisor to HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). This work sees him regularly visiting all 124 establishments across England and Wales for both pastoral support of Prison Chaplains, and to support prison management in their recruitment needs. Rev Bob writes…
“God’s word is not chained”, though sometimes we are. Today, tens of thousands of people will walk into the secure environments that are the prisons of England and Wales.
Some of these will be people sent there by the courts to serve sentences, some will be nurses, some will wear uniforms or suits, some will be visiting family, some will carry briefcases, some will be chaplains. All will be chained by the locks, bolts, bars, and procedures that constrain life in prison. Those who choose to be there will make sure that those who do not have the ability to live their lives safely, decently and with respect. Thankfully, while the physical presence of chains is a rarity, all submit to the chains created by these rightly controlled environments.
Some in our prisons will have hope that their presence will make a difference and some will be there because it is simply what they do. But all will be agents of change. We believe that change is always possible through the unchained, living word of God. This unchained word of God freely walks the landings of the segregation units, offers comfort in the healthcare centres, sits in our courts, weeps with families and victims, inspires, challenges, transforms. It may be heard in the form of a wise word from a member of staff, or the encouragement one prisoner gives another, a suggestion from a psychologist, or an instruction from a doctor. Wherever change is needed, the unchained word of God is still effective, active and is present.
For 50 years now Prisons Week has drawn people from across the ecumenical spectrum to pray. A desire to pray on a given Sunday for prisoners was crystalised by the Roman Catholic church in the 1970s, but soon developed to draw Christians together from across traditions to offer our prayers over a week for all affected by imprisonment. What has emerged is a unique ecumenical tour-de-force of diverse Christian denominations and charities who believe that prayer changes things and that therefore we have a duty to pray for change where that is needed most. In the second week of October this year we will again be praying for that change.
Will you join us in this effort to approach God boldly that his unchained word might bring freedom to victims of crime, perpetrators, judges, prison officers, prisoners, you and me?
For more information and the resources to pray this year, please visit www.prisonsweek.org
Rev Bob Wilson helps the Prison Service understand Christian issues from a non-established-church perspective. As such Bob is responsible for the endorsement of more than 220 prison chaplains across the country who are Apostolic, Pentecostal, Methodist, Baptist etc… ensuring that their denominations are supporting them. Bob is also involved in some training of Chaplains in general, and as an adjunct lecturer of Chester University, delivers the chaplaincy modules on the Regents Theological College Masters. As well as still serving occasionally as a Prison Chaplain himself, Bob has served Prisons Week on their organising boards for the last 14 years. He is a trustee of The Welcome Directory, a charity seeking to help faith communities to become even better at welcoming people who leave prison.