Looking for ways to reach out to others with the gospel?
In Midland, ON, Canada, in 2000, the local newspaper announced that a provincial super-jail was coming to the town of Penetanguishene, near Midland. The facility built holds up to 1200 inmates, mostly men and a few women.
The assembly, having an exercise to spread the gospel, seized the opportunity to begin a work in the super-jail. A number of brethren and sisters, including some from the Waubaushene assembly, took the training course. The first Saturday of each month there are two gospel services from 10:00 – 12:00 noon. Likewise, the following Lord’s Day, two meetings from 1:30 – 3:30 pm. The format followed is to sing for about 20 minutes (as the men love to sing), open in prayer, read the Holy Scriptures and preach the Word. Numbers vary between 20 and 32 (maximum allowed).
In His grace, the Lord has saved some and restored others. Unfortunately, due to provincial regulations, we are unable to maintain contact with them upon release. We seek to put them in contact with an assembly in the locality where they intend to reside.
Every Monday evening one of the sisters from the Midland assembly goes in to visit the incarcerated female contingent at the super-jail. She visits with them one at a time and may have between 1 – 5 individuals to visit per evening. The pattern of an evening consists of listening to the sorrows of the inmate, then reading a chapter or discussing a topic with the Bible always answering any given question. The visits always close with prayer. God has blessed these visits in salvation.
In a white, Anglo-Saxon, French community like Midland/Penetanguishene, the Lord has privileged us to visit in the prison with people from many different countries and cultures. The command “Go ye into all the world…” motivates us in working with these who have “dropped into our lap.” The varied backgrounds of those who listen to the gospel during our prison visits thrill our souls and encourage us to keep on preaching the gospel.
To God be the glory! It is His work. Please pray for us and for the salvation of the inmates.
