Interfaith Ministry Presents Advent Program At NCC

Raymond Materson, an ex-convict who found a new life through art, was the featured speaker last week when the Southwestern and Litchfield districts of Connecticut Women of the United Church of Christ sponsored its Advent luncheon on prison ministry at the Newtown Congregational Church.

Diane Kelly, president of the Southwestern and Litchfield Women of the UCC, introduced Mr Materson and explained how he began embroidering while serving time in prison. He continues using this art form as he lectures, works with youth, and helps raise money for the Interfaith Prison Partnership Program. He and his wife Melanie wrote Sins and Needles: A Story of Spiritual Mending that tells his life story and how he found peace in prison when he began embroidering with strings from socks and an improvised hoop.

His intricate designs were on display at the church and some were shown on a slide projector — sports heroes, scenes from his own life, flags, and other inspirational subjects.

Speaking about “The Art That Heals,” Mr Materson said he was inspired by his grandmother, Hattie, who had always seemed so serene and peaceful as she used her needle and hoops to embroider.

Raised in a dysfunctional alcoholic family, Ray Materson became an alcoholic and a drug addict, eventually passing bad checks and committing robberies to support his habit. Arrested, and sentenced to 15 years in prison at Somers, he was mad at the world.

He looked to God, but prayed for the wrong things — “Get me out of here.” Then he began to think about things he had loved and remembered the words of Jesus Christ: “Who is without sin?” He remembered Grandma Hattie and he began his first embroidery project, a giant M for Michigan, the team he had watched on TV playing the University of Southern California in the Rose Bowl in California.

The inmates were impressed as his art form took hold. They brought strings for him to use and sewing needles. He was working 8–12 hours a day at his craft. Life began to change for him. New people came into his life. His sister met a friend in Alcoholics Anonymous, who started writing to him and became sort of an art agent. She wrote letters to publishers and primitive art museums. The woman was Melanie; they were married while he was still in prison, now at Enfield a low security facility. Since his release in 1995, he has devoted his life to telling his story, creating art, and writing. He was an artist in residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1999 and he won a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. His works depict both the slavery imposed on individuals stricken with addiction as well as the joy and serenity that can be achieved through recovery.

Interfaith

Prison Partnership

Worship Chairwoman Marcia Dodd opened the worship service and introduced the Rev Donna Ives for the invocation in the Sanctuary. Anna Lee Van Allen, chairman of the Interfaith Prison Partnership, shared a story of an inmate in a college program at a prison. She emphasized that for women, education is a stepping stone for developing self-esteem and stability, social responsibility, and support for their children.

“Higher education benefits not only individual women and the prison community, but society as a whole,” she said.

There are 1,400 women prisoners incarcerated at York Correctional Institute. Fifty percent of the inmates released return during the first six months. It is costing the state of Connecticut nearly $30,000 a year for each prisoner. School is considered a job in prison and inmates earn 75 cents a week for attending. State law mandates they must attend school until they are 18 — and some until the age of 21.

School courses are routinely offered at $3 a course. Fourteen credits can be earned this way, but to go beyond this, it costs the inmates $23 registration plus the cost of their books, which can be very expensive.

Eighty per cent of the women in prison are there for nonviolent crimes. One half of these are women of color. Most of them have two or more children at home, Ms Van Allen said.

The Interfaith Prison Partnership was formed by a group of ecumenical women whose purpose is to help women of York Correctional Institute with educational programs that might lead to a college degree. They learned this takes three communities to make it work — the prison community, the academic community, and the community at large.

The offering at the worship service went to the Interfaith Prison Partnership. Carole Fanslow was organist for the worship service.

The NCC Women’s Fellowship provided the sandwiches and soup luncheon after a worship service and the speaker.

Displays were available to show the work of the Connecticut Women of the United Church of Christ through Church World Service in Kenya, where it supports a school. Speaking on the behalf of these project were Kathy Burton, assistant director of the Tri-State Regional Office and Betsy Work, president of the Connecticut Women.