First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood

First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood
108 East Cambridge Ave.
Greenwood, SC 29646

Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday 8AM-5PM
Friday 8AM-12NOON
Phone: 864-229-5814
Fax: 864-229-3489

In Prison with George

Those who have talked with me about the four days in the Perry Correctional Institute know that I have described the experience as absolutely amazing. During that weekend, men whom I would have described before hand as hardened of heart were touch with the love of God. And, all of you were a part of it. They couldn't believe that anyone would take the time, energy and expense to bake 6,000 dozen cookies for them and to spend time in prayer for them. They found out what it meant to show the love of God. And, one of the prisoners stood up and held up a picture from a child that said, "God loves you and I love you." He broke down into tears.
One of those men said, "No one has ever told me that they love me." I told him that you had shown your love for him. Our children drew pictures and wrote notes that touched those hearts. You prayed and baked for them. And we knew that those who didn't get a chance to sign up were praying also. You were very much there with us.
By the end of that weekend, many of the 42 men that were chosen for the program had shared the love of God with us. They became a part of our group. We prayed together; we talked together; we ate together and in the end, we shared a mutual love for God. Needless to say, I am convinced that the Holy Spirit was very much at work in that place.
A person that I was telling about the weekend asked me, "Is this the George Wilson that I have known - the reasoned, rational person that has been with us?" I had to answer that nothing in my education or experience had prepared me for this weekend. It was far beyond my expectations and experience. We went from anxiety and tension to an experience of the love of God in 4 days.
There was absolutely no reason other than a change of heart for those men to stand before a crowd of contemporaries and guests and to proclaim their newly found relationship with God and their new faith. We didn't even ask for it. It was spontaneous. These were men who would have been afraid a few days earlier to show any kind of weakness. Truly the Lord was at work in our midst.
By the time you read this, I will have returned to help set up Prayer and Share groups within the prison. We will return on the second Saturday of each month until October when we will do another weekend. I will again be asking for you to be a part of this ministry. Thanks to all of you who prayed and baked for us.
In the fall, I will do a Wednesday program about my experiences in the prison. I look forward to telling you about it. Perhaps by that time I can tell about it without becoming so emotional.
Thank you again for all of your support. You helped to make it possible. If that change holds true for only a few of those men, our efforts will have been well worth while.
George Wilson

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