Institutions Don't Change People

A few months back, I had the honor of speaking at the “Faith and Justice” night sponsored by Trinity Anglican Church. Members of the community had gathered to hear from HeartBound and the Police Alternative Division (PAD) about ways that we as a church community can support our justice-involved neighbors.

I am one of those people who cannot be quiet when I see injustice. I feel as if it is my duty to speak up.

What I see happening in the Georgia prison system today is simply wrong. We are forcing more than 52,000 men, women, and children to live in inhumane conditions in the name of “justice” and “law and order.” That is wrong to me. I believe that everyone is deserving of a second chance and mercy because God has shown each of us grace and mercy.

The men, women, and children in our prisons today are going to come home one day. Less than five percent of them have death sentences or life-without-parole. When they come home they are not going to return as healthy, morally rehabilitated human beings. Prison systems are making them worse. Individuals are overworked, underfed, then spit back out on our streets with a scarlet letter - FELON - attached to their names.

Our prisons are over-filled and understaffed, making them rife for chaos and violence. One particular prison has a stated capacity of 2,487, yet 4,887 inmates are housed there currently. At another prison, a former Warden was indicted on a RICO charge after attempting to facilitate the murder of one incorruptible guard who worked for him. This is madness, and as citizens who are actively funding this madness to the tune of over $1 billion per year, I believe it’s important that we all know what’s truly going on inside our prison system. Therefore, I jump at every opportunity to speak at events like Trinity’s “Faith and Justice” night.

During Trinity’s event, something unusual happened. Before we began, I was explaining the premise of my talk to Brad, one of Trinity’s senior pastors. As I went along, Brad didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered with the horror stories I was telling. He simply listened, nodded his head, and sat quietly, quite emotionless.

Had he heard this talk before? Did he not care?

When I finished, he looked at me sympathetically and said something profound.

“Institutions don’t change people. Relationships change people.”

The more I’ve ruminated on his observation, the more I see it to be true. Church doesn’t change a person – their relationship with Jesus is what changes them. A church is just a building. A prison is just a place. You can be living in the “free world” and be just as mentally chained up as someone in prison. You can be as rich as Rockefeller and poor in spirit.

Once I understood Brad’s point, that the prison system isn’t meant to change people, I found myself feeling more free. It’s not my job to take on the prison system, to burn with a righteous anger against the system. It’s not worth the anger and the frustration. It’s my duty – and yours  – to build the relationships needed to affect change. Change that comes through a relationship with people and with Jesus.

So, I won’t be doing fewer of these talks, I’ll just change how I approach them. Instead of commanding people to get angry about the prison system and its injustices, I’ll simply ask them to serve.

And that’s what we’re asking today. We ask you to serve.

We have one really easy way for you to get involved – our monthly Tuesdays Together meeting at the Atlanta Transitional Center.

On the first Tuesday of every month, a team of volunteers gathers at 7 PM to serve dinner and dessert to 70 incarcerated men while we play games, sing songs, and gather in fellowship and share God’s truth and love. We conclude the program at 9 PM.

We need volunteers to prepare food and help serve it to the men. For your first gathering, all we ask is that you come shadow. You don’t have to bring anything with you at all. If the program speaks to you and you want to get involved more, we can then schedule a call to discuss the next steps.

Come be the light of the world alongside us. This world needs more light. The world needs your light.

Simply reply to this email if you’d like to learn more.

Have a blessed day.