Feature: Prisoners on the Loose
William J. Furr
by William J. Furr, pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, with Anita Moreland Smith
What our middle-class congregation knew about prisoners wasn't much. Five or six of our people had served as counselors during a Bill Glass in-prison crusade once. Other than that, we didn't know what to expect when Tom Metts, Prison Fellowship's southeast regional director, suggested we host six inmates for a two-week community service project.
"Are they dangerous?" the board of deacons wanted to know, understandably. The answer was no, for two reasons: (1) these men had become active Christians, and (2) they'd been incarcerated for nonviolent crimes in the first place—counterfeiting, embezzling, selling stolen property.
Most of their days would be spent winterizing the homes of poor people as a form of restitution. What were we to do for the prisoners? Welcome them. Sponsor a dinner for them their first night in town. Put them up in our homes, invite them tu participate in our services. Be their friends. Hold a final dedication service at the end of the two weeks, with Chuck Colson as the speaker.
We took a deep breath and told Tom, "OK—count us in."
On Sunday, October 17, 1982, they arrived from Maxwell federal prison in Alabama and Eglin in Florida. By the end of that first meal, we knew there was no reason to fear David McIntyre, Donny Sauls, Bob Fowler, Jerry Morgan, Bob Matters, and Wilson Johnson. These were solid Christian men who only wanted to use their beliefs and talents to help others.
They shared the five reasons why they had come:
• To be discipled and to grow in their faith through serving.
• To show communities like ours an alternative to locking people up.
• To challenge us to get involved in ministering to the ...
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