irisheyes66
12-07-2003, 01:20 PM
EDCF plans to build spiritual center
November 20, 2003
By STEVE SMITH, El Dorado Times Staff Writer
__________________________________
Inmates at the El Dorado Correctional Facility can be thankful to a volunteer organization whose efforts will soon result in construction of a major new building at the prison's central unit east of El Dorado.
Construction of an 11,500 square foot multi-religion spiritual life center at the central unit was announced Saturday night at the 12th annual "Thanks-living celebration" of the Central Kansas Prison Ministry held at the First Baptist Church.
Lynn McBride, executive director of the ministry and in-prison seminar instructor for its Prison Fellowship Ministries organization, said ground-breaking for the spiritual life center is expected to begin next spring immediately after the end of winter.
It is hoped the building will be in place sometime next summer, he said, with the total project expected to take about a year to be completed.
Had construction of the spiritual life center been completely contracted out, McBride said, construction cost would have been an estimated $700,000.
However, he said, because of the number of EDCF inmates who have already expressed their willingness to work on the project and do cement, stone and concrete block work, cost for the project should come in at around $350,000.
Saturday night's dinner was the occasion for presentation of the first $128,000 toward construction of the spiritual life center - and that, McBride said, closed one chapter in the history of Central Kansas Prison Ministry.
About six years ago, he related, his organization put together the thought of starting a Christian "halfway house" in Wichita.
That resulted in creation of Christian LifeChange House, a separate corporation which was set up by Central Kansas Prison Ministry to operate that project.
Two properties - one a Victorian-style home, the other a 12-studio apartment building - were given to Christian LifeChange House and remodeled.
The first clients were brought in from the EDCF central unit, McBride said, "but within 60 days the city of Wichita shut us down."
Under new laws, he said, to start a halfway house zoning as a correctional facility had to be obtained.
"When we say we're going to become a correctional facility in your neighborhood it doesn't happen," he remarked.
Subsquently, McBride continued, some 20 acres in rural Sumner County were purchased.
"The nearest neighbor was a quarter to a half mile away," he said; but after petitions started going around the owner of the property pulled the purchase contract and said he would not be selling it.
Over the next couple of years, McBride said, efforts were made to find property for the halfway house in a number of counties, including Butler (where the basic message, he commented, seemed to be "not over here.")
In the meantime, he said, the original two properties for the halfway house had been sold.
"We laid the money on the table, but it couldn't happen," he remarked.
McBride said it had already been decided if a halfway house program could not get going by the end of this year the Christian LifeChange House corporation would be closed down.
That had been done in the past few days, he said - but that also freed up the $128,000 which was presented at Saturday night's dinner for the start of the spiritual life center.
McBride said the center will include a 3,700 square foot chapel capable of holding 530 people.
It will replace the original prison chapel, which can accomodate only about 50 people.
There will also be two chaplains offices in the spiritual life center, as well as two multi-purpose rooms capable of holding 103 and 116 people.
Six classrooms are also part of the project, McBride related, as is a library/classroom area in which inmates will also be able to listen to audio tapes.
He added that area may also include a section where small groups of inmates would be able to watch videos.
McBride said it is anticipated money needed for the project in addition to the initial $128,000 announced Saturday night will be coming from local churches and through private donations.
"I have a lot to be thankful for myself," remarked EDCF warden Ray Roberts, "and I certainly want to tell you how thankful I am for the prison volunteers who work in El Dorado" and at other prison facilities throughout the state.
Over the years, Roberts remarked, "I've been privileged to work with hundreds of volunteers" both in Mississippi (where he began his career in corrections) and Kansas.
"I've found volunteers are very much respected by the inmate population because they can give of their time and their talents," he said.
"They give love to the inmate population; they provide wise counsel; and they also provide admonition when that's necessary."
Roberts said prison volunteers "are in a position to be able to deal with inmates during moments when they're going through struggles.
"I've found there's a great opportunity for volunteers to serve as an ethical and moral compass for the inmate population."
________________________________________
I, for one, am very excited about this project. However, it will be interesting to see if the Center will be made available to those of other faiths within the facility, such as the Native American population, which is sizeable. After all, they have been restricted from using the prison chapel in the past, always for some "gray" (read: false) reason....NA spiritual practices at El Dorado have been a battleground for a long time now.
Will update as soon as I learn more!
