L I V I N G S T O N E S P R I S O N M I N I S T R Y S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 P A G E 1

Volume 4, Issue 2 www.livingstonesprisoncongregation.com Spring 2018 a joint ministry of the congregations of the

Southwestern Washington Synod-ELCA

and a member of Prison Congregations of America

Gifts may be sent to:

L i v i n g S t o n e s M i n i s t r i e s

c / o S t . M a r k L u t h e r a n C h u r c h

2 1 0 9 C o l l e g e S t . S E L a c e y , W A 9 8 5 0 3

Rev. Chr is Nolte Trans i t ion Pastor

L i v i n g S t o n e s P a s t o r @ o u t l o o k . c o m

Sandi Nolte Ministry Ass istant

L i v i n g S t o n e s A s s i s t a n t @ o u t l o o k . c o m

B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s

2 0 1 8 - 1 9

D a ve , m em b e r

E r i c , v i ce - c h a ir

J i m , t re a s u r er

M e lan ie ,

s y n o d a dv i so r

N i c o l e , s ec re t ar y

T ere sa , c h a ir

A Living Stone by Rev. Chris Nolte, transition pastor

A publication of Living Stones Prison Ministry

Inside This Issue:

Annual Christian event ...2

Raffle ..............................3

Thank you ......................4

Schedule ........................4

L i v i n g S t o n e s P r i s o n M i n i s t r y

W e ’ r e A l l i n T h i s T o g e t h e r !

When they came to the tomb, they were amazed that the stone was rolled away. Such a large, heavy, inan-imate ob-ject that rock must have been. The stone sealed in the death that had occurred; a punctuation mark that brought finality to the sentence of life it held in the tomb. The stone wasn’t supposed to move and the women were right to won-der who would roll it away. But, the stone did move. God’s triumph over sin and death was breaking out. Nothing could stop it. Previously, Jesus gave us a hint about the unusual behavior of stones. Even if people were to stop singing God’s praises on a street in Jerusalem, the stones themselves would break into song. And this one followed suit. Like that proverbial tree that falls in the forest, no one was around to hear the noise of the stone grinding the pebbles as it rolled away. But roll it did. And life came bursting out. Christ is Risen! Alleluia! No one comes to the prison expecting to see an open door. Usually

people struggle with the idea of who will open the gates for them and if they will

be open when it’s time to leave. The burdens of the men inside, not unlike all of us, are large, heavy and make life behind

the fences less animate. The series of closed doors makes it difficult to keep focused on hope. No one expects anything great to happen here. Many first-time visitors are regularly unprepared to see the transformation of men with boulder-size loads on their

“shoulders” as a result of crimes. But the same animation of the tomb’s rock begins to take place here, and subse-

quently in the visitors. In a place where no one would expect liberation, forgiveness and praise, the songs of love for God and hope for a new life rise. God is mightily at work here as this communi-ty of men becomes “Living Stones.” No longer walled in by burdens of sin, life in Christ comes bursting out. The rock has rolled; the stones are living. Christ is Risen. Alleluia!

In a place where no one would expect liberation, forgiveness and praise, the songs of love for God and hope for a new life rise.

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2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” As one of the men currently residing here at Washington Corrections Center, who has undergone a complete metamorphosis from being lost in despair, brokenness, depression and spiritual bankruptcy to being full of joy, hope, peace, pur-pose, light and strength in Christ, I feel rich in the love of many healthy relation-ships. I can tell you that my favorite and most precious day of the year is the day of our annual Christian event, when I can share my faith and my worship with not just my brothers in Christ behind the fence but with my friends and family living outside it as well. I have formed bonds of love and respect with several of the pastors, volunteers and worship lead-ers that come from across the state to light up the darkness and walk with us incarcerated individuals as we seek to grow closer to God and change our lives through faith in Christ and obedience to God. The dedication of their hearts and the gift of their time have

helped change my entire life. Their commit-ment to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been the vehicle for God to profoundly re-create me into a

man of God and allowed me to blossom into a servant and disciple of Christ. For that, I do not have words or time enough to express any gratitude. I only know that it is my deepest desire to pass on what I have been given to everyone I love and anyone I meet who would listen. What makes this event so special is this: usually in the visiting room, you are not allowed to speak to,

let alone touch, other inmates or their visitors. That would normally be grounds for an infraction, being kicked out and having your visits taken away for a length of time. We can point out people we know and tell stories, but only steal a nod and a quick smile to acknowledge our friends. At the event, we were able to be a real community for a few hours. We were able to walk around. We sat wher-ever we wanted with whomever we wanted. We mixed and we mingled like real people, not animals on a short leash. I had the pride of a new father showing off his first-born child as I introduced my mother, father, sister and my son to my Christian brothers—men I walk with every day, whom I have come to know and love, men that like myself the world thinks the worst of but God is bringing out the best in us. I couldn’t wait to introduce my family to all the many pastors, teachers and evangelists that I have spent so much time with—who have invested so much time and effort into all of us here. Palm Sunday, March 25, 2018, was the most special and encouraging day of my incarcerated life. Gone were the thoughts of the bars and the razor wire, the cramped 8’x10’ cell with two beds and a toilet. What we had was Church! And all I could see and think of was faith, hope and love through seeing the reflection of God’s glory working in my brothers and sisters, my friends and family. It was a day to share the message of salvation in Christ and also to share smiles, handshakes, hugs, a wonderful meal, a little dessert and, most importantly, a promise to be togeth-er again under the authority of God and not the DOC. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may God bless everyone who helped make the event possible—and a special thank you from my son, who took home a brand new “teenager-ish” Bible that said “May the Faith Be with You” on the front.

