Elaine, Hope, and I led the first Circle of the Word (COW) at the Dayton Correctional Institution (DCI) a week ago Friday. This week’s posts describe how that came about and a little bit about what happened. Last Wednesday I was telling my weekly coffee klatch friends about it and afterwards Pat said, “You should write another book.” She suggested I keep a journal about the experience.

I’m not sure that another book is in my future, but I thought her journaling suggestion was a good one. And I do have this blog. Confidentiality is essential, and would prevent the inclusion of personal details from Circle sessions, but probably there is much I could reflect on here without breaking the Circle promise to maintain confidentiality.

The launch of a Circle of the Word at DCI fulfilled a possibility I’ve envisioned for three years. I’ve been thinking about returning to a men’s prison because it was such a positive experience for all concerned back in 2014. That’s when I developed the COW model at a state men’s prison in southeast Ohio.

For various reasons the return of Circle of the Word to a prison context didn’t materialize. Until now. Apparently the Spirit had ideas other than mine about where the Circle would be and what it would look like. This week I’ll post the story of how it happened that we led a Circle here in Dayton with women incarcerated at a state prison. And I’ll write a bit about how it went last Friday, our first time together.

For sure I will benefit from recording a bit of what happens, but I’m hoping that writing it down will help others imagine themselves taking the initiative to bring Circle of the Word to a prison or jail in their community. It could also be an occasion to consider whether the Holy Spirit might be calling you to this work as well. Or maybe you’ll just enjoy sharing my adventure. That would be fine.