SOCPM Newsletter | March 12, 2022

Greetings,

SOCPM Inside the Prison Gate: Back in the prisons again! 

SOCPM Outside the Prison Gate: Working on prioritizing ministry goals and an update from David in Uganda.

On the Home Front: Acknowledging it is never too late for lost loved ones and having healthy community through coffee and conversation.

On the Prayer Front - All things family and SOCPM

These are the topics for this week's SOCPM Newsletter. I hope you enjoy it, despite my lack of an editor. Michelle would like to edit my newsletters (I think she has a deep-seated desire to be an English teacher with a red pencil in hand), but her work voids the time.

To Him be the glory in ALL things and Him alone,

Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries

SOCPM Inside the Prison Gate

Since I wrote the SOCPM Newsletter yesterday morning (Friday), I received an e-mail from Chaplain McClimans last night after I had written this week's SOCPM Newsletter, informing me the March 18th date has been pushed back to April 8th. Very frustrating. 😩

I shared last time the lifting of lockdowns for inmate movement and how I hope it indicated that the lockdown on volunteers would soon follow. Praise God it has!
I first received word from Sheridan Chaplain McClimans on March 1st that he received word from Sheridan's Warden that volunteers will be permitted to return and begin planning our return. I was in part wanting to start March 4th, but God told me despite my desire to return ASAP, I needed to prepare for SOCPM's return. So after an exchange of e-mails with Chaplin McClimans, it was decided March 18th would allow not only me but him to prepare too.

Dixon Chaplin Thomas also contacted me on March 1st, saying Dixon was lifting the lockdown for volunteers. However, the 118 building, where I held SOCPM classes, would remain locked down because of a staff shortage of 100 correctional officers. Yes, 100, interested in becoming an IDOC Correctional Office, click here. However, before you do, I suggest 'The Psychological Stress of Being a Correctional Officer.' It is the life of being a correctional officer; God leads SOCPM to begin a ministry for COs. But, that is a program to revisit once SOCPM is back in the prisons.

Because the 118 building is closed, there are some challenges in volunteers returning to Dixon. Chaplain Thomas mentioned three possibles; Could SOCPM meet on a different day and time, including evenings? I replied that though I prefer not to change day and time, I'd be open to them if it was a must. Could I conduct SOCPM classes without access to a TV/DVD? Not having a TV and DVD would not be a challenge for the fatherhood classes since there are minimal DVDs. However, the Discipleship class would require me to come up with an alternate curriculum. Incorporating teaching two different curriculums in Sheridan and Dixon could be a burden unless I changed curriculums in both facilities. But, I'd be willing to do whatever if there were no alternatives. 

Thankfully, God has blessed volunteers with two godly chaplains who step up to the plate when it comes to batting for volunteers. Chaplain Thomas did go to bat for SOCPM, and as of now, SOCPM will meet in another building, continue on Wednesdays and have access to both a TV and DVD player.

There are some other concerns I will have to accept both in Dixon and Sheridan, but I don't know of anyone in ministry who did not have challenges, and I'm most certainly not more worthy than anyone else. So, would you please pray that I trust in God in those challenges and that I do not fall to the lies the evil one is telling me?

Sheridan Correctional Center Lockdown 103 Weeks; Dixon 9 Weeks 🥺🙏 Hopefully, it is God's will; this block will be gone in the next SOCPM Newsletter.

SOCPM Outside the Prison Gate

It is also a blessing that I'm returning to the prisons, so my 'vision casting' slows down to a reasonable pace.

With each book I read, I get more ideas. My reading is not bad, but I need to slow down in wanting to jump feet first into all these ideas.

Church Connect is becoming more of a focus now that I will be back in the prison meeting guys who will be paroled and need to connect to a church one day. The former will require a more strategic plan than expecting it to happen. So would you please pray with SOPCM's return to the prison, God will use me to encourage the students to connect to a church, and God will lead me to a church for them?

As I further investigate the program, Gospel in a Gospel in a Box, I see I need to have a more detailed strategic plan. However, I will not see all the steps to bring Gospel in a Box to fruition on my own. Would you please pray God will bring forth someone who will assist me in developing a plan?

Another idea is for SOCPM to have a presence at Clothes Closet, another ministry of my church, Redeemer Fellowship. Each month Clothes Closet gives away gently used clothing and infant items to those in need. It is not unlikely those in need may have a loved one incarcerated, and God could use SOCPM to serve them not only in their need for clothing but resources for their incarcerated loved ones. I'm praying God will give me the final steps of implementing this soon.

As I mentioned above, God has shown me the need for a ministry program for correctional officers. Dixon Chaplain Thomas has agreed there is a need and is open to being a champion in taking steps to get approval from Dixon's administration. Would you please pray God will show His timing when to take the next steps in the coming weeks?

