The Jail Ministry is, basically, a Bible Study conducted by a team of women from CSBC. The main objective is to help the women become acquainted with the Bible and read for themselves what God is saying to them, in the hope that they will get to know Him personally. We are most appreciative of the Bibles supplied by the Gideon's, and the women are free to take them when they leave the jail. The number of women attending Bible Study varies from week to week. The smallest class has been two, and the largest so far has been nineteen. If the women are there for any length of time it gives us an opportunity to form a relationship with them. In 1998 when the visits started, Bible Study was held in a cell block, from there it moved into the library, and now it is held in the visitors' room.
Women are incarcerated for varying lengths of time from just a few hours to several weeks or months. Generally, if their sentence is longer than 9 months they are transported to one of Maine's Correctional Facilities.
In addition to the Bible Study, the clothing ministry of our church is offered, and many women have come in after they have been released.
The women are also invited to attend our Sunday Worship Services and Bible Study classes upon release.