In Prison

Two or three times a year I go to HMP Wormwood Scrubs to take part in The Alpha Course which runs there every term.  There on a grey Saturday afternoon, 30+ prisoners and 8 team members are easily housed in the Cathedral of Prison Chapels as it is known.  Excuses were made to my wife and children; my QPR chaplain’s jacket stayed at home, even though there was a home match.

There are many memorable elements to Alpha in the Scrubs.  There’s the sense of conviviality over lunch on the ‘The Holy Spirit’ element of the course.  This means that for this session alone, the prisoners enjoy the special privilege of being away from the wings for 6 hours.  There’s the spirit of sharing and serving each other.  There’s the free movement of convicted men in a very large space.  There’s the excellent conduct which means no requirement for prison staff, with whom Ray Elliott from St Paul’s Ealing and his Alpha team have built up a strong bond of trust over 10 years.  

There’s also the need for the men to let off steam, as every day, and this is done during the exuberant worship songs.  Richard’s western, laid-back, semi-professional guitar-leading meets the Caribbean, passionate, hopping-whooping, nearly-harmonious singing culture (most of the men are of West Indian origin) and the result is a godly musical party, featuring joy, thankfulness, relief and awe.

God bridges the race divide, the legal chasm and the residential disparity which could all get in the way.  The Bible knifes through any wayward ideas about Christ, and the Holy Spirit reminds us all that, whether convicted by the laws of the land or not, every man, woman and child stands on a level before the cross where the offer of forgiveness stands for anyone who chooses to take Jesus for real.