By Tanna Friday
Editor
ONEONTA – Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (CCF) in Oneonta, Ala. is asking for your help in reaching lost and forgotten through their Prison to Praise Ministry.
This ministry has taken on a small group of women at the Montgomery Women’s Facility in Mount Meigs, part of Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, to meet one on one through Bible study and prayer to provide encouragement and hope.
“For the past ten years, I have been going to Tutwiler Prison, developing a one-on-one relationship with a prisoner,” said Judi McGuire, CCF ministry coordinator and Hewitt-Trussville graduate .
We wanted to follow the mandate in Hebrews 13:3, which says, ‘Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them.’ Through the years, I have become a mentor to five incarcerated women from diverse backgrounds and crimes.”
McGuire says her communication and visits with these women have given her new insight.
“There are fewer places darker than a prison cell,” she said. “There, separated from all that they ever knew or loved, they struggle with feelings of despair and hopelessness.
As they search for some sense of meaning and purpose for their lives, they wonder if anyone outside the walls of the prison knows or cares about their struggles.”
But even in the darkest places, this ministry has brought light.
McGuire explains that the lost art of letter writing is alive in a place where freedom is not. She, along with few ladies from CCF, now minister with her at Tutwiler through visits and letters.
“We share the good news of Jesus to these women and offer the hope of a true transformation.,” she said.
Four of the five inmates have become Christians since being incarcerated. They are learning that they are not forgotten.”
McGuire understands the skepticism the communities will have for their mission, but it has not stopped CCF from extending its ministry beyond the prison cells.
“I was once skeptical, even scared of someone who was imprisoned, but now realize that all people are created in God’s image and that no life is beyond God’s reach,” she said.
“It is now even more real to me that Jesus — who was brought to trial, executed, buried, and brought to life again — offers hope, healing, and a new purpose for every life.
He can make even the most broken person and situation whole again.”
Once a year the Department of Corrections (DOC) allows family or friends to purchase a clothing and toiletries box for an inmate.
McGuire says the items must be ordered through a company under contract by the DOC, which cost 5 each.
Sadly, each of the five women CCF mentors at Tutwiler have families who have turned their backs on them.
“Without financial help, they will not be able to purchase their annual shoes, clothes and toiletries,” she said.
“These items are not provided by the prison system nor are we allowed to bring or mail them to the inmates.
“We want to make a difference in their lives and hope the community can help us.”
The deadline is approaching. If you would like to contribute to this sincere need, please make your check out to Cornerstone Christian Fellowship and send your contribution to: Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, P.O. Box 1691, Oneonta, AL 35121.
Your check should be designated to “Prison to Praise Ministry”. The deadline for contributions is: Tuesday, February 13, 2018.