Chaplain Spotlight

I remember it so well.  

Big Andy from Peterheid said to me: ‘C’mon along to the Prison Fellowship. The fowk there are awfy nice, we dae some singing and hear a talk aboot God, and if nithin else it gets you oot yer cell for a wee bit of a stretch and a nice cuppa tea or coffee and a chocolate biscuit.’  

Andy’s simple invitation made it easy for me to come along.  

I was only 17 years old; a Y.O serving a string of short term sentences at HMP Castle Huntley. That Sunday night was my first experience of Prison Fellowship and began an amazing adventure of faith. A few weeks later I responded when the prison chaplain invited us to commit our lives to Jesus and become Christians. I prayed for Jesus to come into my life on 5th January 1992 and a few years later, a follower of Jesus and an active part of my local church, I became a PF volunteer, which continued for three decades.  

Now, 33 years later, I am a chaplain in HMP Low Moss. Much of our work as chaplains is done down in the halls, providing pastoral care and engaging with guys who are desperate for help. Every time I meet a man who needs the care that a chaplain provides, I remember that moment my life was set in a brand new direction because I was given the opportunity to engage with a group of volunteers known as Prison Fellowship. We might feel like ordinary believers but we serve an extraordinary God! Prison Fellowship continues to be used by Jesus to transform lives and unlock potential in prisons all across the world, and we encourage the guys to attend and get stuck right in.  

Many of the men who attend PF and other chaplaincy activities in HMP Low Moss could be described as ‘just dipping their toe in the water.’ A bit like I did in 1992. Many of them have been engaging faithfully over many years and it’s clear they are on a journey of intentional discipleship. But every journey has to begin somewhere, and more often than not it is a simple invitation by another prisoner or a chaplain to come to a fellowship meeting that can become a life changing God encounter.  

Let’s continue to pray for those opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those in prison; for our fellowship meetings to be God-encounters that transform lives and unlock potential; for the day to day ministry of chaplains; and thank God for the ongoing work of Prison Fellowship here in Scotland and all around the world.