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Seattle’s Center for Spiritual Living launches ministry to support incarcerated people
A new faith-based effort connects incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people with community, friendship, advocacy and spiritual support to help break the cycle of imprisonment.
By Max Broennle | FāVS News Reporter
SEATTLE — The Center for Spiritual Living Seattle recently introduced their new Incarceration to Liberation Ministries with the hope of “envisioning the Spirit’s highest idea for a just society’s dealing with crime and criminality,” according to their information sheet.
Through their faith and by “envisioning the Spirit’s highest idea,” Incarceration to Liberation Ministries aims to offer community during people’s journey through the legal system, whatever that may look like, as their leadership believes the prison system is often a never-ending cycle.
“What I see is a lot of people get in trouble young, and if prison becomes a revolving door, then less and less people are willing to stand with them. And then it becomes an even more revolving door because they have nowhere to go home to,” said Veronica Schindler, a ministerial student for the School of Spiritual Leadership.
Support makes the difference in lives of incarcerated
According to World Prison Belief, there are almost 2 million people incarcerated within the United States currently.
Schindler said how she has personally witnessed community support make a positive difference in people’s lives and how prison only exacerbates the issues through intense isolation; leading her to begin thinking about how to help those incarcerated receive support.
This includes providing accompaniment, “holding the vision,” where they help with faith and redirecting negative thoughts, advocacy or creating a relationship with an incarcerated person.
Schindler is at the forefront of this ministry alongside Sherry Bay-Santiago and Valerie Tims.
Schindler found her passion for supporting incarcerated individuals through her own personal journey of supporting her loved ones through the prison system.
Tims shares a similar sentiment after becoming a pen pal with someone in the prison sentence, beginning an 18-year friendship between them.
“Through our journey, I learned that change is inevitable, but growth is a choice; that healing from the trauma of incarceration can open the door to a life of dignity, purpose and empowerment,” Tims said. “And that steady support, encouragement and friendship can be vital to the long journey toward truly knowing freedom.”
‘What we believe changes the world’
Their faith is also tied into why they believe so heavily in this cause. Schindler holds the sentiment that your thoughts lead your life.
“My faith teaches us that what we think and what we believe changes the world. It manifests. It is so valuable. And so from that place, there’s power in our thoughts and being there, being present with people who are going through some of the worst times in their lives and supporting them and helping them understand that their thoughts can make it better. I think that’s just critical work,” Schindler said.
They held an information meeting on Aug. 2 that got 10 people committed for vision holding, four people signed up for accompaniment and six people signed up to work with One Parish One Prisoner, a nationwide organization that works to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society alongside community support.
“They are an organization that basically pairs up a congregation with a prisoner and you walk beside them,” Schindler said. “Before you get started, before you do anything, you go and you get the church leadership’s blessing on this and so that’s what I’ve done. I’ve gotten the church leadership’s blessing, and I’ve told underground ministries that we are getting set to go,” Schindler said.
Incarceration to Liberation Ministries will be working alongside One Parish One Prisoner to forward their goal to “build supportive pre-release relationships with just one person returning to their community from prison,” according to their website.
Volunteer opportunities can be found on Center for Spiritual Living’s website or by reaching out to Veronica Schindler at Veronica.Schindler.WA@gmail.com.
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