Prisoners and their families will be able to worship together thanks to the first ever online prison church service from the Church of England.
The service will include contributions from prison staff and chaplains, along with prayers, reflections and artwork written and created by prisoners.
The service, with the theme of hope, will be led by Reverend Helen Dearnley, Anglican chaplaincy adviser for HM Prison and Probation Service.
The Diocese of Leeds has many chaplains providing ministry in our area.
Revd Andy Rowe is the Managing Chaplain for HMYOI Wetherby, and has written about the Church of England’s service and ministry in this area: “Holding the Hope is the theme of the very first service streamed from Prison. It marks the coming together of Her Majesty’s Prison Service and the Church of England recognising the value of faith in holding the hope for all who find themselves in a custodial setting whether it is those who are placed there by the courts and their families, or those of us who work in one.
“Prison is not a normal environment. Those who have found themselves in custody during this time have experienced a greater degree of separation from their loved ones; no visits; a limit in regime and increased time in their rooms, a stranger time than even the normal custody!
“In Wetherby, where I am the Managing and Anglican Chaplain, most of our young people (15-18s) have enjoyed extended opportunities to ring loved ones, on in room telephones, watch TV and use materials designed by teachers, chaplains, mental health professionals and others to keep them occupied. This, I know, has led to some interesting and yet inspiring conversations, through doors or ‘socially distanced’ face to face!
“Staff are keyworkers and have therefore continued to attend for work, we have a duty of care. This has been hard at times, with some expressing fears, not quite sure what might be faced each day, how you keep yourself and the young people safe from infection and avoid taking it home or bringing it in.
“Initially Chaplains were the only non-uniformed professionals allowed up on to the units, our role, to pastorally support staff and young people that we came into contact with, not forgetting our usual statutory duties. We listened to colleagues as they shared their concerns, their fears, their frustrations of being ‘#hidden heroes’ and their complexities in juggling life, work and home under the ‘new normal’. We listened to our young people as they at first didn’t fully understand what this all meant. I encouraged colleagues to tell their own stories, so that the young people got to understand a little bit more of what life was like, ‘On the out’, for us and for the young people’s families under lockdown.
“Some young people have continued to ask us when our Chapel Activities can begin again, when RC Mass, Friday Prayers or Church of England/Free Church services can start again. Not yet is still our answer, but soon is our hope!
“And there is that word again, ‘Hope’. It would be fair to say that most of us have had ‘a moment’ during this time, whether at work or at home, where these strange times have caused us a ‘blip’, where others have kept us hopeful and kept us going. For we all, as the service title states ‘Hold the hope’ as I say to colleagues, if a Chaplain loses hope, everybody else may as well call it a day, for Hope holds us all.”
This Sunday’s service can be found on the Church of England’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel, and will be broadcast on prison television and radio as well.