A universal need
Teenager convicted of manslaughter sent to prison—Newspapers are full of headlines like this and, every day as we watch the news, we hear about horrendous crimes. In the mind of many, these criminals are stereotyped as being cold, mean and unrepentant. Society does not easily embrace those in prison. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a common viewpoint.
As chaplain for The Salvation Army, I visit four correctional institutions in the Winnipeg area each week: Stony Mountain, Headingley, the Remand Centre and Rockwood. There are approximately 1700 men in these four institutions, sitting in 7 x 9 foot cells, sometimes two per cell, some of them locked up for 23 ½ hours each day.
Many times when I listen to a man tell me about his thoughts, desires, temptations, sins, I see a reflection of myself—not because I have committed murder or violated the laws of the land. But I’m able to connect with my own nature and acknowledge that I have sinned: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are sinners, but God’s grace and forgiveness sets us free, whether we’re inside or outside of prison.
God has placed in all of us the longings for security and significance. Many who are in prison, in their attempts to have these longings met, have resorted to criminal methods—joining gangs, addictions, violence, lust for money or sex. Many men outside the prison walls try to find their significance and security through their work, their material possessions, their achievements or hobbies. As I hear the stories of how men try to meet these needs, I am reminded of my own struggles in this area in my younger years.
A life of leisure
In 1992, when I was living in Vancouver, I started to work for a major winery, tasting and evaluating wines. After five years I had worked my way up to the position of winemaker. Life was going well. In the mid-90s I started to invest my money in the stock market. My investments were doing so well that I decided to quit my job and become a full-time stock investor, so this became my full-time occupation. My priority was to live a comfortable, stress-free life and make lots of money. My life primarily consisted of playing golf a few times a week, visits to the gym, and sleeping in. After eight months of this lifestyle, I thought to myself, Is this it? The euphoria of living a life of leisure was quickly fading.
Around that time the stock market started to take a big dive and, seeing my vast portfolio shrink quickly, was very depressing. I often felt like not waking up, knowing that I had just suffered another day of big losses, and sank into a very painful depression. …Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10).
I was attending church; however, I was a “Sunday Christian.” I never prayed or read the Bible outside of church. That summer my pastor stated in a sermon. “If you are not moving forward in your faith you are actually moving backwards.” I realized that my faith was stagnant and that this had gone on far too long.
An awakened faith
It took a great test of faith for me to decide that I wanted to have God at the centre of my life. On October 22, 2000, I truly accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I was excited about fully trusting Him, yet frightened at not knowing where He would lead me. Who could have known at that time that he would lead me to prison!
During this awakening of faith, my portfolio continued to spiral downward. During that time I realized that God had given me a valuable experience. He gave me wealth, something many people aspire to as their lifelong goal, but when I got to taste what I thought I wanted, it really didn’t satisfy. Through the financial losses, I felt the pain and despair that many other people feel in their lives. It was God’s way of preparing me for future ministry. I realized that the things of this world easily pass away, but I knew that I could find true peace with God and that I am loved regardless of my achievements or bank account statement, without having to earn this love from Him.
A new focus
After I committed my life to Christ, my focus shifted to volunteer work, and I started helping at Union Gospel Mission. This gave me insight and empathy for people in distress and provided the opportunity to discuss spiritual and deep-rooted issues with the youth, yet I did not feel qualified for this ministry. After much prayer and counsel, I answered God’s call to enter Providence Seminary to study counselling.
As I conduct weekly chapel services at Headingley and Stony I often think what a blessing it is to share God’s love and hope with people who are often forgotten by most of society. There is a big need in correctional institutions for the love of Jesus to be made known to the prisoners. LifeLight Ministries plays an important role in this by providing Bibles such as How to Find God, Life Recovery Bible and Journey of Recovery. Over the years I have had many favourable comments from inmates telling me how much these Bibles have aided in their understanding and application of Scriptural truth to their own lives.
