My First Time in Prison

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(RECAP: Spring of 2000 I was looking for a "ministry" position.  I had numerous specific "words" spoken over me that God's plan for me was to have my "vocation" and also be a direct "ministry."  I 'happened" to call Sam Dye and he told me of a potential opportunity with an in-prison christian treatment program at the Newton Correctional Facility run by Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship called The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI).)

So over Spring Break of 2000, the family and I went to Knoxville, Iowa to visit my parents and to visit the prison outside of Newton, a half-hour from my parent's house.

I had numerous discussions with Sam over the phone. I read the promotional material and tried to wrap my head around what I was considering getting myself into.

It sounded too good to be true; convicted criminals come to an in-prison program to essentially learn about Jesus as a means to change their lives,  That seems over-simplified, but it was the truth.  It was (in theory) the only scenario where I would jump into the "people-changing" arena again.

We drove the 14-hours to my parent's house, then one afternoon I drove to the prison to meet up with Sam.

The Newton Correctional Facility (NCF) is on a hill in the middle of Iowa farmland.  It looks so "Iowa" that if it was in a movies, people would say, "That looks so fake! What do they take us for? There is no way a prison would be there!" Yet, there it was all the same.

I had on my Khaki pants (no jeans for visitors) and my picture ID. I waited in the lobby of the outer building for quite awhile.  Finally, an old college friend, Steve Castaneda, who was an IFI counselor came to escort me into the prison.

We went through the 1st locked door, then the second.  We walked through a locked gate, then two more locked doors.  We were buzzed into the main building where we walked past the prison gym, the library, and the school.  Finally we walked through two more doors, past the security offices and the multi-monitored security center and out onto "the yard."

There are a lot of stereotypes in the movies when it comes to criminals and prisons.  This prison was relatively new. The buildings were spread-out.  There was a lot of open space, a softball field, a soccer field, 4 basketball courts, tennis courts and "pickleball" courts, and of course, a giant weight-yard.  The men lived-up to their stereotyped counter parts in the movies.  They mostly wore blue shirts and blue jeans.  They were either shaggy with long hair and beards or they were tightly shorn.  Of course they were all men, mostly white, more often than not tattooed, and regularly without any number of their teeth.  Some had the thick plastic prison issue glasses and they were moving around the expansive yard.

Steve was taking me to "Unit E" where the IFI participants were housed. It was a 242 bed cell block on the backside of the prison.  Next to it were what appeared to be 4 double wide trailers lashed together that was the IFI programming space.

Outside of the unit were tables filled with men who were smoking and/or holding coffee cups.  Most of them looked directly at me and nodded or said "hello."  Inside the unit there was an open space with tables and a guard station with three correctional officers in their brown and tan uniforms.  As I was signing-in, several men came up to greet me.  I immediately noticed their "way."  The deliberately strode up to me and looked directly in my eyes, not in a threatening or intimidating way, just very direct.  The grasped my hand firmly.  They were "intense" stares, with no turn to the right or left.  It was a posture I immediately appreciated and adopted.  These were men immediately trying to look into me. They were assessing me.

Eventually Sam was available.  His "boss" Jack Cowley was also there and apparently they had just had a meeting where the current Program Manager's job had been "redefined" so there was a bit of tension and awkwardness in the air.

Sam showed me around and took me to building "M" or as we called it, "The trailer."  There were a couple of large classrooms that could be converted into a large meeting room. There was a library and offices. There was a computer lab and a couple of smaller meeting rooms.  The trailer was a buzz with activity.  They were preparing for 3:00 Community Meeting, a daily event where the whole IFI community came together for some worship, prayer requests, a short devotional delivered by a Community member, introductions of new men to the program, announcements, and then a community discussion about various issues affecting the men.

The space was packed. It barely held the 242 men.  There was a small sound system and a bevy of men with guitars standing at the front. After a quick prayer, they began to sing.

All I can say is that it was as if a bell had been rung in my heart. (Even as I write this now tears are in my eyes)  There was the familiar "air" I had experienced so many times.  The Holy Spirit was stirring in the very atmosphere of that rickety set of trailers with those big, clunky men.  They sang loud, and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

Sam asked me to sing a song as well, so I sat at the tiny Yamaha keyboard and sang a Vineyard favorite from my home church, "I Am Your Beloved."

     The chorus goes:

        I am Your beloved,
       Your created, and You love me as I am.

       Unashamed to call me Your own.
       I am Your Beloved.

I knew that was the Father's message to these, His sons.  Of course it is His message to all of us, but I knew it would be the key to unlock freedom in these men's hearts.

I was ruined.

Now all I needed was for there to be a position for me.

chris