If anyone calls our house on Tuesday night and asks for me, Cynthia tells them I’m in prison. Then she silently waits for their response all the time trying not to laugh. She will then tell them I’m at Lieber. Lieber Correctional Facility, which is one of many facilities for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. I am part of a group of volunteers that go out to Lieber to participate in Tuesday Night Bible Study.
The inmates tell the volunteers that we are a blessing to them. But believe me, I’m the one getting the blessing. It’s a wonderful group of Christian men that we worship and fellowship with each Tuesday night. We are also trying to help save the lost. We use many modes of study. Sometimes it’s a DVD driven study like “The Truth Project” with the use of workbooks and handouts. Sometimes it’s a book for discussion like Max Lucado’s No Wonder They Call Him the Savior or He Still Moves Stones or John MacArthur’s Twelve Ordinary Men or Jerry Bridges’ The Pursuit of Holiness. Sometimes when we get permission from the studios, we show movies like The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry or Flywheel or Perfect Stranger or Facing the Giants.
Now in the new chapel, we can do more with technology since we have an overhead projector, dvd player, sound board and speakers. This allows us to use iWorship DVDs for music and words projected on the wall most weeks before we start our study. We also have keyboards, drums and guitars if we really want to get it going. The musicians are inmates and volunteers. Of course, on any given week The Holy Spirit may lead us in a totally different direction with our study and discussions.
Finally, two or three times a year, we are allowed to bring food to the inmates. So the volunteers prepare a food event. This includes lots of sandwiches, chips and dip, veggies, nuts, brownies, cookies, candy and sodas. We bring enough food for over a 100 people including going back for seconds. Nothing is ever leftover and a lot of inmates probably have a stomach ache that night.
Does this sound like a ministry in which you would like to get involved? If you are interested, just contact me for details. Wayne Putman, 873-6519 or wputman@sc.rr.com.
“…I was in prison and you came to visit me.” --Matthew 25:36
