A Time of Love?

I am sure we all have somebody we wish we were better at loving. We find it easy to love when we receive love and kindness in return, but as soon as somebody wrongs us or does not thank us, we feel they no longer deserve our love.

It is even harder to love a stranger. In particular, a stranger who may have committed a terrible crime. I doubt that many of us have the 11 million prisoners of this world on our list of people we want to show love to this Christmas. And why would we?

There is darkness in the world and justice must be sought. But these prisoners could so easily be you or I, a mother or a father, a brother or a sister. We must not deny them their humanity and their right to be treated with compassion.

Martin Luther King famously said:

 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” 

We aim to show love to some of the world’s detainees through medical care, pastoral care, feeding programmes and advocacy work. We urgently require your support to enable us to continue this work. Donations of any amount will be so gratefully received and will have a lasting impact on the work we are able to do.

Wherever you are, we hope you have a very happy Christmas, filled with hope, peace, joy and love.

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A Time of Peace?

I wonder what peace looks like to you in your life. For some of us we enjoy moments of solitude in a quiet place, tucked up with a book, for others they relish the thought of being surrounded by loved ones amidst the joyful chaos of a busy Christmas-time house.

The Oxford English Dictionary lists one definition of the word peace as “freedom from anxiety, disturbance (emotional, mental, or spiritual), or inner conflict; calm, tranquillity.” However we may picture peace, it is safe to say we all long for that emotional peace described.

For the millions of people who will spend this Christmas in prison, it is unlikely they will experience any form of peace. Prisons across the world suffer from extreme overcrowding. Prisoners are often packed into spaces where the number of people far exceeds the designed capacity. This leads to poor physical health as infectious diseases can easily spread from one person to the next. The lack of personal space will lead to worsening mental health and increasing violent behaviour.

Whilst there may be valid reasons for people to be in prison, it does not justify the unsuitable conditions that currently exist.

Integritas comes face to face with the issue of overcrowded prisons and the harm this can inflict. It is vitally important that prisoners receive high quality healthcare to prevent further spread of diseases within the prison population.

As we look ahead to everything we enjoy about Christmas, let us remember those who are without peace or comfort.

If you feel able to donate, any amount will have a huge impact on the support Integritas is able to provide to prisoners

 Click here to donate

A Time of Plenty?

What do you think about at this time of year? Perhaps the long lists of gifts you need to buy, organising the family get together or just hunkering down and avoiding the madness.

For Christians, Christmas is when we celebrate the person of Jesus Christ coming into our world. He came and was willing to get stuck in with the painful mess of humanity. Jesus loved the unlovable. Regardless of somebody’s past He said I can help.

At Integritas, we are motivated by Jesus’ love and His example to treat our neighbour as ourselves.  We have a particular concern for the 11 million of our fellow human beings currently behind bars across the world. Many of these people are kept in terrible conditions, without adequate food or healthcare and do not know when they will next see their loved ones. Regardless of their past actions, we believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Like many other charities, the pandemic has taken its toll on Integritas. We have lost many of our main sources of funding and this has directly impacted the work we are able to carry out. This festive season we are asking you to help us help those most in need across our world. Any donation will go a long way to provide healthcare to vulnerable men and women behind bars.

So perhaps this year, as it is for me, will be the first year you think about the world’s detainees, those forgotten and abandoned in unthinkable conditions. There is a great need and we can work together to show radical love to one another.

If you would like more details on partnering with Integritas please do get in touch. Any donation would be gratefully received and would make a huge impact on the work we are able to do.

Click here to donate.