Did you know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a prison ministry? The details are put forth in a paper entitled "Providing Support for Those in Correctional Facilities". Also referenced is the most current version of the Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1, which is not distributed to the general public or available online (the 1998 version is available HERE).
Based on the resources available, the stake president determines the support that is to be provided to those who are incarcerated at correctional facilities within the boundaries of the stake. He also supervises the support, assisted by other local priesthood leaders. If the stake needs help providing service to correctional facilities within its boundaries, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy or Area Presidency may assign one or more nearby stakes to assist and to serve as the agent stake to the facility. Members called to serve may come from outside the agent stake boundaries with the approval of the member’s stake president.
On October 7th, 2010, the Mormon Times published an interesting article about LDS outreach at the Utah State Prison in Draper. In summary, Elder Bill and Sister Louise Wilhite have been working as church service missionaries in the Correctional Services segment of Welfare Services for 10 years. Every Friday they read and respond to letters from prisoners around the country. Most letters are addressed to President Thomas S. Monson. The Wilhites and other missionary couples spend hours in a cozy office room lined with shelves of scriptures, church manuals and other gospel literature in an effort to meet the inmates' requests. "Our primary purpose is to provide church materials to these individuals," Bill Wilhite said. "The second thing we do is try to get a priesthood interview to them. If possible, we look to begin services through the local church unit." In addition to sending church materials, the couples do their best to offer encouragement and bear testimony of the power of the Atonement.
The prison works with the Church on these issues. Steve Gehrke, public information officer at the Utah Department of Corrections, said there are more than 1,100 volunteers who offer a wide array of services in the prison system at any given time at the Draper and Gunnison prison sites. Not all of them are LDS or religious volunteers. Some deal in education and other aspects, but the bulk deal with religious services. The corrections department allows the LDS Church to hold worship services, firesides, institute, family history and genealogy research classes, addiction recovery programs, activity nights and family home evenings.
In this particular case, approximately 90 or so inmates who have been properly cleared walk a quarter mile and line up at the door to the prison chapel. They are greeted by reverent organ music. When the meeting and testimonies begin, the seats on the stand are filled. There are no travelogues. The participants are men are lawbreakers and most are sincerely seeking a closer relationship to the Savior. A large number are either excommunicated members or long-time inactives, but have found a second chance to learn and live Church teachings. But some participants are of different faiths.
Many of the excommunicants can eventually qualify for re-baptism, even some murderers, if they sincerely repent. However, those who commit first-degree murder, or what the LDS Church calls the "shedding of innocent blood", can only be re-baptized with the approval of the First Presidency of the Church (see page 114 of the 1998 Handbook if Instructions). The shedding of innocent blood is considered so serious that the Church teaches that they will generally have to wait until the Second Resurrection (the Resurrection of the Unjust) to come forth, and then the best outcome to which they can aspire will be telestial glory (the least of the three degrees of glory). Also see D&C 132:26. However, the Lord will make the final decision at that time, and only He can best evaluate the quality of one's life initialized against how much they knew and understood.
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)