Outside the Walls: A Jail Ministry Story
In jail ministry, there is a hard-and-fast rule: focus only on spiritual needs of the people inside these walls. That rule has been broken twice in the past month.
A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Assistant Jail Chaplain Sampson Goodwin from Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church: “Jeff, we have a single mother with two kids whose house just burned down. They lost everything. Our church is working on housing, but is there any way that they could come to His House for help?” I said yes.
Charles Underwood met the Mom and kids the next morning at His House. When I got there, they already had a bag full of sheets and towels, and the His-House Ladies were helping the children fill up bags with clothes and shoes while the Mom worked on her own bag. Food and household items would follow. When I said goodbye to the mother, she had tears in her eyes, and I could see a glimmer of hope.
Sampson told me that the Mom was surprised and humbled that help had come so quickly and easily. He told her, “That’s what God’s people do,” then added; “surround your family with those kind of folks, who love you because Jesus loved them.”
I am thankful that Sampson asked for help, and thankful for the beautiful way everyone at His House responded to the family’s needs.
A week later, I got a call from a Sheriff’s Patrol Supervisor. She said, “Chaplain, I need some help and don’t have anyone else to call. A woman living out Pangburn way has called our dispatch 12 times in the last 24 hours, saying she doesn’t have any food, is wheelchair bound and nobody will help her. I have been to her place several times on domestic calls; she is in a tough spot. Could you possibly help?'
Again, the good people at His House said “Yes!” The woman so appreciated the food, and my Deputy friend was thankful that we could help her with a difficult non-law enforcement problem.
I’m humbled to see how God has worked through Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, the Jail Ministry, His House, and the White County Sheriff’s Department to help community members in need.
My friend Sampson always says, “Glory be to God!” and I believe that about sums it up.
A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Assistant Jail Chaplain Sampson Goodwin from Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church: “Jeff, we have a single mother with two kids whose house just burned down. They lost everything. Our church is working on housing, but is there any way that they could come to His House for help?” I said yes.
Charles Underwood met the Mom and kids the next morning at His House. When I got there, they already had a bag full of sheets and towels, and the His-House Ladies were helping the children fill up bags with clothes and shoes while the Mom worked on her own bag. Food and household items would follow. When I said goodbye to the mother, she had tears in her eyes, and I could see a glimmer of hope.
Sampson told me that the Mom was surprised and humbled that help had come so quickly and easily. He told her, “That’s what God’s people do,” then added; “surround your family with those kind of folks, who love you because Jesus loved them.”
I am thankful that Sampson asked for help, and thankful for the beautiful way everyone at His House responded to the family’s needs.
A week later, I got a call from a Sheriff’s Patrol Supervisor. She said, “Chaplain, I need some help and don’t have anyone else to call. A woman living out Pangburn way has called our dispatch 12 times in the last 24 hours, saying she doesn’t have any food, is wheelchair bound and nobody will help her. I have been to her place several times on domestic calls; she is in a tough spot. Could you possibly help?'
Again, the good people at His House said “Yes!” The woman so appreciated the food, and my Deputy friend was thankful that we could help her with a difficult non-law enforcement problem.
I’m humbled to see how God has worked through Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, the Jail Ministry, His House, and the White County Sheriff’s Department to help community members in need.
My friend Sampson always says, “Glory be to God!” and I believe that about sums it up.
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1 Comment
Good stuff! I'm glad to see God working in the hearts and lives of the members of our church and community.