Honoring One of Our Own: Sally Bridenstine

See below for yesterday's SERVE Minute for Mission for the 2011 Annual Peacemaking Offering Presented by John Legerton, and written by Kathy Meacham, Ellen Clarke, and John Legerton

I would like to begin this Minute for Mission today reading from Matthew 25:37-39: “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food … or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you … or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick … or in prison … and visited you?”

You know Jesus’ answer, and in fact, people from this congregation have been responding to the hungry, thirsty, estranged, sick, and imprisoned for generations. This morning I want to talk about one way that people from Grace Covenant have taken care of people in the prison system: WCCJ (Western Carolinians for Criminal Justice) and its Women-at-Risk program. There is one member of Grace Covenant, Sally Bridestine, who worked with Ellen Clarke, the recently retired Executive Director of WCCJ, to begin this creative ministry over 30 years ago. WCCJ has provided a safe, effective, and transformative alternative to prison for thousands of women and men in Western North Carolina. Sally Bridenstine, who died in 2002, was a fierce fighter for justice … and she led Grace Covenant in much of its justice work, including prison ministry with ABCCM and as a cofounder of WCCJ.

In fact, the idea for WCCJ was actually conceived in Sally Bridenstine’s little yellow VW bug. Sally was a devoted volunteer in the ABCCM prison ministry program, and she and Ellen Clarke traveled in Sally’s VW bug across the state many times to see Buncombe County women who’d been transferred from our county jail to the women’s prison in Raleigh. Sally’s and Ellen’s goal was to stay connected with these women, to find out if there were ways to help communicate with their families while they were in prison and to let these women know—in concrete ways—that folks back home were thinking about them.

On these trips, Sally, Ellen and another Asheville citizen, Jim Kauflin – who was active at St. Eugene’s Catholic Church and in the prison ministry at ABCCM – realized that they could do better than just visit these women in Raleigh’s central prison: They could create an Asheville program that would reduce new prison admissions, relieve the hideous prison overcrowding of the early 1980s, lower recidivism, and actually help women and men rebuild lives. The three of them signed the papers of incorporation in 1982, and with support from the Reynolds Foundation, Sally Bridenstine became the treasurer, Ellen Clark the Executive

Director and Western Carolinians for Criminal Justice was born.

So today we are here today with the 2011 Annual Peacemaking Offering. This offering, started in 1980, about the same time as WCCJ, is an annual offering with 25% of the funds benefiting local ministries … 25% helps fund WNC Presbytery’s peacemaking efforts … and 50% is used by our national Presbyterian Peacemaking Program to help cultivate peace globally. This year, the WCCJ/Women At Risk program will be the recipient of the 25% allocated to local peacemaking ministries. WCCJ’s Women At Risk program helps individuals break the cycle of abuse and wrong choices that lead to criminal activity. In particular, Women At Risk gives to women the opportunity, the motivation, and the tools to succeed. With almost 90%

of WCCJ’s graduates successfully completing probation … and staying out of jail, Women At Risk is a proven treatment alternative to incarceration.

So, this is a great opportunity to honor one of our GCPC saints, Sally Bridenstine … to honor her husband Don … for whom we pray today … as he faces his last days … and to participate in this work for peace, justice, and redemption of lives. Please give generously and many thanks!