Prisons Ministry

Day 1: Prayer written by  Anglican Bishop to prisons, Rt Rev’d Rachel Treweek

God of welcome and restoration, transform us within to look not with judgement, but with hopeful and hospitable hearts.

May we clothe ourselves inwardly with compassion, kindness and love,
committed to contributing to communities in which all are welcomed and enabled to flourish, as we pray for your Kingdom to come on earth as in heaven.

Amen

‘All’ carries huge meaning and challenges the simplistic categories we use for people. Each person is unique, created in God’s image to live in interdependence. Yet all are marred by broken relationships (with each other, with God and creation). Only in a vision of Kingdom-of-God transformation can relationships be restored, community formed and where all belong. God’s work of transformation is at the heart of this parable and invites us to become sign-makers for God’s Kingdom, clothed with compassion, kindness and love (Colossians 3:12-15), contributing to stronger communities where all flourish.

Day 2 Prayer written by The Bible Society

Lord, thank you for inviting us to your table and seeking us out when we are lost. May your Word take root in our lives with its powerful messages of love and salvation. And for those in prison particularly, that they have access to a Bible and in invitation to relationship and community. We praise you that you come close to us as we come close to you. Amen.

The Bible is an invitation – a persistent and insistent call to everyone. To each person in prison; to each person affected by the criminal justice system or working within it. The banquet doors are flung open, and the salvation dress code is made clear in its pages. We long to see everyone in prison confidently read and understand the big story of the Bible, and be changed as a whole
person: head, heart and hands. To be invited is to be wanted. Who we were matters, but who we become and are becoming in Christ matters even more

Day 3  Prayer written by The Welcome directory
The parable of the wedding banquet is the heartbeat of our mission. When the ‘worthy’ declined, the King filled the hall with everyone from the streets – both ‘good and bad’. Our churches must do the same. Too often, those leaving prison find doors closed, yet a true Kingdom community is defined by radical hospitality to the marginalised. True welcome, however, is never passive. The ‘wedding garment’ represents the transformation and accountability found in community. By signing up to the Welcome Directory, our churches commit to clothe guests in safety, friendship and grace ensuring they don’t just enter, but truly belong and flourish.

Lord, we pray that you would inspire all churches to be places of radical hospitality where all people can find a safe welcome and be transformed by your Spirit and grow into the likeness of Christ our Lord. Amen

Day 4 Prayer written by Junction 42
In this parable, the King’s call extends to the streets, welcoming those who have felt excluded, overlooked or unworthy. At Junction 42, this resonates: God’s invitation isn’t based on status or history, but on a generosity that is radically inclusive. The call is more than an attendance – it is a invitation to step into a new identity shaped by grace and dignity. We see this daily as lives are rebuilt and people find their place at the table. We are challenged to embody this welcome, creating spaces where change is possible and hope is rediscovered.
Father, thank you that your invitation reaches us regardless of our past. Forgive us when we forget the power of your gospel, the depth of your love and the wisdom of your word. Help us to reflect your heart of welcome to those who feel excluded or forgotten. Give us compassion, courage, and wisdom to walk alongside others. May lives be restored, hope renewed, and your Kingdom made visible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Day 5 Prayer written by Langley Trust

For those accustomed to hospitality, the King’s invitation in Matthew 22 seemed an inconvenience. But for those who have faced exclusion, His welcome is life changing. Langley Trust embodies this, helping people with convictions transform through God’s respect and love. One resident Pete described this “unbelievable” love as a mustard seed. Having received it, he now pours it back into others, watching them transform from “chrysalis to something nice… I believe in hope… I hang on to that word ‘hope’, because there’s hope for everyone”. This is Kingdom hospitality: a hope that restores the individual, then begins to change the heartbeat of the entire community.

Loving King, we thank You that Your transforming hospitality is for all. As individuals experience your life-changing love, may we become those who transform the communities around us. Let your extravagant hospitality bring hope and change to the world. Amen.

Day 6 Prayer and reflection of a prison leaver
The parable of the wedding banquet reveals a King who sends out round after round of invitations. Despite being refused, ignored or even attacked, He persists. In His grace, He extends the call to everyone – the ‘bad’ and the ‘good’ alike – leaving the final welcome in His hands. We cannot predict who will receive Jesus’ invitation gladly or who will refuse it. However, we must not stop extending it with an open heart, trusting in its power to transform lives just as it has transformed our own.

Lord, I thank you for your servants who shared the invitation of Jesus with me. Please help me to serve you also by sharing your invitation with the people in my own life, bad and good alike, believing that through an open heart, your transforming power will begin to work in their lives.
Amen

Day 7 – Assemblies of God
Guilt and shame are powerful barriers, especially for those in prison who face isolation and hopelessness. Many struggle to believe that God’s invitation meets us exactly as we are. Statements like “I live with shame every day” reveal a palpable weight that feels impossible to lift. Yet, it is only God’s amazing grace that penetrates the heart to begin a deep work of change. This transformation doesn’t require us to ‘fix’ ourselves first; it simply begins with a response to a personal invitation.

Lord God – thank you so much that we do not need to prepare ourselves to come. Everything has been done by Jesus at the cross. May the invitation continue to be given day in and day out in every prison in this country that many, many more would hear, respond – and simply come. Amen.

This prayer was written by Louis, a prison leaver.

This prayer was written by Susie, a Prison Governor.

This prayer was written by Lynda and is a victim’s perspective.

This prayer was written by JP, a magistrate.

This prayer was written by Ann, a prisoner’s daughter.