It’s not every day you meet a King. The news that King Charles III was coming to the opening of a community hub at a local church came some time ago. But it had to be kept secret.
When the day came, Luke Carson, London City Mission team leader for prisons and resettlement, was there with two people, Wayne* and Steve*, who he supported in prison and was now helping to resettle after they were released.
These men spoke to His Majesty and other dignitaries, sharing the support they received from Luke and how their lives had changed since finding their faith and coming out of prison.
For Wayne*, who was found not guilty after spending two years in remand, meeting the King was a great opportunity.
“It was mad!” recalls Wayne.
For Steve*, who was just released after spending decades in prison, meeting the King was something he thought would never happen.
“It really was a bit of a shock, you know. But it was a good shock. I mean, the Archbishop comes in, he recognised me straight away and asks me how I am, which was a good boost.
“And then the next thing, the King came in. It was a bit unreal at first. Then I thought, you know what, he's just a human being you know. I spoke to him. He seemed like a right down to earth guy.”
For many years, Luke and his team have been sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people inside prison and supporting them after they’ve served their sentence and released back into the community.
Sharing the Gospel in prison is easier
"In my opinion, sharing the Gospel in prison is easier than on the outside. Most people have their sins laid bare in prison. And many understand what's being offered through the gospel,” states Luke.
The partnership with local churches has been incredibly important in Luke’s ministry.
“We have some wonderful volunteers who come in from local churches who come into prison with us,” Luke explains.
“We work with churches on the outside as well. To make them as welcoming and supportive communities as they can possibly be for people who are leaving prison.”
God is at work in prison
Luke helps run evangelistic courses inside prison as well as bible studies and church services, but as he states, there needs to be a lot of flexibility when ministering to people in prison.
“There are a lot of different things that we do. You really need to be flexible when you’re inside because you don’t know what’s going to be put on your plate,” says Luke.
Much of the work is also visiting people. Supporting them emotionally and prayerfully.
“We get in and just visit people. We go to people’s cells and spend time with them. Talking to them and listening to them. A lot of people need someone to talk to and off-load whatever is going on in their life today. So being a regular visitor and contact for someone is important,” says Luke.
And God is working to bring people to him through this constant support.
For Steve, it was Luke and his team’s persistence that helped him to faith.
“When I met Luke, I was an impregnable prisoner. Religion was always seen as a weakness in prison. Like a crutch for people to lean on… But they never gave up on me,” recalls Steve.
"Luke kept saying to me, all you've got to do is just say sorry and repent because Jesus died for all our sins. I didn't think that was enough. I've done some terrible things in my life here and just to say sorry seemed meaningless.
"But the more I read the bible and began to understand, things started happening within me. I thought wow, this is real. This guy died on his cross for me as well. I've never had that. I've never had any sort of love. That's a different love."
Something happens when people from other churches spend time with these men
“Something happens when people from churches from the outside spend time with these men. It makes them feel valued," says Luke.
“Prison can really strip away your humanity. It beats you down and makes you forget that you're human at times.
“I think church on a Sunday with others who’ve come specifically to share time with them shows that they're cared for, that they’re loved, and they’re valued, listened to. This is so important.
“And of course, it points to God. It points to Jesus and shows people that, even though they're in prison, and society might have forgotten about them, friends and family might have forgotten about them, God hasn't.”
What drives the work in prisons and the resettlement afterwards is the belief that the forgiveness found in Jesus is open to all. And that fact can change lives – not only into eternity, but in the present.
This restoration found in Jesus can even lead to days when some can share tea with royalty.
“It was an opportunity to let people know what we do,” says Luke.
“And meeting the King provided a great morale boost to Steve and Wayne who had just come out and were putting in the hard work to settle back into community well.
"Steve is telling everyone he sees, people on the bus or the tube, about meeting the King and proudly shows them his photo with King Charles, but what is wonderful is that he doesn't stop there...he goes on to share about the King of Kings and the salvation he has found in Jesus Christ."
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*Names have been changed to protect the people we support
