Our last Circle of the Word for awhile at DCI (state women’s prison) focussed on the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth after Gabriel breaks the news that she will conceive a son, despite the fact that she is young, unmarried, and a virgin. Our first connection topic was to tell about a time we went on a journey to visit a relative, especially if we were facing a challenge. That generated some significant stories, mostly pretty hard.

I didn’t want to leave our series on “Good News” without a positive, hopeful note, so I reviewed the story in my mind looking for such a note. I landed on that word “blessing” which at least half the group had named in the “Word I Heard” exercise. In her greeting of Mary, Elizabeth exclaims, “Blessed is the mother of my Lord, and blessed is the fruit of her womb!”

So I invited us to think about how this story of Mary visiting Elizabeth from the Gospel of Luke might be a blessing for us during the holiday season–a time of the year which is so problematic for those in prison (that had been named very directly by several women during our Check-In).

As usual, I went first. I said that whenever I thought of this story in the coming days, I would remember our time with it in Circle. I would recall how much I enjoyed that time, of how we laughed about the prospect of me getting caught trying to take out contraband: the roll of toilet paper in my bag (another story for another day).

The women who spoke in Circle, including the other two Circlekeepers, then followed my lead in commenting about the class. Their comments, in contrast to mine, were more reflective and serious.

They were also astonishingly positive, affirming once again the value of this approach to Bible and Christian faith. They let me know in no uncertain terms, that this work must continue. Even if the Circle is small it is worth the effort. There were ten of us that day; the previous time there had been only six.

A recurring theme was the value of visual learning and more generally of how different approaches to engaging the story take advantage of different learning styles. The woman who first named this benefit, one of the most responsible and excellent participants, had an amusing way of introducing it. She said that when she was a child, she was told, “I had trouble with reading comprehension.” And as she got older she was told, “I had trouble with reading comprehension.” So she believed it.

But with the various approaches to learning we use in Circle of the Word, she found she was able to learn just fine. She identified herself as “a visual learner.” Others followed suit. They named the objects we use for talking pieces as well as the storyboard activity as visual learning approaches. It was very fulfilling to think I had a hand in improving their self images as learners. It was also important feedback about what makes Circle of the Word work so well.

Who would have thought that a radio show on “The Divisions in Christianity Over Sex” would be an occasion to promote prison ministry, biblical storytelling, and Grace Church? A week before Christmas, a producer for NPR’s “On Point” show invited me to be part of a panel discussing how issues around human sexuality have divided the church.

Eleven o’clock the next morning we are live on the air, with guest host Tom Gjelten, who covers religion, faith, and belief for NPR News. About ten minutes into it I am introduced as “Deacon-in-Residence at Grace Church, a Methodist Church, there in Dayton.” After a commercial break, to my surprise, Mr. Gjelten asked, “tell us a little bit about your ministry and the Grace church. Who are the people you try to address in your own ministry?” I had expected questions about ordaining homosexuals, same-sex marriage, or the Commission on a Way Forward but not about my ministry at Grace.

I talked about Seeds of Grace, “a team of individuals at Grace Church who go with me into the jail, and into also the woman’s prison here in Dayton, to share the Word with them and to hear also the Word from them, as clearly the Spirit is present in all of these places. And as we work on learning the scriptures by heart we often encounter that Word.”

Pressed to elaborate on this I found myself saying, “God is present in all places with all people, and in all people, but so many folks don’t know God’s love, don’t know that they’re valued, and so one of the things we can do is to communicate that to them through the scriptures. We actually help them learn the scriptures by heart as a way of internalizing God’s kingdom and experiencing it.”

After I spoke, the host addressed Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was said to represent the evangelical position, which I was identified as the progressive. Mr. Gjelten commented, “I’m going to guess that you don’t have a lot to disagree with, with the way she interprets her mission.” Prof. Moore answered, “No, I think what she’s said so far sounds really good. That’s exactly what Christians are called to do: to minister to all people, and to be present with those who are distressed, those who are imprisoned, those who are impoverished, those who are in vulnerable situations. I think we could agree on that.”

Such a moment of common ground was another surprise. On the other hand, I happen to think that what we do through biblical storytelling in the jail and prison is very evangelical. Nevertheless, finding common ground in unexpected places is fitting for the season of Christmas.

To access a page of info about the program, and a link to a recording, click here…