Christian Legal Society plans to help man prayer station outside Indiana courthouse
It isn’t just in the courtroom that some attorneys, judges and other legal professionals hope to make a difference.
The Christian Legal Society, in partnership with Courtside Ministries, is planning to staff a prayer table for those with business in the Elkhart County, Indiana, courthouse, according to the Goshen Daily News.
Starting Wednesday, the groups will oversee the table outside the Goshen building one morning a week. Eventually, as more volunteers from local churches become involved, they hope to expand, Michael Kienapple of Courtside Ministries explains.
The courthouse prayer program was started in Colorado in 2009 by Christian Legal Society attorney Tyler Makepeace and has since expanded to California, Illinois and North Carolina, as well as Indiana.
Courtside Ministries seeks provide services to “the many people who come to court scared and overwhelmed or leave the court devastated or depressed,” without interfering with court operations, Kienapple told the newspaper.
“Our practice is to set up a small table with Bibles and other literature, all of which is free, outside the courthouse in the public space,” he said. “Our ministry name and phone number are displayed clearly on a tablecloth to ensure there is no suggestion of government sponsorship. We also have several volunteers at each location who are trained to ensure that they do not impede pedestrian traffic and respect security.”
