Last week we were addressed by Don Reid. Don is a local volunteer for Prison Fellowship Australia. He joined the Australian Army as an apprentice electrician and attended Portsea Office School. He retired from the Army in 1986 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He fully retired in 2014 and soon joined Prison Fellowship Australia.
Prison Fellowship was founded by Charles Colson, former chief counsel to President Nixon. In 1974, as a result of the Watergate inquiry, Colson pled guilty to obstruction of justice, and he served seven months in prison. During that time, Colson saw and experienced the difference faith in Jesus makes in people’s lives. He became convinced that the real solution to crime is found through spiritual renewal.
When Colson walked into freedom, he had a new mission in life: To reach out to men and women behind bars, and give them the opportunity to turn their lives around through Christ.
Colson founded Prison Fellowship in the U.S. in 1976, and expanded internationally three years later. Today, Prison Fellowship International works in 120 countries around the world, and is the largest association of national Christian ministries working within the criminal justice field.
In 1981, Australia became just the third chartered member of Prison Fellowship International. Across Australia there are over 1000 volunteer men and women visiting prisoners, running programs in prisons, organising camps and providing Christmas presents for prisoners’ children, supporting ex- prisoners when they are released, playing sports, running in-prison Bible studies, and providing many other services.
More details of their activities are available here.