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Reentry Programs and "Healing Communities" printer-friendly

By Rev. Dr. Harold Dean Trulear

With the important work in reentry ministry offered by growing numbers of congregations, is there the possibility of moving beyond reentry ministry as a specialized program to make it an integral part of any church’s ministry?  A number of congregations are asking themselves this question, both those who have successful prisoner aftercare programs, and those who have not ventured formally into reentry ministry.  They look seriously at the biblical mandate for the care for the sick, the thirsty, the naked, the hungry and the prisoner, and recognize that a congregation does not require a specialized ministry for such things as hospital visitation and meeting the needs of the hungry, the sick and the naked.  They see that their congregations do these things as a matter of course- but that Matthew 25 contains no distinction between these ministries and working with the prisoner.  “Can my congregation develop a ministry in this area that becomes a part of the life of the church, or can the prisoner only be cared for by specialized programs with intense training?”  An initiative called “Healing Communities” attempts to answer this question.

The “Healing Communities” is a model for ministry developed through consultation with a number of clergy, religious leaders, criminal justice professionals and men and women who have successfully returned from incarceration with the assistance of congregations.  Supported by efforts from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the “Healing Communities” model offers any congregation the opportunity to develop a ministry in prisoner aftercare by strengthening its existing resources in hospitality, counseling and building relationships, and integrating this ministry into the daily life of the congregation.  It expands ministry to the prisoner to include the family of the prisoner and others affected by crime and the experience of incarceration- including those victimized by crime.  And most importantly, it begins with ministry to persons in the congregation itself.

The “Healing Communities” concept has been adopted by a number of congregations, including the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), whose Social Justice and Prisoner Ministry Commission has been trained to assist their member churches in developing a ministry with members of their congregation affected by crime and incarceration.  The congregations of the Washington DC area of the United Church of Christ have formally voted to adopt the model as well.  Congregations in cities as disparate as Charlotte, NC, Wilmington, Delaware and Indianapolis, Indiana have found the model helpful in building a strong aftercare ministry.

In Detroit , Michigan, the Baptist Pastors’ Council has a number of congregations involved in the work.  They work to preach and teach in a manner that helps reduce the stigma around incarceration within their own congregation- some even offering testimony about incarcerated loved ones in their own church.  They seek to make their church a safe space where those in the church who have incarcerated loved ones, or have been incarcerated themselves, can feel the love, welcome and support they would have if the situation involved were a hospital and not a correctional facility.  They learn some of the do’s and don’ts of prison ministry, prison culture, and working with the criminal justice system, just as they know better how to interface with a hospital or nursing home.  They find ways of offering support for those affected by incarceration through existing resources such as church vans providing rides for prison visitation, pastoral care and counseling, and building the informal networks that come with just “being present,” walking with persons who are hurting because of their circumstances.

In Washington, DC, one UCC pastor said that while his church is known as a “middle class congregation,” he came to realize how many families in his church suffer in silence with the knowledge of the incarceration of sons and daughters, husbands and fathers.  His church now works to help other congregations reduce the stigma around incarceration, and make their churches “Stations of Hope” for those hurt by crime and incarceration.

In Wilmington, a PNBC congregation had the subject of prisoner reentry introduced on their Annual Men’s Day with a sermon of Peter’s return from incarceration in Acts 12.  Members of the congregation responded with stories of their own incarceration, grandchildren and parents in prison, and family reticence to visitation and reentry.  The pastor declared, “We knew something about these struggles- but never saw the widespread effect on our membership.  We will respond by becoming a Healing Community.”

The Casey Foundation has the handbooks for the “Healing Communities” model on its website at www.aecf.org, keyword Healing Communities.  There are three versions of the handbook, one interfaith, one ecumenical and one developed specifically in consultation with the Progressive National Baptists.  The latter is also posted on their website, www.pnbc.org, on their prison ministry page.  Casey is also grateful to CAPA for posting the handbook on their webpage as well.  Church leaders and congregations are also encouraged to contact Casey Consultant Harold Dean Trulear in seeking assistance in implementing the ministry model, and documenting its effectiveness. Rev. Trulear, who teaches Ministry and Criminal Justice at Howard University, can be reached at hdtrulear@msn.com.

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