“Please don’t forget us.” These words spoken by prisoners in Malawi reminds us of the purpose behind our ministry.
How it all started
In 2004 Joel Sherbino and his wife were sent by the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) to Partner with the Blantyre Synod (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian – CCAP). Joel was inducted as a pastor at St.Columba church and while serving at the church he began visiting Blantyre Prison to offer weekly Bible study. In 2007, Joel and Rebecca returned to Canada where Joel began to serve as the pastor at Paris Presbyterian Church but Malawi was never far from their thoughts. In 2015, International Ministries invited the Sherbino’s to return to Malawi for one year to continue with the development of the partnership and specifically the prison ministry.
It was in 2015 that the Prison Ministry began to grow and expand to where it now reaches 24 prisons in the Southern and Eastern regions of Malawi. This includes prisons for men, for women, and for youth under age 18.
With a dedicated team to oversee the ministry and various volunteers, we are seeing God do some transformational work in the lives of the men and women in prison.
The Friends of Prisons ministry is under the umbrella of Blantyre Synod (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) and is a partner with The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada through Presbyterian Sharing supports the work of the Prison ministry.
If you would like to learn more about this ministry or how you, your church or organization can partner with us, please email our Director Joel Sherbino (joel@parispresb.ca)
The purpose of the Prison Ministry in Malawi is to plant ‘seeds of hope’. This is accomplished through two primary ways.
- There are weekly visits which include bible study, prayer and counselling.
- Monthly distribution of basic necessities such as medicine, soap, clothing/footwear bed mats and basic hygiene products.