Harold Park
Teenager convicted of manslaughter sent to prison—Newspapers are full of headlines like this and, every day as we watch the news, we hear about horrendous crimes. In the mind of many, these criminals are stereotyped as being cold, mean and unrepentant. Society does not easily embrace those in prison. “Out of sight, out of mind” is a common viewpoint.
As chaplain for The Salvation Army, I visit four correctional institutions in the Winnipeg area each week: Stony Mountain, Headingley, the Remand Centre and Rockwood. There are approximately 1700 men in these four institutions, sitting in 7 x 9 foot cells, sometimes two per cell, some of them locked up for 23 ½ hours each day.
Many times when I listen to a man tell me about his thoughts, desires, temptations, sins, I see a reflection of myself—not because I have committed murder or violated the laws of the land. But I’m able to connect with my own nature and acknowledge that I have sinned: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are sinners, but God’s grace and forgiveness sets us free, whether we’re inside or outside of prison.
God has placed in all of us the longings for security and significance. Many who are in prison, in their attempts to have these longings met, have resorted to criminal methods—joining gangs, addictions, violence, lust for money or sex. Many men outside the prison walls try to find their significance and security through their work, their material possessions, their achievements or hobbies. As I hear the stories of how men try to meet these needs, I am reminded of my own struggles in this area in my younger years.
A life of leisure
In 1992, when I was living in Vancouver, I started to work for a major winery, tasting and evaluating wines. After five years I had worked my way up to the position of winemaker. Life was going well. In the mid-90s I started to invest my money in the stock market. My investments were doing so well that I decided to quit my job and become a full-time stock investor, so this became my full-time occupation. My priority was to live a comfortable, stress-free life and make lots of money. My life primarily consisted of playing golf a few times a week, visits to the gym, and sleeping in. After eight months of this lifestyle, I thought to myself, Is this it? The euphoria of living a life of leisure was quickly fading.
Around that time the stock market started to take a big dive and, seeing my vast portfolio shrink quickly, was very depressing. I often felt like not waking up, knowing that I had just suffered another day of big losses, and sank into a very painful depression. …Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10).
I was attending church; however, I was a “Sunday Christian.” I never prayed or read the Bible outside of church. That summer my pastor stated in a sermon. “If you are not moving forward in your faith you are actually moving backwards.” I realized that my faith was stagnant and that this had gone on far too long.
An awakened faith
It took a great test of faith for me to decide that I wanted to have God at the centre of my life. On October 22, 2000, I truly accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I was excited about fully trusting Him, yet frightened at not knowing where He would lead me. Who could have known at that time that he would lead me to prison!
During this awakening of faith, my portfolio continued to spiral downward. During that time I realized that God had given me a valuable experience. He gave me wealth, something many people aspire to as their lifelong goal, but when I got to taste what I thought I wanted, it really didn’t satisfy. Through the financial losses, I felt the pain and despair that many other people feel in their lives. It was God’s way of preparing me for future ministry. I realized that the things of this world easily pass away, but I knew that I could find true peace with God and that I am loved regardless of my achievements or bank account statement, without having to earn this love from Him.
A new focus
After I committed my life to Christ, my focus shifted to volunteer work, and I started helping at Union Gospel Mission. This gave me insight and empathy for people in distress and provided the opportunity to discuss spiritual and deep-rooted issues with the youth, yet I did not feel qualified for this ministry. After much prayer and counsel, I answered God’s call to enter Providence Seminary to study counselling.
As I conduct weekly chapel services at Headingley and Stony I often think what a blessing it is to share God’s love and hope with people who are often forgotten by most of society. There is a big need in correctional institutions for the love of Jesus to be made known to the prisoners. LifeLight Ministries plays an important role in this by providing Bibles such as How to Find God, Life Recovery Bible and Journey of Recovery. Over the years I have had many favourable comments from inmates telling me how much these Bibles have aided in their understanding and application of Scriptural truth to their own lives.
Harold Park
Correctional Chaplain, Salvation Army in Winnipeg
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