Prison Fellowship Malaysia — the way forward

Three volunteers of the St Mary’s Cathedral Prison Ministry from Sandakan attended a three-day Prison Fellowship Malaysia (PFM) Conference from April 30 to May 2 in Kuala Lumpur.

May 26, 2016

By Dalius LL
Three volunteers of the St Mary’s Cathedral Prison Ministry from Sandakan attended a three-day Prison Fellowship Malaysia (PFM) Conference from April 30 to May 2 in Kuala Lumpur. They were among the 10 participants representing the Sandakan Christian Inter-Church Prison Ministry. The event was attended by about 100 delegates from all over the country.

This is the first national level Prison Conference ever organized since its inception 15 years ago. PFM is made up of four regions namely: PFM Sabah, PFM Sarawak, PFM Peninsula North and PFM Peninsula South. Each region has its own committee, known as Chapters, overseeing the states or districts assigned under their purview.

For Sabah region, PFM comes under the Sabah Council of Churches (SCC) in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Keningau and Labuan. The Sabah Chapter ministers to the KK Prison, Sandakan Prison, Tawau Prison, Labuan Prison, Kem Paradise Kota Belud, Sekolah Tunas Bakti and Henry Gurney School in Keningau. The Conference commenced with the PFM Annual General Meeting for new office bearers for their two-year term. The delegates unanimously elected the present President, Dr Tan Kah Hock, to spearhead PFM for the 2016 -2018 term, with Prem Kumar as the CEO.

In the evening, the delegates assembled at the Dining Hall for a fellowship and welcome dinner. They took the opportunity to interact with each other.

After the meal, all proceeded to the Convention Hall for a praise and worship session followed by interesting and inspiring sharings from the prison volunteers from across the country.

The next day, the newly elected PFM President gave a welcome address and introduced the appointed members of the PFM Board of Directors.

The 1st session was a talk on the theme of the Conference, The Way Forward by the Asia Pacific Prison Fellowship Director. The session was designed to help prison volunteers focus on their areas of ministry, provide encouragement and sharpen skills in utilizing the tools available for prison ministry.

The 2nd session presented by a senior officer of the Prison Department was on the Roles and Responsibilities of Jabatan Penjara Malaysia, permit application, procedures to be observed and the do’s and don’ts of religious volunteers.

In the afternoon, the conference resumed with a dialogue session, with the new Board of Directors as panelists. The session provided answers to uncertainties that would allow the volunteers to minister effectively.

The 3rd session was about “Justice and Reconciliation,” facilitated by the CEO, Mr. Prem Kumar. During the session, a lady lawyer prison ministry volunteer gave some valuable and interesting sharing on the subject. The night session was the praise and worship where participants were divided into small groups of 5 – 8 people, praying for one another.

On Day three, 2nd May, the last day of the Conference, the CEO gave a talk on “Introduction to the Criminal Justice System.” The talk was about restorative justice whereby an effort by PFM, and in collaboration with an NGO, to uphold justice and righteousness in the criminal Justice System. This would include holding dialogues and initiating reforms in the prison, with the police, together with lawyers and judges and the Courts of Justice.

The Conference concluded with a Communion Service and a closing prayer.

The three-day conference not only focused on events that would help volunteers increase their effectiveness, but it has also refreshed their commitment in reaching out to the inmates.

The cordial interaction among volunteers has encouraged members to remain connected in promoting the mission of Christ.

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