On December 20th, 2020, the Holy Spirit was apparently putting in some holiday hours, and it was a beautiful thing to witness! Sherry Edwards, former Chair of the Friends of Moravian Prison Ministry, received a call that day from her daughter-in-law who knew of some folks who had purchased a truck-load full of food and wanted to give it away where it could do the most good. Sherry sent out a text to all of her contacts and heard back from Rodney Stilwell, Senior Chaplain of the Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries, who suggested that the food be delivered to a transitional house. He put her in touch with Bert, an ex-offender and transitional house volunteer, who happily accepted the large load of fresh fruit and vegetables that included grapefruit, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes, green peppers and mandarin oranges. In fact, the donation was too much for one home, so Bert shared the remaining food with another home! The Holy Spirit was truly working through Sherry, Chaplain Stilwell, and Bert that day to provide a Christmas blessing to these men and make them feel precious and loved.
Transitional housing is just one of the myriad aspects of ministry supported by the Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministry. The ministry helps offenders who are interested get set up with housing and obtain employment. Offenders have to complete an application and be interviewed to be accepted into a house. Each home houses four to six men, and most have strict rules that must be followed in order to stay. While there, they are required to attend some sort of worship, as well as a recovery meeting such as AA or Narcotics Anonymous. They also are typically required to do housework, such as cleaning, laundry, and yard work. Most men have the goal of working and saving money so they can move into their own place within a year.
Your financial support of Chaplain Jeff Carter and the Friends of Moravian Prison Ministry ensure that ex-offenders continue to receive spiritual guidance and practical help even after being released, which can often be the time when they need it the most. We are grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this Christmas blessing!
