Putting Christ behind bars
Gwion Lockley describes his experience teaching the Alpha course in a women’s prison
My first session at Styal Women's Prison, on the southern outskirts of Manchester, was an odd experience to say the least. Talk about being out of my depth! Being in a room full of women of all shapes and sizes, of all ages and nationalities, and feeling that a high percentage of them could really beat me!
Friends of mine who were part of The Message Trust in Manchester had persuaded me to join the Reflex team (a Ministry working in prisons across the United Kingdom linked to The Message Trust) to volunteer by helping to run Alpha courses with the Chaplaincy of the prison, which was on my doorstep at that time - between 2007 and 2010. As I am passionate about sharing the Gospel with the last and least of society ('the last and the least'), I decided this was a good way to express my passion personally.
The Reflex team worked in the prison daily, running educational courses, life skills, victim awareness and reconciliation etc., as well as the Alpha course once a week.
Being able to spend time with these women on a regular basis was an extremely humbling experience; hearing their heartbreaking stories, experiencing their problems and feeling a little of their pain. It was a constant reminder that life for most of us, although sometimes challenging, is a lot easier than for some! It was also a great honour to be able to share the Good News of the Gospel with them, by using the easy format of the Alpha Course, and to see many choose to follow Jesus for themselves, swallow the Bible and grow in their new faith. Seeing the change over time in their choices, in their attitude towards life and others and even in their food and physical appearance when experiencing the Holy Spirit and its power in their lives was a thrill that will not be forgotten. can never forget!
Perhaps the biggest surprise to me at the time was how open they all were to hearing about the person of Jesus, whether they chose to follow him personally or not, even though they might wary or sceptical of religion - whether they came from a Muslim, Jewish, 'nominal' Christian background, another religion or were staunch atheists!
There is something extremely attractive about the person of Jesus - our privilege as his followers is to point other people towards him!