As you begin the run-up to Christmas, spare a thought for those who will spend it in prison – both prisoners and staff - and their families. They need your prayers.

Prisons Week, which runs 15-21 November this year, aims to mobilise Christians to pray for the needs of prisoners, their families, the victims of their crimes, and the staff who work in prisons. Life is not easy for any of them.

Prison Weeks began in 1975, when a number of prison chaplains and other concerned Christians joined together to ask for prayer for prisoners from within the wider Christian community. It had its beginnings as a Roman Catholic initiative by Bishop Victor Guazzelli, but quickly gained wider support of all the mainstream churches.

So in your prayers this month, and especially during Prisons Week, please don’t forget the needs of this vulnerable, deeply needy community.

If you like children, there is also something you can do that is quite practical. More than 100,000 children have a parent who will be in prison this Christmas, unable to buy their son or daughter a present. Through an initiative called Angel Tree, you can donate a gift to be sent to one of these children in the name of their parent. It can work wonders in healing some of the pain between parent and child! For more details, please visit http://www.prisonfellowship.org.uk/?page=angeltree .

The story of “R” by a Chaplaincy Volunteer in South Wales … “R” was sentenced to 12 months in May 2007. By his own admission he was an angry, selfish39 year old, easily offended and enjoyed dominating others with his aggression, unafraid to use his fists if necessary. Early in his sentence he was invited to one of the Services by the Chaplain. Initially surprised by this invitation as God was not part of his life, he nonetheless accepted. At that first Service something happened and for the rest of his sentence he embarked on a spiritual journey that began to change his life and give him a completely different understanding of what life was all about. Gone was the anger and desire to dominate, it was replaced by an awareness and compassion for others and a desire to get alongside other prisoners to help and support. This change was radical. He began to experience the love and acceptance of God, forgiveness, and above all else a deep peace. R’s demeanour was so changed that his partner, who he has been with for 25 years, was disturbed by what she saw, although at that stage assumed that on release he would revert to the R she knew. When this didn’t happen she has acknowledged it was like living with a completely different man and initially this was not easy. All his friends and acquaintances have witnessed this same change. To this day R has continued his spiritual journey, his faith seems secure but like us all he is facing the challenges both within and outside of himself. On Easter Sunday morning this year R was baptized which was a real joy to witness. He attends a Church that is really supportive, challenging and encourages him to run the race faithfully. Thanks be to God.

A Message from “R” to those in prison…
I would like to start by saying; I have been where you are now. That cell door closes and it gives you that sense of loneliness, Then something began to happen that was completely out of my Control, GOD entered my heart, my life was about to change. When I say change I mean, hope, friendship, love, car attributes I had never possessed. I began regularly attending Church, Christian Evenings, also Christian visits which at Swansea were on a Wednesday. Prison Fellowship for myself was paramount after being saved. The anger had gone, I had started to understand people for the first Time in my life, Realizing there was more to life than anger and violence. I have continued my Christian walk since leaving prison in November 2007. I attend ……. Christian Centre which I had the pleasure of being baptised on Easter Sunday with most of the people from Prison Fellowship attending An absolutely outstanding experience. This is just a small portion of my Testimony. I wish all who read this a blessing that I have been given.