The Lebanon Daily News
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Seventy members and staff of Shining Light Ministries of Lebanon County recently traveled to New York City to bring their message to prison inmates.
The group spent two days on Rikers Island, New York City’s jail and billed as the largest penal colony in the world. During ministry presentations in two facilities on the island, Shining Light members saw about 400 members of the 14,000 average daily inmate population. After each presentation, the group had time to interact with the inmates and prison staff.
Warden Edmund Duffy also met with the group and shared how his Christian faith has influenced his rise to warden and his responsibilities in the position. He said that Shining Light is the largest production that performs a ministry at the prison. This was Shining Light’s sixth visit to Rikers Island.
Also during the trip, the group spent two nights at the New York School of Urban Ministry in Queens, participating in its Saturday night outreach to the homeless on the streets of New York. Shining
Light members provided food, blankets and Bibles to homeless people in the Penn Station area and Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Members also attended the Redeemer Presbyterian Church “classical” service in Manhattan. Best-selling author Timothy Keller is the founding and senior pastor at the church.
Warden Edmund Duffy discusses his responsibilities and Christian faith with the members of Shining Light during their recent ministry trip to Rikers Island.
Members of Shining Light stage their performing-arts ministry for adolescent and adult inmates at Rikers Island, New York City’s jail.
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