Revd Bob Wilson, Secretary for the Prison Chaplaincy and Free Churches Faith Adviser
A highlight of this month was the chance for Bob to be a Prison Chaplain again, leading a Sunday Service, carrying out statutory duties and meeting pastorally with staff. It has again reminded him of the extraordinary work our Prison Chaplains carry out, working with all who live and work in the 122 prisons in England and Wales. Bob was particularly pleased to see the respect that Chaplaincy continues to be shown by all. The prison had been very busy over the weekend he was on duty, and yet the professionalism, commitment and genuine good humour still shown by those working in really difficult circumstances was truly impressive. It is so often easy to forget the men and women in white shirts and suits who work to keep almost 90,000 of the most complex people in our country safe; our hidden heroes. Please do remember these in your prayers; the really do an extraordinary job!
Wonderful to have an incredible response to the Welcome Directory’s recruitment appeal for a new Operations Officer. The current officer will be moving on to a really great career development opportunity and will be impossible to replace. The recruitment process is developing well and we really hope to be able to make an important appointment soon.
It was a real joy to meet with Catherine DeSouza and Stephen Hawkins of Prison Fellowship at the invitation of HMPPS Chaplain General Ven James Ridge to discuss possible next steps in developing a successor to the Sycamore Tree programme. Throughout June, as part of the Free Churches Prison Chaplains Regional Training Days, Bob has been talking with chaplains about what they think would be helpful in developing a Christian course that chaplaincy could use. These proposals were presented and the PF team indicated that they were really encouraged to go away and develop a pilot programme to continue their wonderful, and well appreciated work in prisons.