Susan in Providence
--computer-generated image of the new Spiritual Center at EDCF--
November 20, 2003
By STEVE SMITH, El Dorado Times Staff Writer
__________________________________
Inmates at the El Dorado Correctional Facility can be thankful to a volunteer organization whose efforts will soon result in construction of a major new building at the prison's central unit east of El Dorado.
Construction of an 11,500 square foot multi-religion spiritual life center at the central unit was announced Saturday night at the 12th annual "Thanks-living celebration" of the Central Kansas Prison Ministry held at the First Baptist Church.
Lynn McBride, executive director of the ministry and in-prison seminar instructor for its Prison Fellowship Ministries organization, said ground-breaking for the spiritual life center is expected to begin next spring immediately after the end of winter.
It is hoped the building will be in place sometime next summer, he said, with the total project expected to take about a year to be completed.
Had construction of the spiritual life center been completely contracted out, McBride said, construction cost would have been an estimated $700,000.
However, he said, because of the number of EDCF inmates who have already expressed their willingness to work on the project and do cement, stone and concrete block work, cost for the project should come in at around $350,000.
Saturday night's dinner was the occasion for presentation of the first $128,000 toward construction of the spiritual life center - and that, McBride said, closed one chapter in the history of Central Kansas Prison Ministry.
About six years ago, he related, his organization put together the thought of starting a Christian "halfway house" in Wichita.
That resulted in creation of Christian LifeChange House, a separate corporation which was set up by Central Kansas Prison Ministry to operate that project.
Two properties - one a Victorian-style home, the other a 12-studio apartment building - were given to Christian LifeChange House and remodeled.
The first clients were brought in from the EDCF central unit, McBride said, "but within 60 days the city of Wichita shut us down."
Under new laws, he said, to start a halfway house zoning as a correctional facility had to be obtained.
"When we say we're going to become a correctional facility in your neighborhood it doesn't happen," he remarked.
Subsquently, McBride continued, some 20 acres in rural Sumner County were purchased.
"The nearest neighbor was a quarter to a half mile away," he said; but after petitions started going around the owner of the property pulled the purchase contract and said he would not be selling it.
Over the next couple of years, McBride said, efforts were made to find property for the halfway house in a number of counties, including Butler (where the basic message, he commented, seemed to be "not over here.")
In the meantime, he said, the original two properties for the halfway house had been sold.
"We laid the money on the table, but it couldn't happen," he remarked.
McBride said it had already been decided if a halfway house program could not get going by the end of this year the Christian LifeChange House corporation would be closed down.
That had been done in the past few days, he said - but that also freed up the $128,000 which was presented at Saturday night's dinner for the start of the spiritual life center.
McBride said the center will include a 3,700 square foot chapel capable of holding 530 people.
It will replace the original prison chapel, which can accomodate only about 50 people.
There will also be two chaplains offices in the spiritual life center, as well as two multi-purpose rooms capable of holding 103 and 116 people.
Six classrooms are also part of the project, McBride related, as is a library/classroom area in which inmates will also be able to listen to audio tapes.
He added that area may also include a section where small groups of inmates would be able to watch videos.
McBride said it is anticipated money needed for the project in addition to the initial $128,000 announced Saturday night will be coming from local churches and through private donations.
"I have a lot to be thankful for myself," remarked EDCF warden Ray Roberts, "and I certainly want to tell you how thankful I am for the prison volunteers who work in El Dorado" and at other prison facilities throughout the state.
Over the years, Roberts remarked, "I've been privileged to work with hundreds of volunteers" both in Mississippi (where he began his career in corrections) and Kansas.
"I've found volunteers are very much respected by the inmate population because they can give of their time and their talents," he said.
"They give love to the inmate population; they provide wise counsel; and they also provide admonition when that's necessary."
Roberts said prison volunteers "are in a position to be able to deal with inmates during moments when they're going through struggles.
"I've found there's a great opportunity for volunteers to serve as an ethical and moral compass for the inmate population."
________________________________________
I, for one, am very excited about this project. However, it will be interesting to see if the Center will be made available to those of other faiths within the facility, such as the Native American population, which is sizeable. After all, they have been restricted from using the prison chapel in the past, always for some "gray" (read: false) reason....NA spiritual practices at El Dorado have been a battleground for a long time now.
Will update as soon as I learn more!
Susan in Providence
--computer-generated image of the new Spiritual Center at EDCF--