by Alan Langstaff

Although I had been a Pastor for years, it really wasn’t until I came to America in 1971 that I visited a jail. I was enrolled in a program at the New York Teen Challenge, and part of the program involved going into a jail.

Since I moved to America in 1980, I have had a number of occasions visiting people in prison. I wasn’t really called to a prison ministry, but there were times I ended up in there.

When I was a co-host on the television program “Crossroads,” I, with a television crew, was at a Promise Keepers conference in the Metrodome in Minneapolis. It was arranged for me to interview Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship, who was a speaker at the conference. On this occasion, we went with Chuck Colson and other people to the prison at Lino Lakes, Minnesota, where Chuck had the opportunity to speak to the prisoners. Having been a prisoner himself following Watergate, he was uniquely positioned to speak to them. After that, I was able to do an interview with him for our Crossroads Show.

On other occasions, I have been to see prisoners, including one time at a women’s prison. My wife Dorothy also visited a county prison, and she had a remarkable experience which I will share later in this letter.

But undoubtedly the greatest visit I ever had happened in Ohio. Let me share some of that experience.

MY EXPERIENCE

Over 20 years ago, I was the Presiding Elder of a ministerial association which is now called Harvest Network International. Two of our members had a Prison Ministry at the maximum security Prison at Mansfield, Ohio, and they asked me if I would like to come with them into the prison. I said yes. So we went. We had to go through security and be properly checked out. We had an afternoon session, and we had to leave during Dinner Time, and then we returned for a Bible Study with a group of prisoners.

In the afternoon session, knowing that I was involved in Television, I spent a good time being interviewed for a Television Program that was shown in prisons in Ohio. The person doing the interview was a man who was called “Irish Johnny.” We had a good time, and I remember him particularly asking me questions about Dr. Cho and Korea (I was on the Board of Church Growth International). I got on really well with Irish Johnny and really had a feeling for him.

In many prisons, there are two forms of government. There are the Warden and the Prison Officials. At the time of my visit, the Warden was a Christian lady. The story is told that the first time she walked to inspect the prison, she was whistled at. Her response was “Lock them up,” and all the prisoners were locked in the cells. The next time, the same thing occurred, and they were locked up again. They never did it again, and she came to be respected.

The other form of government was amongst the prisoners themselves. This particular prison was the “Arian Nation.” Irish Johnny was the second in charge, and the second in charge is usually the enforcer. One weekend, the head of the Arian Nation, had nothing to do, so he went to a Promise Keepers conference that was being held in the prison. At those meetings, he got saved, and later, Irish Johnny was also saved. So when I met him, he was already a Christian.

Then I did what a visitor should not do: I asked him two questions.

My first question, “How long are you in prison for?” This answer was “Over 30 years.” Now I realize that you don’t go to prison for ripping off an old lady’s handbag and get 30+ years. So I realized he had done something serious. Then I asked him the second question, “Well, what did you do to get such a sentence?” His answer was simple and direct: “I committed murder.”

Some how in all of this our hearts were knit together and although I didn’t have a long time with him, it was a very meaningful encounter. I saw him one more time, because this was Ohio, and I lived in Minnesota.

Nevertheless, I decided to correspond with him, and I have a folder that is 1” thick that contains all the contacts we had over the next period of years.

When he came up for possible parole, and he asked me if I would write a letter on his behalf to the Parole Board, I was only happy to do so.

He came before the Parole Board, but his application was rejected. When other appeals were made, I submitted further letters of commendation.

Eventually, he was granted parole, and he had people who would help him get settled in society again. I kept in touch with him, and he with me. For example, he wrote to me, “I love the Langstaff Letter. It was a tremendous source of wisdom and encouragement while I was incarcerated and has continued to be since my release. I love Dr. Alan and Dorothy and thank the Lord for placing them in my life.”

I could write so much more about Irish Johnny, he was released from prison, had a job, got married, and has found ways to serve the Lord. I praise God for my friend, Irish Johnny.

DOROTHY’S EXPERIENCE

In 1983, I had been invited to speak at a conference in Australia, and both my wife Dorothy and I had felt she was to go also. However, we did not have the money to pay for her ticket. Without going into the details, the Lord miraculously provided the finances at the very last moment. We were living at the time about 50 miles north of the Twin Cities, and a friend was to drive her to the airport.

I need to mention that Dorothy had previously received a mailing from Dick Mills, a friend and prophetic teacher about an iron gate as in the story when Peter approached the gate it opened of its own accord. Dorothy felt she was to go right up to the iron gate for the provision for her to go to be released.

Dorothy stopped off at a county jail for one last visit with a friend who was serving time. While she was ushered into the jail, the guard said to her, “You need to go up to the gate and it will open for you.” Likewise, as she was leaving, the guard repeated the same words. The very words that the Lord had given her earlier about the iron gate. So that was Dorothy’s experience of a prison. The full version can be read in the forthcoming book “The Best Is Yet to Be.”

JESUS AND PRISONERS

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus talks about the practical things disciples can and should do. One of those, He identified Himself and said, “I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:36 NIV).

Now, not everyone is called to that kind of ministry, but the church is. I thank God for how He raised up Chuck Colson and how He redeemed his life and his time in prison following “Watergate” and founded Prison Fellowship.

I support Prison Fellowship on a regular basis, and I urge you to consider supporting it too. Maybe you also know of a church or a local group that is involved in prison ministry, you can support.

CLOSING THOUGHT

Not everyone, as mentioned earlier, is called to a Prison Ministry. No more than one person may be called to visit people in the Hospital. Nevertheless, the Word challenges us to “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3 NIV).