PROPHETS OF HOPE

A Ministry of Presence

July, 2024

Prophets of Hope meets the 4th Thursday of the month @6 pm in the Fireside Lounge.

Retreat

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

9 to 2

Villa Marie Del Mar

21918 East Cliff Drive

Santa Cruz

No POH meeting in July or August

Next Meeting:

September 26, 2024

Prophet Minutes and News

While we did not have a meeting in June (sorry to those who did not receive the message) that did not stop us from continuing with our ministry. We continue to serve folks who are incarcerated in the Main Jail and Blaine Street with six faith services a month plus twice a month in the juvenile hall facility. We are also serving visiting families in the Main Jail lobby two Saturdays a month. We are actively recruiting for a Spanish speaking volunteer to accompany Peter into the men’s jail on the second and fourth Sundays at 1pm. Please let RevBev or Peter know if you are interested in serving in this way. Peter and I reached out to Deacon Posos of Star of the Sea. He is gathering a group of potential volunteers whom we will meet with and share about POH.

RevBev continues to provide individual spiritual support at all three jail facilities as well as juvenile hall.

Patty and Kathy have taken over the women’s clothing project and put together their first set of bags. Unfortunately, the jail does not have a protocol in place to offer the bags to the women being released. As a result they have numerous bags that haven’t been given out. Programs put a hold on giving them more bags and shares they are working on a new way of giving out the bags.

However, Monarch Services is interested in receiving bags for women who are released through their Safe Release program. Women who are released from jail and do not have a place to live can contact Monarch Services and they will pick them up and provide a hotel voucher. Often these women do not have clothing or hygiene products. These are the women who should be receiving our prepared bags but until the jail creates a protocol we will supply Monarch with some of our bags.

Our own Natalie Blackburn was acknowledged at the recent Sheriff’s orientation. Natalie has participated in this ministry for ten years. They took her picture and posted the honor on the SO Facebook page. Congratulations Natalie and welcome back!!

Good news from juvenile hall and probation. Juvenile hall have added a library to their facility. It was a collaborative effort of Friends of the Library, the County Office of Education and probation. They have comfy chairs and tables and a variety of books for the youth to choose from. The hall has not increased the size of the facility; however, due to their continuing low population (6 to 8 youth) they are converting spaces to provide a more healing atmosphere.

Additionally, probation is making an effort to stop sending our youth of the county for serving their sentence either to ranch camps, short term residential therapeutic programs (STRTP) or Sonoma County. The probation chief is preparing a proposal to submit to the BOS in the fall requesting funding to keep our youth in Santa Cruz County. The Secure Treatment (Sonoma) youth could possibly be housed up to the age of 25. Probation is looking into housing issues, programming and reentry concerns for long-term youth. This certainly is a step in the right direction keeping our youth close to family and community. We will continue to monitor the proposal to make sure it addresses healing and transformation as well being supportive of the program with the BOS. Stay tuned.

We will be hosting our first POH Retreat on Tuesday, July 23rd from 9:00 to 2:00 at Villa Marie Del Mar, 21918 East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. Our guest speak with be Chaplain Liz Miner of the Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy, who will speak on Trauma Informed Ministry. Please RSVP to RevBev by Monday, July 15th if you have not already done so. We will be provided with coffee, snacks and lunch at 12:30.

Since we will be meeting on the 23rd we will not have a POH meeting on the 26th of July. Also, RevBev will be out of town the last two weeks of August (preaching at the Lake Tahoe UCC) and so no meeting in August. We will meet again in September.

Jail and Court Resources

PRAYERS

Somewhere, out there in the vastness of space, there are tiny probes, sent out by our scientists, traveling far beyond our solar system, still blinking out their presence into the universe. Sometimes that's how I think about prayer. I have sent out prayers into the night sky, praying for people I do not know, but people who, like me, have hurts and hopes they wish could be healed or heard. I believe prayers go on. They keep signaling to any person who can hear: You are not alone.

Jessica requests prayers for her son and her mother. Prayers of thanksgiving that she is safe and clean.

Prayers of safekeeping for Diana and her son. Prayers of hopes that she is able to stay clean and sober when she is released.

Irma requests prayers of strength, patience and wisdom as she just learned she will be in county jail for a while.

Prayers of strength for Tricia as she navigates this new chapter of her life.

Prayers of guidance for Mary as she explores her options for housing following years of homelessness.

Prayers of strength and guidance for Cara as she continues with her sobriety.

Prayers for Max and his family who are navigating the justice system following his incarceration.

Prayers of strength for Donna and her son Damene. Prayers that Damene will be accepted into a program.

Prayers of support for the family of Hugo who is serving a sentence in the county jail.

Prayers of hope that the BOS understands the benefits of keeping our youth close to family and community.

Prayers of wisdom for Derek as he navigates this new chapter in his life.

Prayers of understanding for his family.

Prayers for Julissa who is back in jail after several years of sobriety.

Prayers for all those individuals who are incarcerated in large part because of their mental illness.

Prayers of hope and strength for Oscar and Amethyst as they are faced with losing their housing.

Prayers for all people whose home is Santa Cruz County but are unable to find housing.

I am trying Lord. I am trying to listen for your voice in a world filled with noise. I am trying to understand what you would have me do, where you would have me go.

I am trying to love, to see, to trust. I am trying to grow in mind and spirit, learning the lessons of this life, sharing the blessings you have given me as best as I can. I am trying.

Please help me in my trying. Give me wisdom, give me inspiration. Give me patience, give me peace. Let my trying become my doing, my doing my being.

Amen

~RevBev