Dear Friends,
I'm proud of CLF in general, and many of our ministries specifically, but our prison ministry awes me. Without any advertising, shared from prisoner to prisoner, our membership has grown and grown. We now have almost 750 incarcerated members: That's a large congregation in and of itself. Whenever people say to me that Unitarian Universalism is a religion only for people of privilege, I point to this ministry and respond that we hear daily from prisoners who say that this faith is saving their lives now. And these folks are model members, engaging in every learning opportunity and spiritual practice available to them.
At times, however, ministering to people in prison has felt too passive for my activist self: I've also wanted to take a stand for justice for incarcerated people. The conditions are horrific: Often no heat or air conditioning, solitary confinement for the slightest provocation, outrageous costs for everything from toothpaste to phone calls. The privatization of prisons ensures that profits will be made from these vulnerable people. CLF has wanted to continue to do our direct ministry and at the same time speak up about the life experiences of our prisoner members, many of whom are denied a public voice. We're attempting to do that new ministry in a new program we call "Worthy Now" (website coming soon!)
I hope you'll consider getting involved! Folks can engage at many levels, from becoming a penpal, to joining webinars to learn how to start a prison ministry in your local prison. Some of the information about how to do that can be found in this newsletter or by contacting Worthy Now at
[email protected]
May all of our ministries, and our lives, be filled with life-giving surprises,
