Elisha tries her hand at guitar while Max shows her how to play a couple notes.
Max McClure grew up in a Covenant church in Salina, Kansas, but for the past eight years he has been serving halfway around the world. McClure moved to the Czech Republic in his 20s after feeling called to ministry in central Europe. He was particularly drawn to the Czech Republic because of its history of communism and atheism, a context he thought would be interesting for a Christian.
While McClure was studying for a master’s degree in international economic and political studies at Charles University in Prague, his research on prisoners’ debts opened his eyes to the realities of incarceration.
Two years ago he joined the staff of Prison Fellowship, a nonprofit serving people who are or have been incarcerated. He is quick to say that he learns as much from being in relationship with those experiencing incarceration as they do from him. “When it’s transformative for me, that models transformation for others,” he says. He is quick to say that he is just one person on a team of people who have “a wealth of experience and the eyes of God.”
Once a month he and his team go to visit the women’s prison in the small town of Světlá nad Sázavou to meet with women who are preparing for release. They build relationships, provide counseling, discuss a passage of Scripture, and sing together. McClure brings his guitar.
“There’s not a lot of live music in prison,” he says. The women often talk about difficult topics with their counselors, such as who they want to be as they prepare for release and what barriers they are encountering to those goals. “Music gives a moment to reflect, a chance to lighten our hearts with song,” McClure says.
Club 2 Fish makes hats with kids whose mom or dad is in prison during a Christmas-time celebration.
The team as a whole is “focused on internal transformation, where people recognize that God can set them free from their internal prison. If you’re not free internally, when you get out, it’s not going to fix that.”
Another way McClure serves is through Dream Academy, a mentoring program for daughters of parents who are in prison. McClure and his team of mentors meet monthly with girls and have special events. Mentors—women in their late 20s and early 30s—also communicate with the girls throughout the month.
The girls are often proximate to criminal activity and need guidance through challenging situations. They are often expected to shoulder adult responsibilities at a young age, and many provide caregiving for those who should be caring for them. Sometimes they experience bullying at school, even from teachers, for having a parent in prison. The message they hear is, “You’re going to turn out just like your mom.” Dream Academy is an opportunity for them to experience a safe, caring environment.
McClure provides a positive male presence, acts as a facilitator, and provides music. He talks with girls who want to practice speaking English, and he helps facilitate guest speakers, such as Grace Shim, executive minister of Serve Globally, who visited last year.
“I had the privilege to witness Max’s heart for the prisoners’ children and his efforts to provide a safe space where they are accepted, encouraged, and connected to each other,” Shim said. “One daughter shared with me how this group was her place of joy amidst the pain and shame she carries at school and home. These children demonstrate so much courage!”
McClure also participates with Angel Camps—free overnight camp experiences for children of prisoners. At the camps, McClure and the teamwork to find something each kid is good at and give them a medal to let them know that they are valuable. They also maintain relationships with kids who age out of the camp by inviting them back as helpers and mentors.
Dream Academy enjoys a picnic and a view of the Prague skyline on the hill called “Petřín.”
Finally, McClure helps lead a food and fellowship program for released prisoners, which is connected to a local food bank. Formerly incarcerated folks come for sharing time, to meet with mentors about their needs and challenges, hear a short message from Scripture, sing songs, and pray together. They leave with a box of food.
McClure says they recognize there is no guarantee that working with prisoners and their families will change lives immediately. The people he works with still experience significant challenges, but he says he has two reasons for optimism. First, “we have long-term relationships with a number of clients, which is different from nonprofits that just address a specific short-term need, like employment or housing, although those are so needed,” McClure said. “We have the privilege of long-term relationships.”
Second, he says, “We’re clear-eyed but hopeful for God’s transformation. Sometimes we never know the outcome. But maybe they remember down the road that they were once loved and knew people who had joy and loved God.”
