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Bankers Invest in Prisoners
Why would a bank that had been robbed on several occations reach out to prisoners - including the very people who had robbed it?
It started with just one small act of kindness, but it grew to become an inspiring story of how God can bring about unexpected reconciliation and transformation. When Westpac Bank Customer Service Manager Eunice Heritage suggested to her co-workers that they reach out to the families of prisoners in their area, she expected some objections. After all, the Suva, Fiji, branch of the Wespac Bank where they worked had been the target of several robberies over the years and some of the employees still had vivid memories of the harrowing experiences. But to her surprise, all of her co-workers agreed to help, choosing to forgo their annual Christmas party and instead use the money to help the poorest of prisoners‘ families in their area.
They contacted PF Fiji who quickly surveyed the community to identify the families most in need. The staff of Westpac then purchased food packages for 30 families, as well as toys and children‘s books. PF arranged for the families to gather at the Suva Prison Headquarters so the Westpac staff could personally distribute the gifts. The employees were so moved by the families‘ plights that they determined to continue to provide help. They volunteered to participate in PF Fiji‘s Angel Tree® programme and even offered to pay the school fees for some of the children.
A few months later the Wespac staff joined PF to visit the inmates of Suva Prison, hoping to meet the fathers of the children they were helping. The prisoners were grateful for the staff‘s assistance and for their visit. During the visit one of the prisoners directed an unexpected apology at the Westpac employees who were of Indian descent. He was a former CRW (Counter Revolutionary Warfare) soldier who was asking forgiveness for his part in the 2000 coup that deposed the country‘s first Indian Prime Minister. Relations between ethnic Indians and native Fijians have been tense ever since. One of the Westpac employees offered the man forgiveness on behalf of all of the Indian staff present. "Tears were noticed in the eyes of our Indian brothers and sisters," said PF Fiji Executive Director Jack Simpson. "A healing of spirits took place that day."
Encouraged by what had taken place, the Westpac staff began making other prison visits every few months, later visiting the women‘s prison where several prisoners told of how their lives have been transformed by the Lord.
Next, PF gathered 150 prisoners together for the Westpac staff‘s visit to another men‘s prison. Eunice mentioned to the men that Westpac Bank had been the target of several robberies and that one of their staff members had been particularly traumatized by a robbery. When the victim stood and recalled the incident, one of the prisoners came forward to reveal that he had been one of the perpetrators. He expressed his regret and asked her forgiveness, which she graciously granted. “Forgiveness is the sealing act of reconciliation by the victim towards the perpetrator,” notes Jack. “With that out of the way, both can get on with living the abundant life in Jesus Christ.”
For their work in helping prisoners and their families, Westpac‘s Suva Branch employees won Westpac‘s global Community Award. They chose to donate the prize money ($10,000AUD/$7,500 USD) to PF Fiji. The Westpac employees plan to continue to volunteer with Prison Fellowship and they especially hope to help the children of prisoners.
When Westpac employees began reaching out to prisoners and their families, a healing took place among all the participants. Their experience underlines the important role of the community in helping prisoners successfully reintegrate back into life on the outside. Thanks to PF Fiji and these committed volunteers, prisoners in Suva are that much closer to effectively rejoining their communities and their families.
