Above: Twenty years ago, singer-songwriter John Flynn was challenged to put his faith into action. He has done just that with the creation of New Beginnings-Next Step. Photo by Jim Graham.
By Andrea Smith
John Flynn draws inspiration for his music from relationships, religion, current events, and prisons in Delaware. The singer-songwriter sits with inmates weekly just to listen to whatever is on their mind and build rapport.
Whether it’s deep sadness
Or borderline madness
Do not disrespect it
Or look for the exit
Stand in the breach, brother
Stand with one another
Your presence, sweet sister
Can heal and minister
Those lyrics from his song, “Don’t Just Do Something (Stand There),” describe his disposition when meeting with them. Flynn has done something by creating the nonprofit New Beginnings-Next Step, which supports men in Delaware prisons as they seek to better themselves and reintegrate into society. However, he’s learned that his purpose for being there is not to solve their problems, but simply to encourage conversations of personal development.
“It’s almost never me that comes up with the answers or the solutions, but the wisdom that those guys bring to the circle — the wisdom that they’ve accumulated through so many years, so many challenges — is incredible and inspiring,” says Flynn.
New Beginnings-Next Step offers peer-support groups at three correctional institutions in New Castle County that give men an opportunity to discuss their frustrations, hopes, and goals without prison guards or another authority taking notes. It’s a setting where volunteers — many of whom previously served time in prison — sit with 10 to 30 incarcerated men and offer accountability as they reflect on their priorities and long-term change.
“We go in, we say a short prayer to whatever name we call God in our hearts, we do a short mindfulness or meditation exercise, kind of center ourselves, and leave some of the noise outside,” describes Flynn. “[Prison] is a very noisy place, not just literally, but emotionally. And then we say, ‘What’s on fire?’ or ‘What’s heavy on your heart?’”
The mission goes beyond emotional wellness for inmates and primarily reduces recidivism. Delaware prisons release around 2,000 people each year, and according to the state’s latest data, 65% of those returning citizens are rearrested within three years.
For Greg Lashbrook, a volunteer who first experienced New Beginnings as an inmate in 2012, the peaceful environment drew him to the group and motivated him to prepare for life after prison.
“The one commonality that everybody has is trying to better themselves to the point that when they go home, they remain free,” says Lashbrook. “It was very refreshing to walk through the door and be greeted by a group of men that were all working to better their lives. I think that’s a rarity just in society in general, let alone around a bunch of people who are incarcerated.”
Living The Dream
Flynn first got involved 20 years ago when Brother David Schlatter challenged him to put his faith into action and lead the only New Beginnings group at the time in Howard R. Young Correctional Institution.
“I kind of went in there not knowing if I’d be of any use to anybody, because I hadn’t had a lot of overlap experientially with the guys that I met,” he recalls. “I led a pretty privileged life.”
Flynn grew up in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, learning guitar from his uncle, playing in church and in bars, and discovering that this talent could garner the ladies’ attention and a little money. While studying political science at Philadelphia’s Temple University, a counselor suggested he become a lawyer or a preacher. He also considered going to the U.S. Naval Academy, until he realized he’d have to leave his guitar behind during training.
Moving to Nashville solidified his dreams of becoming a musician, and after some time as a starving artist, his career took off when he signed with a music publishing company. “The first song I ever had recorded was by a guy named Billy Swan,” Flynn adds, “who had had a big number one single called ‘I Can Help.’”
Flynn sports a shirt promoting New Beginnings-Next Step during an appearance at Citizens Bank Park. Photo courtesy John Flynn.
Flynn’s own folk songs share stories of redemption, mourn for the homeless and the hungry, declare that Black Lives Matter, and convey a universal need for mercy and “sweet forgiveness.” But his catalog of 10-plus albums isn’t one note — he’s a father and grandfather with hits about crayons, ducks and manatees.
After taking over the New Beginnings meetings, Flynn realized a need that his music could help fund. Men were leaving prison and still seeking that peer support, along with resources to build a new life, so he launched the Next Step component and incorporated fundraising at his concerts to pay for care packages that included clothes, bus passes and grocery store gift cards. Weekly Next Step meetings take place in Wilmington and are accessible via Zoom to assist returning citizens as they find transportation, secure a job, maintain sobriety, or face other challenges in reintegration.
“Knowing that we’re there for them when they leave — that establishes our credibility on the inside,” says Flynn. “Guys became more invested in New Beginnings once they realized there was a next step, because I was coming back in every week with stories about guys who they had done time with.”
A father and self-described “huge car guy,” Lashbrook loves his job as the general manager for an automotive group, takes vacations, and appreciates quality time with his family.
Six years after being released, Tyrone Mathis has overcome his drug addiction and is also “living the dream” — enjoying trips to the shore, attending church, cooking with his girlfriend, and spending time with his kids. He works as a peer lead at the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and returns regularly to the prisons as a New Beginnings-Next Step volunteer.
“For men, it’s hard to reach out for help. You know, we are cut from this cloth where we think we’ve got it all figured out and we can do just about anything,” he admits. “The New Beginnings-Next Step groups allow you to not have to figure it out all on your own, and it allows you to ask for that help and to still feel good about yourself… They have shown me that I am worth more than the worst thing I’ve done, and that there’s potential in everyone.”
Advocating Through Art
Most of the New Beginnings-Next Step members know John Flynn, the program’s executive director, but not the award-winning musician. Only occasionally, when it feels relevant and appropriate, does he play for them.
While incarcerated, Rick McCane bonded with Flynn over a shared love for music. “He brought his guitar in, and I thought he was gonna give us a little concert,” McCane remembers. “But he handed me the guitar, and he broke out a harmonica.” They played and sang along to Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” as laughter, cheers, and singing erupted from the other men in jumpsuits.
McCane says that Flynn and the volunteers don’t badger anyone to attend meetings, so everyone who does show up is personally motivated.
“Men in prison, one of the first things they do when there’s a group or program, is they want to know about ‘good time,’” says McCane. “Am I gonna get out of jail earlier [by attending]? And this program offered no ‘good time.’”
Since McCane’s release last November, he’s attended Next Step meetings on Zoom while studying at the First State Community Action Agency’s culinary school and completing requirements to become a peer support specialist for the state.
“When you get out, it’s up to you,” he says. “They’ll help you out if you help yourself.”
To continue offering services for returning citizens, Flynn headlines a benefit concert every year and will host his first at the Gild Hall in Arden on Saturday, Sept. 27. He dropped a few singles earlier this year and plans to release two albums before the concert.
“Material has been kind of presenting itself to me in the last year, so I’ve been writing like crazy, which I kind of thought I wouldn’t be doing at this point,” says Flynn. “I don’t suppose there’s any way I can stop. It’s my attempt to make sense out of what I’m experiencing and seeing in the world.”
—John Flynn will perform at Arden Gild Hall on Sept. 27 starting at 8pm. More at ArdenConcerts.com
