It is not unusual for tithe checks to be mailed to Moss Bluff
First Baptist Church in Lake Charles.
Some members do it when they are out of town. Others do it
as a convenience.
However, a pair of recent checks caught the attention of church
leaders.
It is not unusual for tithe checks to be mailed to Moss Bluff
First Baptist Church in Lake Charles.
Some members do it when they are out of town. Others do it
as a convenience.
However, a pair of recent checks caught the attention of church
leaders.
The checks were drawn from what can only be characterized as
an unusual financial source – the Centralized Inmate Bank of the Louisiana
Department of Corrections.
They arrived from Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola –
more specifically, from death row at the prison.
They were from an inmate.
“He considers Moss Bluff First Baptist Church to be his
home church because of the ministry of our mens team to him and the other
men in the prison,” explains Shawn Thomas, pastor of the Louisiana church.
That such a ministry exists is remarkable in itself –
Lake Charles and Angola are not anywhere near each other.
Nevertheless, for five years, men from Moss Bluff First Baptist
Church have traveled to the prison once a month to minister.
It began when Jack Tillery was asked to visit a man charged
with murder.
“We had a man whose mother was in our church,” recalls
Tillery, minister of missions and students at the Moss Bluff church. “He
committed a horrible crime – killed two people. His mother called and asked
if I would come by and visit their family and help them through this time.”
As the man awaited trial, Tillery found himself developing
a relationship with him, even though he understood the accused man could receive
the death penalty.
As a result of that experience, Tillery then decided to join
in the Louisiana Baptist prison outreach effort in 1998.
He traveled to Angola as part of a ministry and revival team.
“I was moved by my experience there in a big way,”
he says. “I told some of the guys I met there on death row – Im
going to come back. And I knew if I said that, Id have to go back.”
He did, bringing men from his church with him – every
month.
“I can remember the first guys I met there,” Tillery
says, reflecting on the ongoing prison ministry. “One of them had the same
name as my son. When he told me that, it struck me. It was like, no, you cant
have that name.”
However, as Tillery developed a relationship with the man,
he says he realized his view was selfish.
“Theres no difference between those men and us,”
he insists. “Were all sinners. Maybe we havent killed anyone,
but Christ also says if you have hatred in your heart, its like committing
murder.”
As expected, the ministry has had an impact – and the
recent checks offered tangible proof of that.
Tillery says he was amazed at the checks. They were each for
just $5 – but he reminds persons that men on death row cannot work within
the prison to gain income.
As a result, there was a span of time between the checks –
it took the inmate awhile to collect the amount.
But the effort reflects the mans faith, Tillery indicates.
“He is a student of the Word,” he says. “He studies hard.”
He also serves as an example to others, adds Thomas, who has
served at the Moss Bluff church for three years.
“I remember when I was shown the first check,” he
says. “It was surprising because (the man) is not officially a member of
the church. Then, it came from death row.
“And I thought, wow, we have people about and free who
arent this faithful in their tithes. … So, this is a great testimony
and a great example. Its a testament to the great ministry that our men
have – on mission right here in our home state.
“And it is a great example to us all,” Thomas continues.
“If everybody would just be as faithful as our prisoner, there would be
no shortfall anywhere.
“Every ministry could be funded.”
But that is not the only encouragement inmates at the prison
have offered to their Moss Bluff counterparts.
Tillery explains that he asks inmates from death row to write
letters for church mission teams that travel each year to Nepal.
The letters are saved and read during especially difficult
times, he says.
“They write some of the most phenomenal letters of encouragement,
…” Tillery relates. “They basically tell students (on the mission
trip) – we wish we could be where you are now, doing what you do, but were
committed to praying for you.”
Tillery says the students are awed by the letters and the encouragement
they offer.
Meanwhile, Tillery himself voices awe at how the whole prison
ministry has progressed in the last five years.
“This is not something I pursued,” he emphasizes. “The only
reason I got involved is this one man who committed this crime. That whole situation
was what led us there.”