News Category: Prison Ministries (5 posts)

Streams of Mercy | 08th July 2016 | General Articles

Pastor Israel now has the Vehicle - and has obtained his driving licence. his will  enable him to visit the prisons with a team, offering both spiritual and material help to the inmates.   Pastor Israel at the wheel. ...

Streams of Mercy | 06th July 2016 | General Articles

    Soil is dampened and  taken from the termite hill, pressed into the moulding machine  and stacked to dry in the sun. Then they are  re-stacked to make a kiln with space inside for wood to be laid. The exterior is covered with soil and the wood set alight. The fire burns for about a week. He bricks are hen suitably hardened and ready for use.  70000 bricks were made here.  ...

Streams of Mercy | 07th August 2013 | General Articles

On their second visit to Uganda one pastor suggested to Janis and Laurie that the prison ministry should be extended into other parts of Africa. This was repeated on their third visit by a Congolese Pastor (Pastor Israel Lenge), resulting in a ministry trip to DR Congo in 2009. That trip covered 4 countries – Uganda, Kenya (just for a weekend) Zambia, where through the choir ministry in the UK contacts in two Zambian prisons were already corresponding with Janis and Laurie, and finally up into DR Congo. Later that year a mission was undertaken to Kenya with the main aim of encouraging prison ministry there. Pastor Israel Lenge had been leading a church in Kenya and had helped to organise that mission. He was so encouraged by the results of the ministry both previously in Congo and now in Kenya that he felt God’s call to return to DR Congo to specialise in prison ministry there and currently is setting up Streams of Mercy Prison Ministries, Congo. Janis and Laurie visited DR Congo again in May 2010 with the aim of launching that ministry, and again in July 2011,June 2012, and Janis alone in May2013. In January 2013 Janis and Laurie ministered in  South Africa and Janis include a visit to prisons in Zambia in May 2013. To date 67 African prisons have been visited. (33 in Uganda, 15 in Kenya, 4 in Zambia,7 in DR Congo and 8 in South Africa) and over 3800 inmates have indicated a desire for God to change their lives, as well as a few prison officers! These men and women are being followed up by local pastors. Some have now been discharged from prison, are leading honest lives in the community and are established in local churches. Picture: Left to right. Pastor Jimmy Wandera; Ex prisoner (now a committed Christian), Laurie Homewood. Another prisoner in Tororo came to see us with the news that having accepted Christ as a result of our ministry, he was released two weeks later and reunited with his wife who, having returne...

Streams of Mercy | 07th August 2013 | General Articles

Having seen the results of our prison ministry in Uganda and Kenya, Pastor Israel Lenge has felt God's call to leave his pastorate in Kenya and return to his home town in DR Congo to set up Streams of Mercy Prison Ministries, Congo. We were able to share the vision and preach the Gospel on Congolese TV on a Saturday evening. The programme was broadcast to the whole of the Katanga province. Prisoners are people with deep needs. Yes, they are in a place of correction. However, the aim of prison should not be just to punish but to correct and rehabilitate. And the life changing Gospel message has been shown to be instrumental in turning prisoners from their former lives of crime into good honest and useful members of society, and this is accepted by most of the prison governors we met. But we also need to show the love of Christ by helping to meet some of the prisoner's material needs also. PASTOR ISRAEL'S VISION The vision is to visit the prisons regularly, initially to preach the Gospel message, then to follow on with counselling and instruction for those who accept Jesus Christ. In each prison an assessment of material needs will be made and some assistance will be given as resources become available. We are praying that Christians here in Congo will catch the vision and that the majority of the needed resources will be given locally. One problem facing many prisoners is how they will cope on the outside when their sentence is completed. Often they have no place to go, no financial resources and few vocational skills. And obtaining work with a prison record is never easy. So an important part of the vision is to set up a reintegration centre where inmates can come to stay for a while after discharge. In the centre there will be access to conselling and spiritual instruction as well as assessement of their needs and family situation. Where possible appropriate vocational training or help in finding work will be offered. And when the time comes for them to leave t...

Streams of Mercy | 15th July 2013 | General Articles

Our first visit to an African prison took place in October 2006 in Kamuli. On a Sunday afternoon Janis and Laurie were whisked off by George and Angela Bufunvu, the church's prison ministry team, to the local prison. Nothing could have been further from our experience of English prisons! At the door we were admitted by a prison officer recognisable only by the fact that one of the church team introduced him as such! No one asked for ID or searched us! The next difference was that the prisoners were all sitting around in the compound. They were wearing a simple light uniform..   The church prison ministry team led the prisoners in some of their own songs. Then we introduced ourselves and sang some songs in English. Janis spoke to the men from God’s Word about ‘God’s Treasures’ and Laurie gave an updated version of his testimony of trusting Jesus at all times and in all things. He also shared more of 'God's treasures' instancing two outstanding examples of Christian prisoners known to us in the UK. After we had all ministered, one of the African team members gave a Gospel call and eighteen prisoners responded. We also gave out SOON (easy English) leaflets to all the inmates. We asked afterward "Does this level of response happened often" — and were told "No, we get one or two, but this is different. These men are now your (spiritual) children!" Our second prison visit was in Masufu prison with Pastor Jimmy Wandera and the church prison ministry team. Again, very different to our English prisons. We arrived at the prison compound, the gate was opened and we drove straight in. Again, no ID, no search! The prisoners were in the compound having a meal provided by the church. When they had finished, we ministered to them in song, Janis gave a Gospel message and Theo and Laurie gave testimonies. Of the forty present thirty-two subsequently responded to the app...