Vineyard Central’s Janet McNeel, Laura Menze, Nathan Myers and Joshua Hanauer attended the training session provided by StepUp Prison Mentoring. On Tuesday August 10th they will be paired with residents of River City Correctional Center located in Camp Washington. After that initial introduction, each mentor will meet with their resident for three months while they are still in River City and for three additional months post release.
Our community was selected by Don Whittaker after he noticed many of those released from River City were living in Norwood and they had no church with which to connect those individuals. We are in a unique position to be a near constant presence to these men and women in need of a community who will care for them, provide a positive example to follow and assist in transitioning back into society.
Please take a moment and pray for each of these by name and for the relationships they will attempt to foster over the coming months. If you find yourself interested and wanting to assist in this specific ministry please contact Joshua Hanauer :: joshuahanauer@me.com
2 thoughts on “Prison Ministry Update”
Well, we had our pair up meeting tonight and everyone got off to a great start. The good folks of River City Correctional Center lost my driver’s license (temporarily) and there was some confusion about how I got beyond the lobby without giving it up – though I had. The woman behind the glass kept repeating, “You can’t go back there without giving us your ID and it’s not here.” To which I replied several times, “I am unsure what to say, except you have my ID.” However, that was the only bump in the road and I am excited to see a group of us following up on a call I received not long ago. Please continue to pray for us as we form this relationships and contact me if you are interested in assisting.
I always carry two drivers licenses with me: the real one and the fake one. (I give out the fake one.)
On a serious note, the initial team looks solid. I pray that others will join, people who will have a strong and consistent presence there. I hope, too, that the rest of us here in this community will make room in our lives for those who come out of River City looking for healthy relationships.