(Aug. 1, 2007)
Walkathon set to help Lutheran prison ministry
You are invited to stretch your legs and/or loosen your wallet by participating in the annual St. Dysmas walkathon, being held in Baltimore for the first time on Sat., Oct. 20. The Community of St. Dysmas, Maryland's unique Lutheran congregation within prison walls, sponsors the event, with this year's theme being "You Will Never Walk Alone" (God is with you).
St. Dysmas is a member congregation of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, one of 65 geographic subdivisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a large, main-line Protestant denomination. At its annual assembly in June 2007, the synod set aside Sun., Oct. 21, 2007, to recognize and offer special support to the St. Dysmas ministry. St. Dysmas is unique in that it is a congregation operating independently of the state government within the walls of five Maryland Correctional System facilities in Jessup and Hagerstown.
This year's walkathon will raise money to support the Delaware-Maryland Synod's proposed teen drug rehabilitation center, Prison Congregations of America, and the St. Dysmas vision of offering hope to distressed inmates and compassion for those whose lives have been disrupted by incarceration within the Jessup and Hagerstown facilities.
Walkathon activities will begin at 1 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 20, at City Hall Plaza, next to Zion Lutheran Church, 400 E. Lexington St., in downtown Baltimore. The two-mile walkathon route will include the nearby Division of Correction's Detention Center (Central Booking) at 525 E. Madison St. A two-hour program is scheduled, including music, speakers, and displays by faith-based organizations doing prison ministry. Tentative plans include a voter registration table for ex-felons who have completed their prison terms and associated judicial requirements. This was made possible by a new Maryland law that took effect on July 1, 2007.
Click here for a registration form for walkathon participation.