Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Hooray! Spring finally decided to show up- it’s supposed to hit 76° today! We also had a decent day for eclipse-viewing yesterday with my son in Manayunk. I’ve attached the best picture I took before we got completely clouded over. Absolutely stunning – the architectural magnificence and grandeur of God’s planetary creation on display for the world to see.
Then last night we got to minister among his greatest creation – people – particularly those seeking Him from the confines of a prison cell. Two very distinct services, both very meaningful to those who came out. Psalm 130 was our scripture to kick off the prayer time:
From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.
Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.
Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.
I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on Him.
I have put my hope in His word.
I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
for with the Lord there is unfailing love
and an overflowing supply of salvation.
He himself will free Israel
from every kind of sin.
Erwin got right to the point in 1st service – Why the Gospel? And Why does it matter? He explained how sinful man can be reconciled to a Holy God only through the one perfect sacrifice worthy to pay the penalty – Jesus Christ. The only true Gospel comes from God and centers on the Lord Jesus Christ who did all the work, nothing we do can possibly earn salvation- we are saved by grace through faith. Many false gospels tell a different story, but Jesus claimed “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
2nd service was very intimate with only a few inmates attending, so we adopted a small group format with lots of interaction. Marty taught the parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20, explaining the 4 heart conditions in response to God’s Word. Hard hearts (the path) believe false gospels or just don’t care. Rocky soil displays personal shallowness focused on appearance vs substance, all about me vs. faith (all about Him). Thorny soil puts worldly cares on equal footing with God’s will, consumed with worry and not seeing a bigger picture of salvation through grace by faith. And finally fertile soil, yielding to God, absorbing and wanting more of His word, willing to share God’s love, and allow the Holy Spirit to grow His kingdom through us.
We get to interact directly with inmates, and follow-up prayer is every bit as important to promote their faith journey by lifting them up and the things they care about. They know what you do for them and appreciate it greatly. Let me add my thanks as well. It’s an honor to serve in this ministry beside each one of you.
Grace and Peace,
Rick
Inmate Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm service):
- Phil T– answered prayer for my granddaughter doing much better in school.
- Eric– for civility and peace within my family, especially with Mom and Dad. May I leave this facility in peace, and leave this tabernacle tonight in peace.
- Boyd– to have faith on the street, and stay on track.
- John– for God to give all believers courage to share Jesus and grow His Kingdom, for everyone’s families, for all those that pray for us, for the volunteers inside the prison, and for healing/restoration of my eye – pray I can get released early to get the eye surgery I need.
- Glenn– thank you Jesus for what you did, and for wisdom and discernment.
- Jess– my Mom is in hospice, my Dad has heart surgery Thursday, and for my wife Jessica.
- Andy L– to be faithful and steady in prayer, and may God refresh and renew my prayer life which seems a bit stagnant lately.
- Dan T– my brother in law with PhD, searching and knows the answer but unwilling to let go and yield to the Lord. Pray for perfect timing, words, and opportunity for Dan to speak into it.
- Josh– the criminal justice system and this place need integrity – the people need to try harder.
- Jose– salvation for Rony and Francisco. And for friend Tim’s 5 children who are lost.
- Ulysses– family, my children, my court date on May 6, and to get answers from my lawyer.
- Rick C– for my friend Jimmy who had emergency appendectomy surgery, and my friend Herb feeling very overwhelmed lately. Also for our friend Morgan to accept his Christian retirement location.
Inmate/volunteer Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm service)
- Clarence– for the volunteers who come out and bring us the Word, my family, closure with my situation- I’ve been here a year without knowing what’s going on, court dates keep slipping, etc., Lord strengthen me and keep me spiritually grounded, keep working on me, and for the men on the block who didn’t make it out tonight.
- Mike– thanks for all you volunteers each week, for everyone in here, especially those who don’t know the Lord, for my 2 kids to be doing well even without me there, and for their Mom to accept Christ. Pray for my parent’s health and all those with “unanswered” prayers.
- Andy D– healing for my left eye, suffering extreme dryness issues, help me to remember the drops.
- Rick C– for my daughter Ali, getting married in Fall, dealing with many pressures and feeling a heavy financial burden lately (due to employer paycheck mistakes), may God relieve the burden and may she and her fiancé sort through everything together in blessed union.
- Matt– for Megan, wife of my coworker Shaun, being healed of stage 4 colon cancer, she seems ok but developed skin issues due to treatment. I was real sick last week with viral stuff and double pink eye, need continued strength to lay my negative attitude and other things at His feet.
Prayers from Onesimus Ministries
- For chaplains Rhonda and Heinrich to have another blessed week as they minister within Chester County Prison to the inmates, staff, and families connected to the prison. And may the chaplaincy program continue to be looked upon with favor by the prison leadership.
- We lift up the staff and leaders of Chester County Prison, and pray the Warden selection process installs the person God has already selected for that office.
- Strength, healing, and wholeness for our brother Pastor Jack Crans as he faithfully serves amidst his late stage cancer.
- Wisdom and open doors for Onesimus board in the search for new banquet location and catering services.
- For the hardworking prison staff, experiencing many shifts and long hours due to staff shortages. May God refresh them and watch over their families.
- Blessings upon the aftercare ministries taking on released inmates as they adapt to life outside of prison. May the clients continue to build faithfully upon the foundation of Christ, and may each ministry volunteer experience refreshment and renewed strength in the Lord as they serve. We pray these ministries would have all they need to continue to operate as long as God would have them do so.
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 outreach@onesimusministries.org.
These weekly prayer requests are also posted on our website – https://onesimusministries.org/category/weekly-prayer-requests/
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