by Cora Alexander (LUT), UUMS Board Member
The new Prison Ministry Certificate Program is off to a great start. The initial 10-week term started in mid-August 2024. Prison Ministry 2 is being held in the current Winter term which ends February 11, 2025. The final class, Prison Ministry 3, begins February 26, 2025, and ends May 11, 2025. Students who complete all three classes will earn the Certificate in Prison Ministry. I decided to audit the class rather than take it for credit. I have witnessed the other students’ excitement as they share resources, experience growth, and stay engaged within their communities. The curriculum is an excellent mix of self-care, spiritual, and experiential opportunities, such as oral and video recordings with potential collaborators. The instructors are top-notch. Rev. Kirt Cesaratto and Toni Carter bring heart and soul into the learning experience. Rev. Kirti (UUMS 2020) serves at Unity Houston. She works PRN as a Chaplain with the Hospice Care Team and Senior Minister of Divine Expressions. Toni Carter is a member of Unity of Roseville, California, and a student of Unity since 1972. She taught classes at Folsom State Prison for more than 25 years. That experience inspired her book, My Life In Prison: An Education of the Heart. The book is popular with the students because of the real-life experiences Toni shares. Another book used in this class is The Simple Truth: Making Sense of God, Life, and Other Stuff by Revs. Mary-Alice and Richard Jofolla. The curriculum includes three different ways to engage with women, and families impacted by incarceration, re-entry support for returning citizens and working with incarcerated citizens. The program is designed to familiarize students at the macro and micro levels with the operations of the prison system within their state, to prompt ideas about how the Unity principles can be incorporated, and to help students determine how they and their spiritual community can become involved in Prison Ministry. Anyone interested in Prison Ministry can join the next series of classes which will begin in the Fall 2025 term.