| Prison
van ministry helps families stay together
May 4, 2006
By John Gordon*
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — When Lisa Woods walked into a visitation room at
the Tennessee Prison for Women, her 3-year-old niece — whom she hadn’t seen in
nearly a year — ran to greet her and jumped into her arms.
“It’s very exciting,” said Woods. “At first, I thought I was going to cry.”
Woods’ niece, nephew, sister and mother went to the Nashville prison for a
visit with the help of the prison van ministry at Concord United Methodist
Church in Knoxville. Once a month, volunteers drive church vans on the
three-hour trip from Knoxville to Nashville to help keep families connected.
“I wasn’t able to drive myself down,” said Woods’ mother, Phyllis Woods. “I
think it’s very special and very good of them to do it.”
Phyllis Woods said visits from family members are important to those in
prison.
“I love her much, and in spite of all what’s happened, I still need to keep
in touch with her, no matter what,” she said.
Lisa Woods’ niece, Condazia Murphy, recited her ABCs, while her brother, DeaunTray Woods, 8, set up a game of checkers.
“It’s fun to go see my auntie because she thinks of fun things to do,”
DeaunTray said.
Lisa Woods is serving two eight-year sentences on drug convictions. She is
enrolled in a comprehensive rehabilitation program at the prison and said she is
turning her life around.
“Every family has their trials and tribulations,” she said. “But I feel like
being able to see my family gives me a drive to keep going on.”
The family spent several hours visiting, eating lunch and playing games.
Lisa Woods’ sister, Bridget Woods, said she enjoyed the visit, even after
going through a thorough search at the entrance to the prison.
“It’s kind of them to help people out who can’t come this far,” she said of
the church.
The van ministry began nearly 20 years ago at Concord and has ferried
hundreds of family members to visit Nashville prisons. Elaine Wynn, the church’s
director of adult and family ministries, said the program shut down temporarily
when ridership declined but restarted about three years ago.
“To me, it’s really important because prisoners — there’s such a stigma
involved with being in prison,” Wynn said. “And often they are people who have
just made mistakes. They’re sort of forgotten folks, in many ways.”
High gasoline prices have made it even harder for families to make the trips
on their own, she added.
“I would like to see the church expand beyond visitation to helping prisoners
when they’re discharged, and maybe sponsoring families and helping children with
education,” she said.
Jim Miller, a church member and volunteer driver, said entire families are
affected when someone goes to prison.
“When an individual that’s related to other individuals goes into one of
those institutions,” he said, “everybody goes into one of those institutions
who’s related to them and loves them and knows them.”
Another van rider, Rebecca Brock, visited her daughter in the women’s prison.
Brock said the van ministry has helped because she can no longer drive herself.
“It’s just been a God’s blessing, really has,” she said. “You can talk to
them on the phone and everything, but it’s not like seeing them in person.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Woods is not bitter about being caught and sent to prison.
“I’m glad that I got caught,” she said. “Because if I wouldn’t have got
caught, I would still be out there doing the same things, risking my life,
living the wrong life, and would never have gotten to experience this experience
and this journey.”
She said her days from morning to night are occupied with the prison’s
rehabilitation program. She said the van ministry is important in keeping her
family together.
“It keeps us focused on being able to see our family again,” she said. “It
gives us faith. It gives us hope.”
*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.
News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5458 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Concord United Methodist Church
Prison Ministries
How to Start a Prison Ministry
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