WEST POINT — It’s not every day you drive past a jail and see two men holding a ladder up to a window.
In this case it wasn’t an escape in progress, but a church group seeking to better the lot of the inmates at the Clay County Jail in West Point. Saturday morning, members of the First Presbyterian Church were putting the finishing touches on a renovation of the jail chapel that started last year.
Kathy Kenne and her husband, Keith, have led a Bible study group at the jail on Friday nights for the past several years. Kathy told The Dispatch she was looking around one night and realized how badly the space needed a little love.
“The windows were cracked, the flooring was old, the ceiling tiles were dingy,” she said. “I wanted it to be the one place in the jail where people would want to come, make it so it’s the nicest place there.”
Kathy went to the church, which enthusiastically embraced the idea, she said, and used money from its benevolence fund to hire contractors to do most of the major work.
“The room is used a lot, and we didn’t want to tie it up for months while a bunch of volunteers came and worked on Saturdays,” she said. “Today we’re just here to put on the finishing touches.”
The renovations never would have happened without the church, said Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott.
“This building used to be the old Justice Court building,” he said. “All I could do is convert the building to a chapel. I didn’t have the funds to do what you’re seeing today.”
Keith Kenne said about 12 inmates take part in the Bible class.
“I think they’re learning a lot,” he said. “Then once you teach them (God’s word) they go through the hallways and talk about Christ and encourage their neighbor or roommate to come. That’s what we’re here for. … We want to see the salvation of the souls of all of the men and women here.”
Scott said the program has a noticeable impact.
“It’s just a tremendous asset to these guys,” he said. “You can tell a difference in the inmates because they’re going to church and learning the difference between right and wrong. That’s what we’re trying to do, teach them that difference.”
First Presbyterian Pastor Brandon Bates said church is about more than just the building.
“The greatest thing is equipping people and challenging them to go out into the community and love and help people who are in need,” he said.
Inmates, especially, are in need, he said.
“A lot of people who are incarcerated are scared, are probably feeling some sense of shame,” Bates said. “That seems to the type of people Jesus was attracted to. It makes me happy as a pastor to fulfill our calling by touching people’s lives. That’s what the church is.”
Mississippi Department of Corrections rules did not allow The Dispatch to speak to any of the inmates who participated in the program or helped with the renovations.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
