On January 20, 2012 the Florida Department of Corrections had their very first “Family Embraced”/ Agape Feast event. It took place at South Bay Correctional Facility. Prison Fellowship, along with One Hope and several volunteers, hosted the event. Fifty people from the TUMI/Pre-Release dorm were allowed to invite two adult family members and two children to this function. The South Florida staff and volunteers prepared for a couple of weeks prior to ensure that everything would be special for the families.
The prisoners prepared all of the decorations, programs, music, and speakers. The decorations were magnificent. Hundreds of hearts of all sizes and colors were spread throughout the room and pasted on the walls. The centerpieces were (you guessed it) different sized hearts that displayed each family’s name. These hearts were made by the men as a team. The only instrument they had to cut with was their small DOC-issued plastic razor. A true labor of LOVE. What touched me the most was that the paper heart bowl they created sat in the center of a table all by itself. The little sign beside it said “please take a piece of my heart.” Inside the bowl were small folded pieces of paper. Each had a special scripture for their guests. Families came from near and far to be with their incarcerated loved ones. The inmates whose families were not present were matched with a PF staff member or volunteer.
PF staff and volunteers arrived early to set up the room, but when they arrived, several of the prisoners were already in the room setting up. They were so very excited. As the men entered the room, they kept running to the windows to see if their families were coming up the walk. The vision brought to mind the Prodigal Son and the Father always looking for him. I thought to myself, “How many times did your family members stand at the window watching for you to come home?” Inmates kept asking me, “Ms. Raeanne, did my family RSVP? Are they coming?”
Some family members arrived before the prisoners, and were seated at the tables waiting patiently. The facility had to pat down and search each inmate, so it took a little more time than expected. This gave staff and the volunteers time to visit with the families. It was a very enjoyable time. One particular mother and son were sitting at a table waiting for their inmate son and brother to arrive. I was most anxious to watch this reunion. The visiting son/brother had just returned from active duty in Afghanistan and had not seen his brother in two years. The inmate did not know that his brother was coming that day. When he finally arrived the two brothers ran to each other and embraced. The military brother lifted him right off the ground. I watched the mother’s expression as tears streamed down both our cheeks. What a gift from the Lord to witness such joy and love!
The families spent time together building a gingerbread house. Laughter and icing flowed from every area of the room. I was amazed at how much icing ended up all over everyone. I watched as not only the young children, but the prisoners and older family members ate large portions of the decorative candies. Of course, they were so competitive they wanted PF to judge which house was the best. It would have been impossible to choose, and we continued to delay the judging until we ran out of time.
Our in-house artist and his father designed their gingerbread house as a church. He announced to us all that today he and his dad had built their house together. What pride showed on his face and in his voice. It was encouraging to see two grown men intently building and decorating. I believe it was the start of something wonderful. After decorating the houses, everyone shared dinner together. After dinner came ice cream sundaes with a big selection of toppings, real whipped cream and two beautiful cakes. As the men came through the line with their families I asked, “When was the last time you ate an ice cream sundae?” Some said they had never had one, and others said it had been a decade or two. Then jokingly I asked, “So when was the last time you built a gingerbread house?” I received big smiles in response.
Gifts and roses were provided for the men to give to their families, and to tell them how much they loved and appreciated them. There was face painting that children and adults enjoyed. The music and table-top discussion were provided by the men. One prisoner read an amazing poem. Our in-house artist explained why the celebration was named Agape Feast and what it meant. The naming of Agape Feast was entirely their idea. They took complete ownership of the gathering. At one point, one of the speakers even gave a salvation message, and explained God’s wonderful love.
The Warden spoke and gave words of encouragement. He said there were a couple of times that day he forgot he was in a prison. Program director for GEO, Mr. Templeton, gave a wonderful proclamation and recitation, and a letter from the FL DOC Assistant Secretary of Reentry was read.
There was so much love, joy, and peace in that room. I noticed the on-duty officers were smiling and enjoying the festivities.
Our biggest thanks go to the Lord Jesus Christ, PF donors, and One Hope for supporting this event. Believe me, all this did not happen without much opposition from the Evil One. But we continued to push through, and God received all the glory. I am so very thankful to the warden, chaplain and South Bay administration for allowing this event, and for catching the vision.
Of course, last but not least, a big thank you to the PF staff and volunteers that worked tirelessly through it all and prayed without ceasing.
Our next steps are to follow up with the families and try to keep communication with as many as we can. I asked the men to write about what the day meant to them. There will be more to come as I receive their responses.
Raeanne Hance is the Executive Director of Prison Fellowship in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.