Passionate about seeing God restore the lives of the women she works with in prison, join Kez, one of our Message in Prisons workers, behind the scenes of a typical week.
‘I love being a prisons worker. Yes, prisons are places where there’s so much brokenness, but I know that it’s right where Jesus wants to be. Let me show you what I do each week.
MONDAY
‘Every Monday, I get to spend time at Message HQ praying and catching up with the whole prisons team, sharing stories from the previous week and planning for what’s happening in the coming weeks and months. This is such an important time as it means we can not only pray together, but we can also inspire each other with what we can do to keep sharing Jesus with those we meet. I also meet up with volunteers who want to come and support me in prison.
TUESDAY
‘My Tuesdays are all about relationship building. They’re mostly filled with detached work and one-to-ones where I meet people on the prison wings and houses or in the young adults’ hub and build relationships with them. It’s a great chance for Jesus-filled conversations. Sometimes I just listen to the women as they share about what they’re going through and offer to pray for them, and other times they ask me about my story and I get to tell them about what God’s done in my life. No matter how short, I know that every conversation is a seed planted.
‘God can change anything and turn lives around’
WEDNESDAY
‘On Wednesday mornings, I run courses on Faith and Self-Esteem, Faith and Recovery, or Faith and Forgiveness. They’re open to all the women in the prison, and everyone is welcome. Centred on Bible teachings and Christian values, each course explores how we see ourselves versus how God sees us. It’s amazing to see the change in the women. There are always loads of opportunities to chat about our value and God’s plan for our lives.
‘The women who come along always tell me how much they love these courses, as do the prison staff who’ve seen some women completely change as a result of them coming along to the sessions and learning how loved they are by Jesus. They see them want to make a positive change in their behaviour. It’s so encouraging!
THURSDAY
‘I’ve found that those who complete the Wednesday faith courses are so excited to find out more about Jesus that they sign up for the follow-on courses on Thursdays. These are all about next steps in faith. I love seeing the women sign up for the4points course and our resettlement-focused Bible study which has deeper Christian content and helps them grow in areas and skills they’ll need both in and out of prison. Afterwards, I catch up with more of the women I work with through one-to-ones and support sessions, getting to know them, praying with them and supporting them.
FRIDAY
‘My favourite days have to be Fridays as I get to support people through the resettlement process. This looks different each week and could include everything from picking someone up at the prison gates and helping them access the support they need, to meeting a woman I’ve worked with for a coffee to catch up and pray together. I also help those leaving prison link up with local churches so that they can continue growing in their faith and get the wrap-around care and discipleship they need. When we find a church together, I love going along to the services with the women and helping them grow in confidence as they build relationships in the church.
SUNDAY
‘Once a month, I help lead a Sunday chapel service in prison. For these, I bring in volunteers and guests and we share our testimonies, teaching from the Bible, and worship together – it’s incredible. The women are always really engaged and want to be there. Seeing them meet with Jesus is so special – you can literally see him transforming lives and lifting their burdens!
‘One lady we’ll call “Lindsey” is someone whose life has been completely transformed by Jesus since I first met her in prison. When I first met her on one of the faith courses, she was really down and negative, and felt hopeless. As I got to know her, she shared about how difficult her upbringing had been and some of the things she’d had to face in life. Even though she could sometimes be challenging to work with, I was determined to do everything I could to show Lindsey Jesus’ love.
‘After coming to the4points course, Lindsey wanted to find out more about faith, so started watching Alpha course videos and loved them. The next time I saw her, it was like I was talking to a totally different person! All her heaviness had lifted, and she told me how she felt more hopeful saying, “God is speaking to me, and I don’t feel as low and depressed any more. I’m even praying for others on the wing.” That was so powerful.
‘One thing that was constantly troubling her was not knowing when her release date would be, but as she continued journeying with Jesus and praying for clarity, she was given a release date!
‘God is speaking to me, and I don’t feel as low and depressed any more’
‘I remember seeing Lindsey after she was released. We met up for a coffee and she was just shining with hope and joy. We visited churches together and met people who could support her with her resettlement and get her plugged into local discipleship.
‘But then she had a wobble and took a backwards step in her progress. When I met up with her again, she looked like she was shrinking back into her old self. But as we talked, I prayed that God would reveal himself to her and renew her hope. I felt God prompting me to give her a new Bible and when I did, her whole face lit up. Lindsey kept saying how beautiful it was and how much the gift meant to her.
‘I was able to share with her again how loved and valued she is by God, despite her mistakes, and showed her Bible verses that radiated this truth. Even though Lindsey continued to struggle, she got into a rehab programme and went back to church.
‘I caught up with her again recently and she talked about how important church is in her life, and she said how the Bible I gave her is right next to her bed and that she loves reading it. She looked so well again, I’m so excited to see what God continues doing in her life.
‘I love watching God transform lives and getting to support people on their journey to reconciliation, recovery and freedom in Christ. In many cases as prisons workers, we can’t see the fruit of our conversations with people, and that’s okay, we trust that God will continue working. But in some cases, like Lindsey’s, I can support ex-offenders in their resettlement and watch as they continue to grow in their faith. It’s such a privilege. I see so much of God’s goodness.
‘Many of the women I work with feel like there’s no hope for them, and like they can’t shake off their past and move forward. But I know God has a plan and purpose for their lives. He can change anything and turn lives around and I love helping people discover this for themselves.’
Find out how you can get involved in our prisons work at message.org.uk/prisons
