Sunday, October 31, 2010

Prison ministry in our Unitarian Universalist tradition

Yesterday, I went to visit the prisoner whom I visit monthly as a result of a contact that was made at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church by the prisoner's mother who lives out of state. She said she was a Unitarian Universalist and was looking for a UU to visit her son who was incarcerated for 6 years in Upstate New York would anyone visit him? I have been visiting now for about 4 years.

I am one of the people who started the Brockport Unitarian Univeralist Fellowship in Brockport, NY and I have brought the prison ministry with me to BUUF. For this man and myself we have built a relationship which is important to him in and of itself, and I wonder where, if anywhere, BUUF should continue with a prison ministry?

We have several State prisons within 50 miles of BUUF and incarcerating people, especially black people who are poor, is a major source of income for working class whites in our area who work as Correction Officers in these prisons.

I wonder about our faith as Unitarian Universalists and what it teaches us about how do deal with  the social injustice which our criminal justice politcies impose on poor, minority people in our society?

I will be studying this further and reporting on my work here. I am looking for help if you know anything about the topic please leave comments.

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