“I am here to shine for the Lord.”

Pauline Levert
Special to Spur Ottawa

The Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) has had a lot of recent coverage in the news because of serious issues with the province. Carl Wake, the chaplain at OCDC, has been there for almost 27 years. He says the media is doing interviews with the only available sources: inmates and union reps, which are slanted in their opinions and make management look bad.

“Institutional staff are not allowed to comment on things that are happening,” Wake says. “One could lose their job for speaking out of turn. Official government sources carefully tell details that will make the government look good.”

He admits it’s stressful to see the news and not be able to tell another side of the story. Wake thinks people should take the media with a grain of salt. He says management deals with unbelievable situations daily and are doing their best given the constraints.

Regarding his work at OCDC, Wake says, “Evangelism and proselytism are frowned upon. So I wait patiently and do my job to the best of my abilities.”

“I wait until I am asked for the reason for my hope within.”

Building a rapport with staff and inmates produces occasions when they ask questions and he can share the gospel. It’s a waiting game, but one that is well worth it.

Wake says, “I am here to shine for the Lord and build relationships. Based on 1 Peter 3:15, I wait until I am asked for the reason for my hope within. These occasions come out of the blue and are treasured.”

For example, a staff member told him he had a day of peace and joy he rarely experienced by choosing not to be angry and bitter, but forgive. Wake encouraged him that God is working in his life.

Trusting is difficult in prison, but that doesn’t deter Wake. He valiantly says, “The more glory God gets, bring it on. I’m not in this because I like easy.”

Wake doesn’t work alone. Volunteers and other Christians brave the cold weather to join him at the Centre for a prayer walk, which was inspired by Love Ottawa.

Volunteers gather for a prayer walk at the entrance to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. Chaplain Carl Wake is the first from the left. Photo by Pauline Levert.

The volunteers come from all walks of life. Julie, who preferred not to share her family name, volunteers at the detention centre in Hull. In the past, she had trouble with the law and spent time in jail.

“I was in trouble, in jail, and would have listened to anything that could help,” Julie says. “Some inmates have no hope. Many blame God. I tell them God helped change my life. I bring a message of hope. They can know it’s possible to be free, have peace, and live without drugs and alcohol.”

Wake says his most rewarding experiences are “when ex-inmates contact me out of the blue and tell me how my interaction with them changed their lives and that they have turned their lives around through Jesus.”

Wake says, “I cannot count how many ex-inmates have thanked me for the simple act of handing them a Bible. I would not be anywhere else, but at OCDC. It is an absolute privilege!”