Prison Ministry Remembers Mandela

Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI) is remembering the important work of Nelson Mandela, who helped to dismantle South Africa's system of apartheid and who was himself a prisoner for 27 years.

Approved for donations by the Christian Reformed Church, CBI works in prisons around the world, including in South Africa.

Rev. H. David Schuringa, a CRC minister and president of the institute, is asking for prayers for the country of South Africa and for those who continue Mandela’s legacy by serving the disadvantaged.

Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, died on Dec. 5, 2013, and is known for his work in dismantling apartheid, the political system that sanctioned and enforced the separation of the races.

A memorial service for Mandela was held on Tuesday in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“In an outpouring of praise, remembrance and celebration, scores of leaders from around the world, including President Obama, joined tens of thousands of South Africans in a vast, rain-swept soccer stadium here on Tuesday to pay common tribute to Nelson Mandela, whose struggle against apartheid inspired his own country and many far beyond its borders,” says a New York Times article.

Mandela, who was charged with sabotage and conspiracy in 1964, encountered the brutal conditions of South African prisons during his time at the Robben Island prison. When Mandela arrived, he was permitted only one visitor and one letter every six months.

Prisoners spent their days chipping rocks into gravel, and they were fed on meager rations, the quality of which was determined by a prisoner’s race.

Mandela was instrumental in leading hunger strikes and in presenting prisoners’ needs to visiting humanitarians. He also instituted the “University of Robben Island,” which provided prisoners with a chance to lecture in their areas of expertise.

Mandela’s dignified and respectful demeanor succeeded in convincing many, both inside and outside the prison, to treat prisoners more humanely.

CBI’s South African satellite campus was particularly affected by Mandela’s death. “We expected this for a couple of weeks, but we are still very sad,” said Eddie Boersema, CBI South Africa’s acting director.

Like Mandela, CBI South Africa’s prison ministry honors the dignity of prisoners. The program offers long-term discipleship courses to prisoners, who are mentored by volunteer instructors from churches. The discipleship curriculum emphasizes the importance of peaceful and respectful relationships for all people, whether behind bars or in society.

“Nelson Mandela once said, ‘No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones,’ “ says Schuringa.

With over 45,000 students studying, CBI South Africa works to care deeply for the ‘lowest’ citizens and the ministry works “tirelessly on their behalf,” he said.