New London ― The prison ministry at Shiloh New London Church will host its 12th annual Community Prison Awareness & Prevention Gathering on Saturday, Oct. 22.

This year’s theme is “Transforming Lives During a Global Crisis.” There will be a greeting from community leaders, a panel discussion, testimonies, vaccine clinic, voters registration and more, according to a news release.

The event will be held at Shiloh, 1 Gavin St., at 9 a.m. in-person after two years of it being virtual. Face coverings are required. For those that cannot attend in-person, the event will be live streamed on Shiloh’s Facebook and social media outlets.

Winston Taylor, facilitator of the prison ministry, said it chose the theme to “take a moment to reflect on the impacts (COVID-19) has had in people’s lives” and not just in the bad but good ways. He said people have opened new businesses or learned new employable skills during this time.

Taylor said medical professionals will also speak on the impacts of the pandemic and how people can continue to protect themselves.

“The virus is not going away and we just need to understand it, protect ourselves and move forward with our lives,” he said. “We can’t allow our lives to be imprisoned.”

There will also be light refreshments available and a presentation of the 2022 Community Service Recognition Award.

The conference is free but registration is required. Those interested can register online or contact the administrative office at 860-443-6046, ext. 110.

The church asks for volunteers to help out during the day of the event. Monetary donations are also welcomed. To volunteer or donate, contact Taylor at Winston_taylor@sbcglobal.net or call at 860-889-3292.

j.vazquez@theday.com