Rex Hopper was coming to the end of a life sentence for having killed his fiancée in 1995. After killing her, he turned the shotgun on himself, blowing half his face away. He survived to become, as a chaplain described him, “a generous, loving man”.

In charge of the unit’s maintenance shed, Rex was asked for a screwdriver by a new inmate, Emani Seu. His refusal triggered a savage and violent attack, which could not have been predicted. But the shock and disbelief of the tragedy were soon eased by God’s power. The Prison unit staff, devastated as they were, moved amongst the inmates, hugging them, crying with them, and praying with them. Christians and non-Christians alike, including prison staff from other units, joined to support each other.

That evening, we held a church service outside the prison at the Upper Hutt Christian Fellowship, where staff, volunteers, and church leaders prayed and shared their grief about the event. Phil McCarthy, General Manager of Public Prisons, arrived  unannounced, and read from the Bible. He gave assurances that the incident would not diminish the Department’s support for the unit.

On the morning of Friday, 5th April, the inmates were unlocked for a two-hour service, organised by Prison Fellowship and the chaplaincy. Chaplains,
staff and inmates all contributed to the service,
which included music and singing which could only
be described as heavenly. Again, tears flowed, and
people openly supported and hugged one another.
Prison Fellowship executive director Kim Workman
described a wonderful sense of unity of spirit, as
inmates and others struggled to accept what had
happened.

“Then an awesome thing happened. The inmates
as a group resolved that this was a call on their lives
to Godliness. They decided to stop grizzling and
complaining, to desist from pettiness and power
plays, and follow Christ with more determination
than ever before.”

Senior staff of the Department of Corrections who
visited the unit later that morning were amazed at
how settled and unified the inmates and staff were,
Mr Workman said. Such incidents often took weeks
to recover from; he acknowledged the effect of the
Christian spirit.

Visitors, the police and staff were all deeply
touched by the prisoners’ response. A Maori elder
(kaumatua) who took part in a blessing of the unit
noted the inmates’ new sincerity, as displayed in
gesture, prayer and song.

Prison Fellowship and prison staff representatives
also visited the family of the murder victim, sharing
their grief and their faith with them to assist their
recovery. In November 2004, Emani Seu was tried
and found guilty for the murder of Rex Hooper.

The murder marked a turning point in the unit’s journey. People responded to each other with
increased care and sensitivity, conscious of the need
to support one another in times of need and stress,
says Mr Workman. Prison management then
recognised the need to provide inmates with
pastoral support as they continued to face the
challenges of living in a Christian community inside
a jail.

Mr Workman concludes: “And so we moved
forward, our resolve strengthened, and our unity
strengthened through shared grief. While we will
continue to face challenges, we now feel equipped to
face them. If there is one scripture that gives us
direction and inspiration, it surely must be Paul’s
words in Romans (8:28): “And we know that God
causes everything to work together for the good of
those who love God and are called according to his
purpose for them”.”

This article originally appeared in Inside Out: the official newsletter of Prison Fellowship New Zealand and is reprinted here by permission. For more information of PF New Zealand please see http://www.pfnz.org.nz/.