The Voice of Salvation Ministries is an evangelistic outreach arm of the Church of God of Prophecy, in West End. It extends its reach to Her Majesty’s Prison through a robust team of church volunteers who make regular visits there to share the love of God and the message of the gospel with the prison’s inmates.
One of the highlights of this outreach effort is The Voice of Salvation’s annual prison luncheon, catered to all inmates, as well as the Staff, who look forward to the joys of fantastic food from the church each year. Now in its sixth year, the Christmas lunch has been instrumental in encouraging the prisoners to have confidence in the church and its mission in sharing the gospel and the love of God.
The Anguillian sat down with Pastor Marlene Lewis-Brooks, Associate Minister of the church, along with Events Coordinator, Mr. Chris Brooks. Pastor Marlene related: “The Prison Ministries is headed by Ms. Jane Rogers who works in the church’s Evangelism Department of which Pastor Evan Brooks is the Head. In essence, the prison outreach is one of the extended ministries of our evangelism mandates.
“Every fourth Sunday, specific church members would meet at the prison to share with the prisoners on spiritual matters. Over the years, we have taken it upon ourselves to donate a lunch to the prisoners and staff of Her Majesty’s Prison for the Christmas Season. We used to do this on a smaller scale years ago, but since Chris came and joined the ministry, he has extended it. So instead of the simple Christmas goodies and drinks that we used to offer before, we have embarked upon providing a full course luncheon.
“As Events Coordinator, Chris goes throughout the community raising funds for the luncheon. Other members of the ministry take on the initiative to assist in the cooking, with Pastor Evan Brooks being the Main Chef for the event.”
Asked whether the lunch is served on any particular date during the Season, Pastor Lewis replied: “No, we are usually assigned a date by the management of the prison. They usually let us know what day we can come in. So we have to prepare for that particular date, and by 11:00 am the lunch must be made available at the prison gate.”
Chris said that he has been involved in this kind of ministry for several years while residing in Miami, Florida. His main function in the Christmas lunch programme is to raise the finances to provide lunch items, but he willingly accepts raw material and ingredients to cook with as well.
He reflected in a mellow tone: “The thing about it is that, this time of year, Christmas time, when one is incarcerated, it could be one of the m ost depressing times for prisoners. So, if we can put a little joy in their lives for the Season, then that is something they would appreciate.”
Pastor Marlene added: “The Christmas lunch is something that all the prisoners look forward to receiving each year. They really enjoy the spirit of our giving, and we enjoy their spirit of receiving. It takes a lot of work on our part, but it is rewarding, indeed, to know that the inmates and Staff appreciate what we do.”
