A Good Place to Grow
I just wanted to take a moment and give praise to God this morning. I’ve been clean and sober for 34 days.
It’s been a long journey for me, but I’ll finally be finished with parole in 2 weeks.
I just want to thank everyone for praying for me. I just got a job and a place to live. God is so good!
At first glance, these may look like they came from some kind of twelve-step meeting, but they are examples of what we hear week to week during our church service at Shiloh Chapel. A large percentage of those who attend Shiloh have at one time either been incarcerated or have had a family member in such circumstances. At Shiloh, we openly talk about prison, addictions, and other bondages on a regular basis. Not from the standpoint of glorifying grief or shame, but from the standpoint of how loving and forgiving God is of each of us as we turn away from our wayward lives and choose to follow Him.
I am the pastor of this church. In the summer of 2010, I sensed the Lord telling me to start one. As is typical with me, I didn’t at first believe it was Him. It didn’t seem to fit at all with the vision I had for prison ministry. So I just shrugged off the thought as something strange my own brain had come up with and went about life.
But as is typical with the Lord, He didn’t let me off the hook. He kept bringing the thought back again and again. And when I pointed out to Him that it didn’t fit with where the prison ministry was going, I felt Him say, No, Gary, it all blends together. Both the ministry and the church will work alongside each other. The ministry will give them somewhere to turn to on the inside. The church will give them a good place to grow on the outside.
I wish I could say I was sold at this point, but as usual, I found just enough room to keep doubting, so I said, “Lord, if this is You, and You really want me to do this, you need to make it so obvious I can’t miss it.”
He did. Within six months, we were given Shiloh Chapel with a mandate to do the work God had for us. It’s been an interesting journey since then, as all journeys with the Lord are, with plenty of twists and turns and growing pains. But as we enter our tenth year of stewardship of Shiloh, I am amazed at how God has brought this little church along and how by simply endeavoring to be obedient to Him, everything has fit together exactly the way He said it would.
As I was reflecting on all of this the other day, the Lord reminded me of a vision He gave me over twenty years ago, long before I had even started prison ministry.
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in the hallway of a church. A young man came through the entrance who looked a little rough around the edges and more than a little nervous. I watched as he went into the main auditorium and sat down in a seat at the very back. After a few minutes, he jumped up out of his seat and bolted for the door. I followed him into the hallway and caught up with him.
“Are you ok?”
“I’m ok, I just need to get out of here.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t belong here. Everybody in there is different than me. They are all dressed up in their nice clothes and got their big smiles, and I’m not good enough for them. I just got out of prison, and this isn’t going to work for me.”
As soon as he said that, I smiled and said, “I want you to come with me. There’s something you need to see.”
Together we went back into the auditorium, and I made him follow me to the front. I interrupted the worship leader and took the microphone. I then turned to the congregation.
“I want to introduce all of you to my new friend. He’s a little uncomfortable being here today because he just got out of prison. He thinks he doesn’t belong because all of you are dressed up in your nice clothes with your big smiles, and he thinks he’s not good enough for us.”
The entire room began to laugh, which made my new friend even more nervous. Then I said. “I think now is a good time for us to show him otherwise.”
Immediately everyone began tearing off their outer nice clothes just like Clark Kent turning into Superman. Only instead of a Superman’s suit underneath, we were all wearing prison uniforms. When my new friend saw this, his eyes filled with tears. He smiled and took a seat with everyone else in the congregation.
Shiloh Chapel is that church. It is the heart of what that vision represents. I am honored to be a part of it.
*****
Side note: As a result of having this church, we are able to offer several opportunities for people to participate in a variety of small groups, teaching seminars, the Lessons for Life Course, and other discipleship avenues for those transitioning back into society. It is also a great place for those who want to lead groups and be active in the ministries God has called them to. We enjoy meals together, have great times of prayer for each other, and a lot of laughs. It is a good place to grow.
If you would like to visit sometime, here is the church’s information:
Shiloh Chapel
1724 E. Pikes Peak Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO. 80909
Sunday Morning Service: 10:00am
Lessons for Life Ministries:
Evangelism
Discipleship
Life Coaching
Ministry Training
Gifts to Lessons for Life Ministries are tax deductible as provided in Section 170 of the IRS Code