“I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matt 25:36

This week a group of Christians in Ellesmere Port unveiled a piece of community art made by ex-offenders as part of a restorative justice programme

The art says something of their life experience and their hopes and dreams for the community of which they are a part.

They have sought to depict the life of their town overshadowed by the cross of Jesus with its message of hope, healing love and forgiveness.

Through it, they are not only expressing something of their hopes for the local community, but reflecting how its message and impact has overshadowed their lives.

Crossover is a restorative justice programme that is organised by a group of local Christians in Ellesmere Port, particularly made possible by Trinity Methodist Church and Baptist community minister Rose Uitterdijk who is based there.

Restorative justice seeks to neither condone nor condemn, but to help individuals recognise the impacts of their actions on the community and the individuals most affected, and to become involved in “putting things right”. The Crossover art project is a testimony to the group’s experience of this within a Christian community.

This is just one of many examples of local churches and Christians working to support those who are in custody, and ex-offenders seeking to reintegrate themselves into society.

This week is Prisons’ Week and we invite you to pray:

• For all those who are in custody, that they might discover hope and new beginnings
• For all who work within our prisons service, often in difficult and demanding circumstances
• For Prison chaplains and visitors, and all who seek to bring the hope of Christ into our prisons
• For Probation officers and those who seek to help offenders maintain a different path
• For the families of prisoners and all who are affected by their incarceration
• For the victims of crime and those who work for justice for all
• For groups and initiatives like crossover that seek to work with those who are in prison and those who have been recently released.

 
God, whose light shines in the darkest of places,
We pray for all who are imprisoned,
And those who operate and oversee our prisons service.
Help us to remember that every human being is made in your likeness
With all the potential and possibility which that entails
Help us build a society where compassion and fairness prevail
To seek justice in ways that serve the good of all,
And offers pathways of hope to those who are seeking to leave wrongdoing behind.
Help us to never forget your invitation
To serve all people as though we were serving you
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
AMEN