Hold This Space: Alt Worship and Prison Ministry Resources

A source of alt worship resources: Spaces, prayers, liturgies that have been developed for particular events, including Lent/Easter, and Advent/Christmas … an exploration of what happens when culture and context sit alongside the story of faith as main ingredients in worship.

A source for "worship in prison" resources: Offering an encounter with faith that has integrity in prison is a pretty tall order – faith has its hardest task amongst the most broken in our community. These liturgies are an attempt to give expression to faith in prison. Some of them include prayers and psalms written by people in prison; there are also services for different times in the church calendars, for inductions and commissionings … And scattered within them are some thoughts and reflections about the context and culture within the prisons, which helps form the shape of the worship.

A source for prison ministry/community justice resources: The Communal Justice project emerged when the stories and experiences of prison chaplains were laid against the expectation of the Christian faith to work towards reconciliation and restoration within our community. As one chaplain said, ‘It’s hard to be involved in prison ministry without wanting to correct the injustices within the justice system.’ It’s a practical project, exploring how our community – and the prison system – can embody the Christian call to restoration. It’s also a complex and difficult project, trying to reconcile some of the most difficult parts of our humanity; honouring the experience and needs of victims, perpetrators and the community.