Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It’s tough to compete with Philly sports teams running after a championship, so our numbers were low last evening at the Monday night services in Chester County Prison. But as Dan always reminds us, “everyone that is supposed to be here, is here”. I believe God blesses the faithfulness of those who show up no matter what, even when it’s not the convenient or popular thing to do. And we were all blessed with His presence last night.
Andy’s message drove home the point that faith in the one true God is not about religion or rules, but a relationship with a heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine, and His Son who gave His all for us to be with Him forever, and gave us His Spirit to be with us forever. We walked through many interactions between Peter and Jesus, showing that no matter how close we may ever get to Christ, we still mess up, and He stands ready to forgive and restore us. The men were very engaged, especially as Andy recounted parts of his own personal journey of faith.
At the beginning of both services, our prayer times began with meditating on these verses from Psalm 27:
Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. (Psalm 27:7-14)
The Psalms are so rich yet so real as King David poured out his heart and emotions to the Lord. May we likewise touch our Father’s heart with praise as we also lift up the inmates, their families, and the prayer requests below. Thank you for your diligent prayers and support of this ministry. May your treasures in heaven be piling up beyond belief!
Grace and peace,
Rick
Inmate Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm service):
- Shaun– I pray for peace over my fellow inmates and our families. I pray the Lord’s blessing on my 8 year old grandson Semaj on his birthday, and for my sister Aisha who is a hardworking nurse but struggling financially, may God bless her with his provision.
- Ross– my cellmate Bernard would like to be here but has severe back pain. I’m still in need of a place to live in Florida where I’m from, and for my lawsuits up here and down there to be settled. Also prayers for the inmates with covid, and for Israel.
- Dave– for so many inmates going through hard times. Please pray for my court date on Wednesday and for my family.
- Luke– for everyone here, that God would meet each of us where we are and we could encounter Him. I’m asking God to maintain my job for when I get out so I can support my family, or grant me another job if this one is gone. Pray that God would meet with my wife and soften her heart.
- Mark– for my significant other who needs a place to live and hasn’t had much luck with her bad credit. Pray that she makes it and that she’s OK. I keep thinking of destiny – what am I supposed to learn here, and what am I supposed to do? Help me to trust God as it looks like I may be going up state (prison). Please bless my family that’s left, as many have already died.
- Angel– for peace in the world and in Israel. For the children of the world and for my family, especially my brother who needs a kidney and my father who is in bad health. I pray for my fiance to recover and find a place to live, and I pray for us in here who are waiting weeks and weeks without seeing a judge.
- Luke– for my 3 sons – Dominic, Vincent, and Nate who are very young and don’t know I’m in prison. Thanks for a good grandfather instilling faith in them by his example. My one son is autistic and I pray for his understanding of faith.
- Angel– a friend is on drugs and she’s very sick- God please heal her.
- Shaun– so thankful for my granddaughter and that I get to see her when I’m in rehab. Also pray for God’s message tonight to give us hope and give us a more positive state of mind. Thankful for the volunteers who come out each week.
Inmate Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm service)
- Maurice– my Mom’s older sister is near death, I pray for my family especially my little cousins who have suffered so much loss in their lives already with Mom and Grandmother passing away.
- Jacob– my 96 year old grandfather had a bad fall a week ago, and has had a lot of health scares, may God bless him with strength and heath. Also pray for my daughter (she’s 2-1/2) and for those taking care of her.
- Dean– I just want to pray for the world.
- Andy L– for my neighborhood, as I look around there are so many problems – several broken marriages, and one woman who is all alone and needs a kidney transplant but is likely to die before that happens.
- Andy D– for my brother, sister, and my wife – we are all still grieving the recent loss of my Mom.
Prayers from Onesimus Ministries
We are very thankful for business owners stepping up to sponsor tables at the Annual Banquet for Onesimus Ministries on Oct 27. We pray for a good turnout of people and a wonderful night of fellowship and praise for what God is doing through this ministry.
For speedy recovery of Pastor Vernon, our ministry Chairman Vernon dealing with some personal health issues.
Praise and thanksgiving for additional volunteers to join the ministry team going in on Monday nights. We pray they will follow through and bless inmates with this new calling.
Pray for the prison staff as they continue to experience shortages which result in long hours and many shifts, also taking a toll on their families.
For our wonderful chaplains so faithful in serving the prison population week after week. May the Lord bless them to be a blessing to many others.
We lift up the aftercare ministries focused on helping recently released women and men stay faithful to the new path established while in prison. May they be blessed with all needed staffing and resources to be effective in their ministry.
If you’d like to find out more about mentoring and discipling a man or woman coming out of prison, drop us a note at info@onesimusministries.org.
These weekly prayer requests are also posted on our website – https://onesimusministries.org/category/weekly-prayer-requests/
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