by PETER GRACE
WELLINGTON — A Christian based fellowship that supports convicted people, and their families, is looking for volunteers.
Phil McCarthy became the national director of PFNZ (formerly Prison Fellowship New Zealand)
about 11 months ago. Since he started, he said, he had looked at the organisation and asked, “What are we”?
The answer, he said, is that PFNZ is part of the Christian church, trying to connect faith-based volunteers with prisoners and children of prisoners, and to serve that section
of God’s poor.
“We are not an organisation with concerns to go out and recruit a huge number of professional counsellors, etc.
“It’s not about PFNZ itself,” he said. “We don’t want to have an ego.” Rather, their focus was: “Here we are, we want to challenge the church, if you like, to do this job.”
Mr McCarthy said we might feel inclined to judge, but there is a basic need for Christian support and fellowship for prisoners, rather than to continue offering rejection.
PFNZ had two particular streams of support, he said. One, called BreakAway, works with the children of prisoners. The second stream, BreakFree, has a prisoner focus.
“This is trying to connect one prisoner with a mentor before release.” The prisoner knows she
or he will be welcomed into a community on release.
“The prisoner knows there’s one person, a mentor or coach, and four or five others supporting the mentor … [to] provide community support, basic assistance and help and a sense of belonging.”
A lot of prisoners have lost the ability to cope through being institutionalised, said Mr McCarthy. As far as PFNZ is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether the support comes from
within a parish, or from, say, Rotary.
BreakAway may involve things like ensuring a prisoner’s child gets a Christmas gift.
“And just that connection enables us to recognise a need in the community. They tend to be whakama; they don’t like to come out of their corners.”
But sitting down and having a cup of tea with families means helpers can find out what they need.
“And there’s a thing called FutureProof, which is just groups of Christians in an area.” They work together to provide activities to bring the families together.
There is also Angel Tree, BreakAway Camps and other associated activites.
Mr McCarthy said PFNZ is looking for individuals, “so that’s why we are trying to get the word out, so the website is the key contact”.
Full training is provided. “We have paid facilitators in the regions, who not only train the coaches, but continue to provide support.
“And we have people who can provide specialised support, somebody who can take people around
to help with connecting with WINZ, probation officer, bank account, for the ID, that kind of thing. And then there’s finding a house.”
Mr McCarthy said PFNZ would like people who think they might be interested to visit their website, www.pfnz.org.nz .
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