By Sean Anderson, C4SO’s Hope on the Inside Team

“I don’t know what it is, but every time I leave I am filled with hope.”

Strange words from the parking lot of a maximum security prison, but this is the most common statement my wife and I share when leaving after a service. It’s a Sunday evening, and we have just spent several hours in worship on the outskirts of Nashville at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI) with some remarkable men. Since I joined C4SO ministry Hope on the Inside, the Spirit has continually displayed what hope is and how it converges with relevance, calling and the mystical sightings of his face.

From spiritual directors and chaplains to business consultants, artists, event planners and sales managers, our team is uniquely assembled and equipped by the Spirit to serve incarcerated people and those recently released from incarceration. At first glance, it might not appear as the most relevant location for a church plant. But maybe it is? Our team often receives the same questions Jesus was asked, “You serve who?” and “You have called those people?” “Well, how is that going to be a church?” 

But the beauty of serving a crucified God is that irrelevant spaces are often the grounds where God’s love is most relevant. The message isn’t complicated; it’s as simple as showing up. 

My experience since joining the Hope on the Inside team has been impacted by this mission, not by what we bring to the men at RMSI but by what they give to us. On the day of our first church service, as we rounded the corner to the prison chapel, a great group was already congregating at the door, waiting for us with bibles in hand and excited smiles greeting us. The words from Matthew 25:36 came to mind: “I was in prison and you visited me.”

Many of these men long for visits. They pray for letters to come in, hang on to every word shared, and remember every name. Their pain is from the separation, from being ousted to the fringes of cities, states and communities; it creates a deep longing for connection that, for the most part, can’t be met on the inside.  It is through this longing for connection that I see God shining through the eye of each man, an incarnational window, reminding me that God, too, seeks this same connection. 

This ministry isn’t about showing up to do church, nor is it a paraministry designed to “help them.” It is a reminder that the Church is already there.

From Hope on the Inside founder the Rev. Lisa Durr and our team to the men who have spent most of their lives in RMSI, the Spirit of God mysteriously unifies us into One Body, worshiping One God.

It was only fitting that my ordination to the diaconate was within the prison walls. On November 5, 2023, Bishop Todd, the Hope on the Inside team, and the men of RMSI felt a powerful moving of the Spirit as we all experienced a beautiful ordination in the chapel at Riverbend. A moment forever seared into my mind was when Bishop Todd asked the congregation, “Will you uphold Sean in his ministry?” To which they responded: “We will,” in booming unison, giving me chills and a sobering reminder that this rite had deep meaning not just for me but also for the men, my witnesses. 

As I consider all the lessons God has shared with me in my time at Hope on the Inside, I continually come back to the simple truth of showing up. Seeing that God’s mission is boundless in reach, He goes to great lengths to engage the people on the margins, sharing that they are living proofs of His love. Now, when I see the men of Riverbend, I see the face of Christ; when I hear their voices reading the lessons of scripture, I hear Christ’s voice. There is no sweeter experience than knowing that each man is a holy glimpse of Christ in the world. 

I end with the words of the prison chaplain (a fellow Anglican) that struck a chord in my wife and me the day we were badged:

“Remember to keep it simple: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

So, let’s get to work.”

Learn more about Hope on the Inside.

The Rev. Sean Anderson is a chaplain at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Born and raised in California, Sean moved to Nashville in 2020 to attend Vanderbilt Divinity School to pursue a Master of Divinity. Outside work, you can find him weightlifting, running through the streets of Nashville, and having fun cooking in the kitchen. Sean is married to Sara and they have a fantastic cat, Ellie. Contact Sean. 

Top photo credit: WPLN News