Writing to Prisoners

Many prisoners feel lonely and forgotten. They are locked away from society, some having little interaction with other prisoners, and many having very little contact with family or friends outside the prison walls.

The Great Commission at the end of Matthew 28 reminds us that everyone needs to heart the Gospel, but for many of us in the church, the prospect of visiting a prison can be daunting and overwhelming, and yet we still want to obey the Lord’s command to take the Gospel to all. One way to be involved in prison ministry, without having to visit a prison, is to write letters to those inside. Daylight runs a Letter Writing Ministry, where our volunteers write to prisoners like a pen pal as a support during their sentence. We realise the importance of making sure this contact is carefully monitored and so all the letters to and from prisoners come through our office and are checked before being sent on. This means that volunteers do not give out their personal contact details and ensures that any potential problems are picked up and dealt with quickly.

 Prisoners find letters from people on the outside very encouraging and a great comfort. They also like hearing about the ordinary things that we take so much for granted in the outside world. Writing to prisoners is also a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel. Writing letters can encourage those who have become Christians in prison in their faith and remind them of God’s grace and forgiveness. For those who are interested in Christianity, a letter can help them think more about the claims of Christ.

If you would like to talk to a member of the Daylight team to find out how you can get involved with letter writing to prisoners, pleae contact us.

“For continuing to remind me that there is still life and hope, even inside my four walls I’m truly thankful.” (Prisoner)

“Most of my family and friends no longer wish to know me, so just having someone to write to who is a Christian really means the world to me, so thank you with all my heart.” (Prisoner)