I like to describe my role as a “middle space chaplain,” where I connect men serving the last six months of their federal sentence with positive, healthy, safe resources and people to help them reintegrate into society. I build trust, provide care, and love them with no bait and switch. If I can help them, I will, and want them to know they matter.
Ministry looks different every day – from providing a weekly meal in partnership with a local church, to helping them with bus fares and basic personal hygiene items, to sharing used clothing and giving them someone to talk to if they are feeling lonely or want to discuss spiritual matters. I enjoy plugging them into healthy, Christ-centered communities like Celebrate Recovery, local church services, addiction and PTSD support groups, arranging baptisms, and much more. In a nutshell, I provide the ministry of presence to men living on the fringes of society and learning how to reintegrate into society after serving a sentence. I don’t have any power dynamic with the guys. My job is to be a loving, safe space to help in any way possible.
Another role that I play is representing Hope to the parole officers and staff within the federal correctional system. They’ve seen so many people not do well, lie, deceive, and go back to jail. In this environment, it can be hard to maintain hope. I remind them that there is still hope for every person.
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” Joshua 5:13-14 (NIV)
Just before Joshua began to march around Jericho, the commander of the Lord’s army appeared to him. Joshua asked whose side of the battle he was on, and the Son of Man communicated that he was not on any side but rather was in the Lord’s army. At that point, Joshua realizes he is on holy ground. This experience reorients him, and he recognizes it’s not about whose side you are on, but that you follow the Lord and are clear about your Kingdom allegiance.
“The guys I work with need a miracle or nothing will change. Society throws them band-aid fixes, but these attempts to fix them don’t get to the core of the human heart and its need for a relationship with God.”
God wants to know, “Are you for me?” That’s the question that matters most. I want to proclaim the Kingdom of God and allegiance to the King. We know that there is the Kingdom of God which is powerful and growing across the world. There is also an illegitimate kingdom of darkness. At some point, we need to choose which kingdom we belong to. As I work with these men in Toronto, I pray I will help plant seeds in their hearts so they can grow relationally closer to the King himself, and eventually pledge their allegiance to the Kingdom of God.
I will never forget the day Rodney* met Jesus. He was depraved and broken, had lived a horrible life, and spent much of it in jail. One night I saw a vision of Rodney meeting with a pastor I knew. This pastor had a powerful testimony, so I connected them. When they met, the pastor shared his story with Rodney, and as he listened, much of what the pastor said resonated with him. Both men had similar backgrounds; they both grew up in foster care, used the same drugs, had connections to similar places, and knew the same people.
This pastor was now clean and sober. He has reconciled with his family and was leading a church. Rodney turned to me and said, “I hope I can turn around like that.” I told him, “Well, you can. You’ve got to give your life to Jesus.” And so the pastor led Rodney to the Lord. It was a powerful moment, and Rodney expressed changes in his life after that!
It’s one thing to know God, which is the beginning of our faith journey. But repentance and turning from your sinful way is an all-or-nothing decision. I spend my days letting God lead, and when I have the opportunity to witness men having a moment with Jesus, I feel deeply grateful and fulfilled. There is always hope. If I didn’t believe this with my entire being, I wouldn’t be doing this ministry. Love and hope are never wasted.
Jonathan McMurray
Project Leader, Toronto Chaplaincy
Toronto, ON