Have you ever missed the end of your favourite TV programme?

Not knowing how stories conclude can be very frustrating. Our curious minds mean that we like to know what happens next.

The same can be said of our work in prisons. PF Volunteers will encounter people in prison as part of a Sycamore Tree course, while providing pastoral care or transcribing their Prayer Line requests. And then, these people are transferred or released from prison. Despite knowing that we can trust their care into God’s hands, we are left thinking about how their story is going.

I want to tell you about Henry.

He was a learner on the first Sycamore Tree course that our Volunteer, Brian, facilitated. Henry also spent a lot of time in the prison chapel and became a Christian while serving his sentence and was baptised. Brian would often check in on Henry when visiting the prison. But then, one day, Henry was released. And Brian was left wondering and praying about his life on the outside.

A few years later, Brian was volunteering in a category A prison for the very first time. On his arrival, the Managing Chaplain smiled and said, ‘There’s someone in the chapel who would like to meet you.’ Brian wondered who this might be.

He walked in and there was Henry. He ran over and excitedly greeted Brian! But now Brian’s mind was racing. What on earth has happened for Henry to be in a category A prison? If he had been recalled here, he must have done something seriously wrong. He said, ‘Henry, what’s happened? Why are you back in prison?’

Henry laughed. ‘I’m not here as a prisoner. I am now a Group Facilitator, helping to run Sycamore Tree. The course had such a big impact on me that I wanted to help others to be transformed, too! I can never thank the Sycamore Tree team enough. They helped turn my life around.’

Brian had feared the worst. But Henry explained how he was now working and had been reunited with his family.

Henry’s journey encourages us that, while we may not learn the end of everyone’s story, we worship an incredible God. As Brian puts it, ‘I had no idea how Sycamore Tree might shape Henry’s life. But his story teaches us to be faithful in what we do—because we have no idea where these people are going to finish up. What a thrill that Henry went full circle and was back with PF volunteering in prison!’

And so, you and I now know what happened to Henry. But there are many other people for whom we do not know the end of their story. But what we can be sure of—even when we don’t witness it—is that Sycamore Tree is transforming the lives of learners on every course taking place across England and Wales.

This year, the demand for Sycamore Tree is such that we are being asked to run more courses than ever before.

Please could you prayerfully consider making a gift today to help ensure that when a prison requests a Sycamore Tree course, we are always able to say, ‘Yes.’

We may never hear the end of our graduates’ stories after they leave prison. But we know that Sycamore Tree will give them a better chance to turn their lives around.