There is another ministry pursuit, but I'll detail that in In the Home Front. However, before I end Outside the Gate, I want to share some happenings with David, my brother in Christ, doing prison ministry in Uganda.

David recently shared the plight of Apio Margaret, who, after being in prison for twenty years, was released five months ago.

Apio and David

Apio, as one can imagine, is struggling with her life after prison. In addition to continued discipleship, his ministry is building her a home. Would you please pray for Apio and David as he seeks to bring glory to God in his ministry to Apio? Would you please pray God would provide the funds to finish the home?

Soon to be Apio’s new home

Also, David still needs a printer to print Bible lessons he received from SOCPM's ministry partner, Metanoia Ministries. Would you please pray God will provide David with a means to print these Bible lessons that those he serves urgently need?

In the last SOCPM Newsletter, I mentioned my meeting, Rob Rienow and his stewarding of Visionary Family Ministries. He gave me the DVD teaching series 'Never to Late Encouraging Your Faith in Your Adult Child' to use in my fatherhood classes and purchased the e-book of the same title. As expected, it turned out to be an excellent read. About 25% into my reading, God was putting in my heart to approach my Elder to start a study group at my church. I know a few parents with prodigal children, but I am sure there are more. So I strongly encourage you, if you have a child, like my son Cameron, who seems so far from God and you often feel hopeless they ever will, please read Rob's book. His words of wisdom based on Scripture have revitalized my hope that it is never too later, even for Cameron.

I've also have come to enjoy Coffee and Conversation. A meetup group that two of my friends, Tom and Andrew, take turns facilitating. As detailed in their about profile, Coffee and Conversations is an intellectual discussion group that meets regularly in Naperville. As a discussion group, we discuss a variety of topics that are cultural, philosophical, metaphysical, and theological in nature. What I most enjoy about the group is the number of attendees who are not believers and quite often have several worldviews on many topics. Though I do share how my Christian worldviews mold me into who I am, the meetups allow me to learn the worldviews of others. Tom and Andrew have three basic rules; respect, listen, and learn. 

God taught me those three rules almost twenty years ago when I first entered a prison. I was eager to share my faith and lead someone to Christ. However, when I stopped in front of the cell of one individual who was lying on his bed, eyes covered with his arm, and explained to him I was a Christian, he waved his hand and said roughly, 'I'm a Marxist, I'm not interested.' Of course, my initial reaction was I needed to tell him all about Jesus, but before I could get my first words out to respond, the Holy Spirit told me instead to say, 'you know I don't know anything about Marxism, would you mind explaining it to me?' In a flash, he was off his bed and talked about what he believed and why for about twenty minutes. When it was time to move on, he confirmed the Holy Spirit was leading me when he said, 'You know I've been in this cell for xx years and have Christians always coming by wanting to tell me about Jesus, you're the first one whoever asked me what I believe, thank you.' Yes, the Gospel is to be shared, but it needs to be planted on good soil for the seed to take root. A ground of hard rock must be softened with respect, listening, and learning.

There are a few more happenings on the home front but enough for now.

On the Prayer Front

Cameron -  I've had a couple of phone calls with Cameron, but they were calls of his feeling stress, frustration, and bitterness towards God. From his view of things, God is not showing love towards him but is constantly making everything difficult. I could give a lot of detail, but his biggest frustration is not finding an apartment. His lack of an apartment is why he needs to work at the motel, double shifts the restaurant in short work a thousand hours every week. He isn't finding an apartment because he has an eviction. Would you please pray God will first and foremost draw Cameron to who Himself and find salvation? Also, pray for Cameron's permanent sobriety, less stress, and healthy community. I forwarded him the information of five churches within five miles of the hotel where he is living. Would you please pray he reaches out to those churches and finds refuge in not just help but rest in Christ?

Michelle (aka my lovely bride) - Continued diligence in working a full and productive week, staying with the exercise program she recently enrolled in.

Self - My prayer list is always long, but pray for matters related to my health for this go around. I've started vestibular therapy. Would you pray I do the exercises? I'm trying to eat healthy and have had three consecutive days of a smoothie with spinach. Not close to any actual change, but it is a start. Would you please pray I can discipline myself to have a smoothie with spinach once a day? Sugar is still my biggest culprit when it comes to my health. Would you please pray I reach for nuts and fruit more consistently and not sweets? I'm making it to the clubhouse exercise room once a week, but I need to increase the number of days. I will have the excuse of being too busy now that I'm back in the prisons, but would you pray I don't use that as an excuse and increase the number of days first to two, then three, etc.?.

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