Doors and Windows

You may have noticed in church that we have been praying each week for theresidents, staff, and volunteers of the Northwest Arkansas Community Corrections Center (NWACCC). Washington County officials have indicated to the State of Arkansas that they do not plan to renew the state’s lease of that facility in the coming year. As a result, the Department of Corrections has already begun to reduce the population of that facility, and, although we hope our leaders will find a way to reverse that decision, it seems likely that our long-standing relationship with the NWACCC will end.

For sixteen years, volunteers from St. Paul’s have gone into the corrections center every Sunday night to share Communion with the residents. That ministry and the relationships it fostered gave birth to Magdalene Serenity House, where women who have experienced trauma, exploitation, addiction, and incarceration receive support in their recovery and prosperity. We have supported the Prison Stories Project, which has enabled the women at the NWACCC to give voice to their stories of struggle and triumph, and the Enneagram Essentials Project, which has encouraged the residents to become more fully their true selves.

The predicted closure of the facility has not caused us to pull back from any of those ministries, and I know that our church will continue to support women in need regardless of what happens to the NWACCC, but the suspension of operations there will force us to reevaluate how we can be present with them and use our resources to build new relationships and maintain existing ones.

This week, I had a brief conversation about the future of those ministries with Evelyn Elledge, a weekly Sunday-night volunteer since the start of our presence at the facility. Although significant renovations would be necessary and no feasibility study has been authorized, we have heard that the county may use that building for women who are currently in its detention center. If that is true, Evelyn wondered whether we might be able to transition the ministries we currently offer at the NWACCC to the residents of that new detention center. I told her that I am not sure but trust we will find some way to continue our work among those who are incarcerated.

It may be too early to plan for the future, but it is never too soon to ask God to help us be ready for whatever opportunities are ahead. Evelyn reminded me that, when God closes a door, God often opens a window. Another way to think about that is to recognize that, when today’s opportunities run out, we likely have the resources in place to pursue something else. The act of letting go of one particular endeavor frees us up to take on something else. The faithful response in moments of transition is to give thanks for what has been and to seek God’s guidance for what will be. Whenever we offer to God the resources at our disposal, God will use them, though sometimes in ways we cannot predict.

While the closing of a door may lead to the opening of a window, it may not be thewindow we expect. If we focus too narrowly on potential duplicates of current ministries, we may miss the opportunity to do something new and valuable. Entering a time of holy listening helps us discern where God is leading us, and, although I am not ready to give up on the hope that the NWACCC will remain open and active, I believe the time for that listening is now.

Evelyn is eager to continue her work with women in need, and I am, too, but sheacknowledged that she may not be the first person to hear what new possibilities are emerging. She asked me to help her listen for what might be next, but I confessed to her that I may not be the right person to hear that either. No single person among us, regardless of how connected and committed they are, is likely to hear the answer to our prayers. Instead, because discernment is always more powerful in community, I think that the work of listening for the Holy Spirit should be shared by all of us.

If you take to heart Jesus’ command to visit those in prison and care for those in need, please join me in praying for the women at the NWACCC and for those who may not have the opportunity to receive the support of a loving community if that facility closes. If you believe that our church and its members have resources that could be used to respond to the needs of the incarcerated in this community, please join me in asking God to show us how to be faithful with those resources in the months and years ahead. If you have relationships with individuals or organizations that are dedicated to caring for those who have been incarcerated, let them know that we are actively listening for what God may be calling us to do next, and share what you hear with me and other leaders in our church.

I believe that St. Paul’s has been faithful to the work God has given us to do at the NWACCC, and I believe that God will trust us with more work in the years ahead. If that facility does not close, our prayers will help us grow and expand our current programs. If it does, our future ministries may be very similar to the ones we already know, or they may look quite different. What will not change, however, is our commitment to vulnerable women in this community, especially those who have experienced trauma and incarceration. Join me in asking God to help us be faithful in the work that is in front of us and the work that lies ahead.

Yours faithfully,

Evan D. Garner