Our Saviour’s finds new ministry at Mission Creek prison

BREMERTON — Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Bremerton gave up serving weekly dinners to the homeless in 2009, when the local transit company cut service and those in need couldn’t get to the downtown church.
Since then, members had been searching for a ministry to replace it.
Until now.
The congregation has begun ministering to incarcerated women at Mission Creek Corrections Center in Belfair. Members made the connection through Empowering Life, which Sharon Peterson and Joan Nelson lead, and took it from there.
The goal is to mentor imprisoned women who are within two years of release.
Today, about five members of Our Saviour’s visit Mission Creek once a month and spend time in conversation with the incarcerated women.
“And we are enjoying them so much,” said one of the Our Saviour’s participants, Lis Lusk.
Some of the imprisoned women worry about re-entering the outside.
“There’s one whose faith is so strong, but she worries about her addiction,” Lusk said.
Lusk said she knows her congregation can make a difference.
“Once the women get out, the more people they know that care about their success, the more likely they are to be successful.” Pictured: Lis Lusk