Prison Chaplain tells inmates no sin is too big for God to forgive.
Prison chaplain Rev David Hilton praises God for the 42 offenders who attended Sunday services in gaol - across six gatherings spread over seven hours.
For 15 years, Dave has been sharing the gospel with inmates and staff at the Greenough Regional Prison, south of Geraldton, motivated by the power of Jesus to save and heal.
“Without the gospel, we are completely lost. It is the only way to deal with the depravity of the human heart,” he said.
Prisoners often believe their sins are too great for God to forgive but Dave shares the message that God forgives all those who turn to Jesus. In addition to Sunday services, his ministry involves Bible studies, pastoral care and prayer for prisoners and their families. He has Bibles to give away thanks to a generous grant from the Bible Society.
He assists Aboriginal prisoners in a unique way by holding memorial services inside when offenders are unable to gain approval to attend funerals held in the community – a culturally important event.
According to Dave, when he began ministry in 2008, staff considered the role a bit of a “pain-in-the-backside” but now it’s very much an integral part of prison management. Like many ministries, the continuity of ministry is paying off.
” A lot of the time it’s just plain, hard work – people in their darkest of times. But in amongst that, in the hard times they will say ‘Chaplain, can you pray for me?’ and that’s a great privilege.
“One man had been in and out of prison for 13 years and there was nothing remotely spiritual or religious about him. We would say g’day each week and then he started attending a Bible group and the services I’d hold.
“Then one day I heard he was reading Bible passages to his partner over the phone. His partner asked for a Bible too, and I delivered it in the prison carpark.
“That was so exciting. He told me it was because I had never pushed him to believe. And that, I think, is what prison ministry is. It’s about turning up each day and letting God do His work through me.”
A measure of the importance of the Chaplain’s role is that Dave is also now part of the management of prisoners at risk – those who are not coping well with being committed.
Maximum security is Dave’s busiest area. Unlike other units where prisoners have work responsibilities around the jail, prisoners in maximum security are confined
“They are very much cut off from the rest of the world and everyone has a lot of time to think.”
Dave prays that each prisoner would know they are created in the image of God, that there’s nothing they can do to save themselves, but that God has made salvation possible through Jesus.