Jail Ministry

Trinity’s Jail Ministry has two parts:  Visitation ministry with incarcerated women, and staffing and running the library for all the inmates at the jail.  We began participating in both of these ministries as “apprentices” to people who’d been doing the work for many years, and as these amazing women retired, have continued the work.

Visitation Ministry

Most Sunday afternoons, one or two women from Trinity goes to the Schenectady County Jail to visit with the women there, all of whom reside on the “G” and “H” blocks of the jail.  These visits include simple conversation with inmates, or “taking orders,” so to speak, as we try to provide those with limited resources with the clothes they are not issued by the jail (underware, socks, sweats or long johns for when the weather is cold).  Many of the women also request prayer, or to be prayed with—which are some of the holiest moments some of us have ever experienced.  Trinity’s unique contribution are composition books, which are given out for the purpose of journaling, or simply paper to use to write letters; the women love to have them (especially bright colored ones!) and use them for all kinds of self-expression and the chance to have something that is truly “theirs.”  Because of the nature of this work, going on to the Women’s living area, where privacy is minimal, we can only send women to do this work—and we always welcome any women who might like to engage in this very holy work.

Jail Library

Trinity members staff the jail library, which includes donated paper back books in all kinds of genres and authors, along with magazines.  This service is required by state law, but in the Schenectady County Jail, is entirely volunteer run.  The various sections of the jail “rotate” through week by week . . . so that each group gets to go to the library once every month.  Each inmate can borrow six books and/or magazines for the time in between their visits to the library.  Those who volunteer there are often touched by the kinds of books that the inmates are looking for or request . . . sometimes poetry, or books on parenting, or self-help. . . not necessarily the kinds of books we might expect, with our human tendency to stereotype, someone in jail to seek. While some state funding helps to pay for books, most of the supply is donated. All magazines are donated. Donations must be paperbacks. Since this service is for all of the inmates, men or women are welcome to help out if the scheduling fits. Donating reading materials is another way to support this ministry.