Gathering with friends and family by Bryan W., a member of Living Stones Prison Congregation

On Palm Sunday, the 2nd annual Christian Event, sponsored by the

Ambassadors for Christ at WCC, was held. It was a time for inmates and their families to gather for song, prayer, food, the Word, and conversation.

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Ticket sales have begun!

Bright green envelopes filled with raffle supplies and infor-mation were recently mailed to congregations of our synod. Because Living Stones is a joint ministry of the SWWA synod con-gregations, all are encouraged to participate in and support the raffle, our major fundraiser of the year. Your help is needed to make this a success for our ministry!

Thank you to all who are already busy selling tickets. Your enthusiastic support and encouragement are greatly appreciated.

Things to keep in mind about our raffle • The $5,000 Costco travel voucher prize may be used to plan a dream trip to anywhere Costco arranges travel (Check out www.costcotravel.com for more info.) • If the winner is not already a Costco member, basic membership will be provided. • The winner may add their own funds to increase the value of their trip. • All proceeds will support and benefit Living Stones Ministries. • Tickets are $10 each or 6 for $50 (same price as last year) and will be on sale until Thursday,

May 31. 3700 tickets have been distributed. Please have ticket buyers print their name, phone number and congregation name on their ticket stubs.

• Bishop Rick Jaech will draw the winning ticket at the synod office on Wednesday, June 20 at 1 p.m. Winner need not be present to win and will be notified that day.

• Contact Sandi for jpg to use in your advertising. • This raffle is operated under raffle license #00-23932 through the

Washington State Gambling Commission.

My wife Pam and I attended the second annual Christian Event. For over four years, we have volun-teered for and attended the Living Stones worship service on Saturday evenings, but this was some-thing really special. First of all, the men at WCC are the ones who really make this happen, from planning to presenta-tion. Secondly, ALL Christian ministries at WCC are brought together for one event. Thirdly, inmates’ families are invited.

As volunteers who have developed a relation-ship with so many of the men in our particular pro-gram, it was so wonderful to meet their parents, siblings, and children. It was empowering to meet people from other Christian ministries and enjoy sermons from their different spiritual leaders. We were so proud of the men and their atten-tion to detail in the music, the meal, the decora-tions, their testimonies and, overall, their incredible hospitality. It was enriching and empowering to share the joy and grace of our Lord with so many people.

Through a volunteer’s eyes—reflecting about the Palm Sunday event by David Deacon-Joyner, a Red Badge volunteer

Thank you to the faithful crew at Peace, Tacoma for assembling our raffle packets!

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Items needed for the Returning Citizens Project

Freedom Backpack Program - backpacks are given to men as they are released from the WCC. This simple sign of care provides them with a few necessities as they return to society. ✓ Toiletries/hygiene items (toilet paper,

travel-size shampoo, soap, comb, brush, tooth-paste, toothbrush, tampons, and feminine pads—feminine items will be given to the women’s prison)

✓ Ziploc-type Bags (quart and gallon-sized) ✓ Ponchos ✓ Tarps (approx. 8'x9') ✓ Hand towels ✓ Socks & underwear

Clothing Locker ✓ Serviceable clothing (shirts, jackets, pants, underwear, shoes, and socks)

Please contact Sandi regarding transfer of donations to prison.

Schedule of congregational visits to Living Stones Because of the increased attendance by our Living Stones men and the limited space in the chapel, outside groups are

limited to ten guests.

April 7 St. Paul, Castle Rock

April 8 Pr. Chris at Immanuel, Centralia

April 14 Guest pastor

April 18 Pr. Chris with 5th/6th graders at Messiah,

Auburn

April 21 Christ, Belfair

April 28 St. Andrew, Vancouver

May 5 Grace, Port Townsend

May 12 Elim, Port Orchard

May 19 Faith, Elma

May 26 Peace, Tacoma

June 2 Christ, Federal Way

June 9 First, Tacoma

June 16 Bethel, Brush Prairie

June 23 Bethlehem, Tacoma and United, Tacoma

June 30 Immanuel, Centralia

Thank you for your support!

We give thanks to the following congregations who worshiped with us in recent months: Lutheran Church of Christ the King (Tacoma), Elim (Port Orchard), St. John’s (Chehalis), Messiah (Auburn), University Congregation—PLU (Tacoma), Peninsula (Gig Harbor), Mount Cross (University Place) and St. Paul (Castle Rock). And thank you to all our Red Badge volunteers who come at a moment’s notice. We have experienced God’s grace through your presence.

Thank you also to the St. Paul (Castle Rock) for their donation of Bibles for the personal use of our men, to Bethany (Spanaway) for their clothing and backpack donations for men in transition, and to St. Mark (Lacey) for their Endowment Fund gift of $750. Your gracious support is appreciated.

Our new fiscal agent is St. Mark Lutheran Church (Lacey). Please send your individual and congregational financial gifts to Living Stones Prison Congregation, c/o St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2109 College St. SE, Lacey, WA 98503.

Let us come to YOU . . . Invite a member of our board to your congregation

to provide an update on the Living Stones ministry. Please contact Sandi Nolte, LivingStonesAssistant@outlook.com, for more information.

Ways to partner with us in ministry: ✓ Pray for our men and their families, for our lead-

ership, for our visiting congregations (see our web site for more suggestions)

✓ Schedule a visit or preaching date ✓ Write about your visit for our newsletter/web site

(to help break down barriers for people hesitant to visit)

✓ Provide yarn for crocheting hats for hospitalized children and creating other projects or fabric for quilts (plastic bags are no longer needed)

✓ Become a Red Badge volunteer (receive training to be a regular LS visitor—involves one Saturday seminar at the prison and several short online sessions; contact Sandi to begin the process)

✓ Serve as a board member (see our website for info)

✓ Make a financial donation ✓ Host an ingathering of donations for our Freedom

Backpack Program and/or Clothing Locker (see list on right)