Saint Benedict Episcopal Church

An Opportunity to Bless and Be Blessed !

Jesus will say:  “I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we . . . see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And He  will say, “. . .To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'  ( see Matthew 25:34f )

It is the mission of the church to share God’s love and His truth, and these are some of the ways that we do it.

Today I want to call your attention to “I was in prison and you came to me.”  You may be aware of the Kairos prison ministry, you may have baked cookies or prayed for a Kairos weekend. But are you aware that there is also a ministry to our local Thurston County Jail (over near the courthouse) that you can become personally involved in?  

St. Benedict’s is one of several local churches that have formed teams to go into the jail on a rotating basis, providing Sunday evening worship services and Thursday evening Bible Studies.

Each team serves for two consecutive weeks every three months. We meet with the inmates in small groups of  twelve or fewer, from 7 to 9 pm. Usually there are 6 small groups meeting at a time, with two team member per group. Because women are not allowed to meet with some of the men’s groups, there is a particular need for more men on our team.

We use a simple liturgical format for our worship, using the Propers for that Sunday for both worship and Bible study.

To make the preparation easier, each week one team member writes a sermon and another a Bible study; and they are photocopied for use in each of the groups.  

The inmates are wonderfully open and appreciative of our presence with them. They feel blessed that people from the “outside” are mindful or their spiritual and emotional needs. And we find it a wonderful blessing to serve in this ministry. I recommend it to all who feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit in this direction. 

If you are interested in joining us, contact Mike Flothe, 923-0445, and she will get an application to you. This is for a police background check, so you can be approved to go into the jail. Our next two weeks begins on Sunday, August 31st, so get in touch with Mike ASAP.

These men and women we worship and study with, are wonderfully tender in the Lord. Some are new Christians, others are very strong in their faith. A few are just now being drawn by the Holy Spirit to commit themselves to the Lord. It is a joy to spend these brief times with them.

If you have questions, please phone me at 456-8103.