This post is written by Andrew Coverdale, a deacon of mercy who attends Sojourn East.  Andrew loves the Lord and seeks to show others God’s heart for the poor and forgotten.  You can contact Andrew at andrewcoverdale@gmail.com.

____________________________________________________________________________

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me;
I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
Matthew 25.34-36

The more people I get to know in our humble, motley, beautiful little segment of Christ’s body, the more encouraged and awed I am by the great variety of ways God is working through His people. He continues to confound the wisdom of this world by taking ordinary Sojourners from all kinds of backgrounds and developing in them powerful, unique vision for advancing the gospel and His great name into all segments of society.

Tyler Frazer is a great example of this. For the past few years, he has taken part in a regular prison outreach through Crestwood Baptist Church at the Kentucky State Reformatory. Each Thursday night, a chapel service is held from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. including worship that is prisoner-led, and a gospel message from Tyler or one of the other men serving in the ministry. The men also have time to converse and connect with the prisoners informally and individually during their time together each week.

Additionally, Tyler leads a weekly Sunday Bible Study at a Halfway House in the Churchill Downs area that provides a more intimate opportunity to teach, encourage, and walk the gospel out with men who were recently released from prison. This work has been particularly fruitful as Tyler counts one of the men from this Bible Study as a fellow Community Group member. Far from being a ‘ministry project,’ this brother is a great encouragement to the people with whom he now shares life, and his commitment to the scripture (he memorized six books of the Bible while locked up) serves as a living challenge as well.

As Tyler talked through his story with me over coffee, it became obvious that this is not only a labor of genuine, grace-driven love, it is also a labor that has given birth to a larger vision, a powerful vision that can grow much deeper and wider.

For example, newly released prisoners face a myriad of practical challenges to re-integrating themselves into society once released; they may have nothing in the way of practical, daily things they need to live (that you and I likely take for granted), and even less in the form of the skills and networking needed to find work and thus become financially independent and viable. In Tyler’s heart, this issue represents a significant opportunity for the gospel to collide with the lives of these men in multiple forms. The beauty of the vision God is growing inside our brother is that it contains potential opportunities for both individuals and groups at all kinds of entry points, and is full of possibilities, including:

• Nearby south end community groups extending love to men in the halfway house by hosting a cookout for them
• Community groups everywhere preparing “tool boxes” fit with every day needs of just-released prisoners (e.g., toiletries, clothing, TARC passes, Kroger gift cards)
• Organizing rides to church for those in halfway houses
• Men joining Tyler in assisting with the Sunday Bible Study
• Men and women from the body of Christ helping just-released prisoners with job preparation and search skills, recommending them to local business owners, assisting with ‘networking,’ and even
• Starting and operating a business centered around the purpose of employing those just out of jail who are looking to support themselves, gain experience, and transition into a more permanent career.

The potential is unlimited. This list doesn’t even speak to the need of families left behind by current prisoners, in many cases women living without a head of household and in need of the reconciliation and hope found only in Christ.

I am humbled by the story of what our Great King has begun through our brother Tyler. It is a great reminder to us that extending our time, love, and resources toward those in prison is one of the fruits that Christ naturally expected to see of those who call on Him as Lord. It is a great reminder, too, that very real need, and thus very real opportunity for us to share this great gospel is often much closer to us than we think.

___________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in visiting the reformatory with Tyler on a Thursday night, joining him on a Sunday afternoon, getting your Community Group involved in one of the other ways mentioned, or have an idea of your own for assisting with this vision, please contact him at: tylermf34@gmail.com.  EDIT:  You can also hear Bobby Gilles interview Tyler on the “Inside Sojourn” podcast on itunes or at this link.