Onesimus Ministry at CCP in the Pandemic Year 2020

What a year 2020 has been! With the pandemic bringing very significant changes
to the manner in which ministry happened at Chester Country Prison, we can look
back in reflection; despite the difficult changes to which everyone associated with
Onesimus Ministries needed to adapt, God has shown Himself faithful—
· No meetings for worship in the chapel.
· No volunteers from the outside to lead in encouragement and worship in the
chapel.
· The chaplains could not invite inmates to the chaplain’s office to respond to
the spiritual, relational, family issues which concern them. They could only respond
with written notes.
· Stress levels were high because no one was sure how best to protect the staff
and inmates.
· Life and ministry at CCP was different last year.
Yet, as you will see in Heinrich’s article, God used even the disrupted times
to continue to speak into the lives of men and women who are open to the lifechanging Good News of redemptive grace.
In the story Chaplain Rhonda tells in her article, God had a very wonderful way
of “showcasing” the wonderful gift Onesimus received from Prison Fellowship
International. I suppose Chaplain Rhonda felt a little embarrassment because she
had not alerted anyone that the “gift of 220 Life Recovery Bibles” would arrive at
CCP after hours.
As the pandemic restrictions are softening and hope increases ministry may be
returning to “normal” in 2021, we look forward to continuing the ministry to which
God has called us. God has showed himself faithful in providing needed financial
support, even though we canceled the 2020 banquet.
What to do in 2021? Will 2021 permit us to resume with our fall banquet? We
are happy to announce, the Lord willing, we will be having our banquet on Friday
evening at 6:30, October 29 at Mt. Vernon Christian Church. Mark the date on your
calendars. More information will follow.
We will continue to pray that ministry will continue to open at CCP so that the
chaplains can resume their personal contacts and that outside volunteers will be
permitted back in the prison for Monday Night Fellowship. Pray to that end.