When I was in Prison, You Visited Me

For the ears, you can listen to an audio recording of this presentation. [high fidelity audio playable under all personal computer operating systems via VLC media player, Microsoft Windows Media Player with the Xiph.org codecs for FLAC et al, OS X QuickTime with the XiphQT plugin, etc., on many Android-based mobile devices, and on iOS-based mobile devices via apps such as FLAC Player or Golden Ear]

When I was in Prison, You Visited Me

presentation at Adult Forum by Kathy Getka Chaplain at Polk Correctional Institution for Men, Butner, NC October 23, 2016
As a prelude to the class, the following information was made available:
According to the Washington Post, the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population yet has almost 25 percent of the world’s total prison population. In our state of North Carolina, 37,300 men and woman are incarcerated. Many will return to their communities one day, but statistics show that 68 percent will return within three years.
God is already present inside the walls of the prison. God calls the church to enter into this space, to be present to it, and to be with the other by offering the love of Christ. God is already present inside the walls of the prison. He calls the church to enter into this space, to be present to it, and to be with the other by offering the love of Christ. It is powerful kingdom revealing work when we enter into the suffering of others not to fix it but be with the other. It is in this sacred space the church is present as light and love to her neighbor and the present Christ bursts forth with the healing power to transform both church and neighbor.
At the end of her presentation, mention was made of the upcoming event Persevering in the Pursuit of the Beloved Community where John Perkins will speak from 10:00 to 11:00 on November 5 at ReCity, 112 Broadway Street, Suite B, Durham, NC 27701 .

Recommended reading:

Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 2013

Jens Soering, The Convict Christ: What the Gospel Says about Criminal Justice, 2006

Laura Magnani and Harmen L. Wray, Beyond Prisons: A New Interfaith Paradigm for Our Failed Prison System, 2006

Daniel Burton-Rose, editor, The Celling of America, 1998

James Samuel Logan, Good Punishment? Christian Moral Practice and U.S. Imprisonment, 2008

Eddie Charles Spencer, Inmate 46857: If God Can Change Me, He Can Change Anybody, 2014

Christopher D. Marshall, Beyond Retribution, 2001