History of Prison Fellowship Scotland
The story of Prison Fellowship is the compelling story of God behind bars. In a very real sense, Prison Fellowship was born behind bars in the heart of Chuck Colson, the notorious American “Watergate” prisoner who discovered the reality of God’s redemptive love and transforming power in Jesus Christ among his fellow prisoners. During imprisonment, he realised that only God could change the hearts and lives of people, both in and out of prison, for good.
When Chuck Colson completed his sentence, he was planning to pick up the pieces of his life and return to practising law. But that was not to be—God did not let him forget his fellow prisoners and their families. Chuck was drawn back into prison to visit the men he’d left behind, and he realised that God was using the worst experience of his life for good and was giving him a life sentence.
This was the beginning of the Prison Fellowship movement: the story of one man serving time in prison, discovering new life through God, and then returning to prison with friends from the outside to visit other inmates—because God loves and cares for those who are in prison.
Chuck had no intention of venturing beyond the prisons of America. But the remarkable story of Chuck and his friends captured the imagination of people in other countries who wondered what God might do if they followed his example—creating a “prison fellowship” of caring friends from the outside, reaching out to inmates with the compassion and grace of God.
The Beginning in Scotland
Scotland was among the very first countries where the idea of “prison fellowship” took root. In 1983, representatives from fledgling Prison Fellowship groups in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England hosted a gathering of people from around the world who, like them, had expressed a desire to reach out to those who were alienated and forgotten in prison.
More than 150 people from 40 countries met in Belfast, Northern Ireland to share ideas, hear each other’s stories, and consider the reconciling power of Jesus Christ. Among them were ex-prisoners like Chuck Colson, judges, prison officials, Members of Parliament, priests and pastors, businesspeople, and others from various cultures, denominations, and ethnic backgrounds. During that gathering, Prison Fellowship International was born—a movement that now includes groups in more than 125 countries.
Early Days of Prison Fellowship Scotland
The early beginnings of Prison Fellowship Scotland were documented by Louise Purvis, one of the trustees, who with her husband John Purvis, helped lay the foundation of the work:
“In June 1979, John was elected to the European Parliament. We wanted to visit all the prisons in his constituency, so I read books by Chuck Colson—Born Again and Life Sentence—about his prison ministry.
For me, when John and I visited Cornton Vale Prison early in 1980, this was where I knew God wanted me to serve. This visit was probably the second most important day in my Christian life and where, for me, P.F.S. began.
It led me to write to the Christian Governor the next day, telling her of Chuck Colson’s work and asking if she thought the P.F. ministry would work here. She replied yes, which encouraged me to go forward. But how?”
Louise continued:
“Within a few months I received a tape by Sylvia Mary Alison about her founding of P.F. England and Wales, which seemed another confirmation. Then the local Christian Coffee Club invited the wife of an MP to speak in June 1981—and who was that wife? Sylvia Mary Alison!
I wrote to her in December 1980 and said I’d be happy to help with P.F. Scotland. She agreed to come in June 1981 for 3 days to speak at my home, the Coffee Club, and to the Lydia Prayer Fellowship.
I began planning her visit and liaising with the two prayer groups. These groups were vital over the years—sending second-hand Christian books to prisons and supporting in prayer. The Coffee Club even organised a large event during Chuck Colson’s visit, where our first volunteers came from.
In 1980, the Lydia Ladies and Sylvia Mary identified potential volunteers in Scotland, and we sent out notifications in December 1980. One of my prayer partners even started a secretarial course to help set up a P.F. office. Another later took groups into Castle Huntly and became a trustee for years.
Though the most intense work started after Sylvia Mary’s meeting in June 1981, the groundwork in 1980 helped speed things up.”
“During the rest of 1980, John and I visited other prisons in his constituency, confirming that P.F. Scotland was needed and building important relationships in Scottish prisons.”
Prison Fellowship Scotland was officially registered as a charity on 22 March 1982, and became a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) in 2013.