Prison volunteer delights in fish stories
Tony
and Dawn Ward tell inmates about
a God they can relate to.
By Nan
McKenzie Kosowan
Special to ChristianWeek
BURLINGTON, ON–Tony Ward knows the value of a good fishing story. He shares fishing stories at Burtch Correctional Institution, Brantford, and Grand Valley Institution for Women, Kitchener, Ontario, and anywhere else he can get a "God-word" in edgewise.
He tells about the fishing lifestyle Jesus lived for his followers, as full of endless passion, fun and prayer. "Prayer and evangelism are inseparable when the fishing is for men."
High energy Christians with a passion for people and God, Tony and his wife, Dawn, lead worship once a month at both correctional facilities.
"The first time we did it, we were hooked," says Tony, eager to tell inmates about a God they can relate to.
Pouring out the life of God in his enthusiastic, casual way, Tony opens Scripture, offering time to share. Believing in fervent prayer to undergird every session, he teaches the privilege and necessity of prayer through Jesus and helps the men apply prayer to situations they’ve shared. As they are encouraged to love God and know him more, he sees attitudes developing that make room for God to begin work in their lives, "taking stuff out of their souls that needs to go."
Men at Burtch serve sentences of a few months to two years, and the dynamics of Bible study attendance change as they are committed to or released from jail. Tony focuses on the seven men attending now and plans follow-up for 15 who attended before being released on parole.
Religion and reality
About 80 percent of inmates have some religious background, says Tony. "We pray to introduce them to the reality of Christianity through teaching and the lives we live. We pray they recognize Christian lifestyle as distinct from ‘religion’ they never related to."
"You know God’s doing something, because hearts are changing," he says. One handwritten letter of appreciation came with drawings, thanking him for sharing and teaching, and his wife and kids for making cookies. "Living in dorms with other guys full of hatred and anger at the world, Christ is still being formed in them."
Parolees who become believers are encouraged to share with their pastors. But Tony cautions church members not to bring up an ex-con’s past unless he wants to use it as a testimony, "which he should do only when he’s ready."
Powerful witness
At the women’s prison, Tony preaches and Dawn sings, aware their identity as a committed Christian couple is a powerful witness to the women. Appreciative of song and sermon, the women are comfortable enough to question what they hear. "Often asked how we maintain such an obviously strong marriage, we answer with confidence that someone between us brings us closer than we could ever be on our own, and that someone is Jesus."
The Wards’ prayer focus is "Lord, open the doors." As prison doors open, they take them. But it’s not just at jails, says Tony, it’s anywhere. In work clothes, he recently picked up office furniture donated to his K-W Habilitation Services agency by a financial company. "A head honcho kept coming out and talking to me as I was loading. God opened the door to share with him. Back the next day to complete the pick-up, I took him a Christian book on the topic of our conversation. He was pleased." So was Tony, with another fishing story to share.
To know God and make him known is the Christian lifestyle, but Tony believes a specific method of evangelism for each Christian can be discovered through prayer (1 Cor. 14:2). "As anyone can, we had some success relying on our own abilities and talents. But to be effective God’s way, we now rely on prayer connection with the Holy Spirit and gather fishing stories as he pours out blessings on our obedience!"
