by Chuck Lang
St. Peter's Missions & Evangelism Ministry's Core focus in the month of November is Prison Ministry
I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you visited me.
–Matthew 25:36
Why should any Christian do prison ministry? If you had asked me that in my early 20s I would have told you two things that were wrong. First, I would have said I was a Christian. Second, that we should put all criminals in prison and throw away the key. Fast forward 10 years, when a few years after I received Christ, Bobby Carrouth stood up during announcements and reminded us that Jesus told us to visit those in prison.
He was right, so I decided to go on one Kairos weekend even though it was out of my comfort zone. I could check the box. I signed up and to my relief, the volunteers received great training and we all became better friends, almost like that was the plan. Long story short, the prisoners were a blast to hang out with. My job was mainly to sit at a table and enjoy the program. You can imagine the kind of upbringing most of them had–very little love or affirmation. They receive more love, freedom, and respect during one Kairos weekend than they typically have experienced in years. The encouragement they received was contagious. By the end of the second day (3.5 day weekend), the Holy Spirit was bouncing off the walls and into all of our hearts.
By the end of the weekend, ALL lives were changed. Many heard the full story of Jesus and His good news for the first time and received Him as their Lord and Savior. They realized they could be forgiven and began to forgive others for the first time. Tough men broke down and shed tears as the walls they built up were broken down through the love of Christ.
Volunteers’ lives are changed too. We experience the love of Christ unlike anywhere else I know. We don’t take Jesus to the inmates; He is sitting there waiting for us. The Holy Spirit flows through the volunteers and the inmates. We are blown away by the love they receive and then share. The first few Kairos weekends I went on, I patted myself on the back for loving the inmates. Then, I realized it was God loving them, not me. VERY humbling that he could use forgiven sinners to love others. We serve a mighty big God. I hope and pray that you can come and see Him in action. I believe the devil does all he can to make prison ministry 'unpopular' and thereby to steal blessings God planned for you.
Why should you do prison ministry? To experience the love of Christ in a powerful way. To be obedient to Jesus (Matthew25:31-46). To get out of your comfort zone and closer to brothers in Christ and the Lord.
How do I participate? Just show up at the team meetings. See page 2 of The Keys for dates. If you can’t come to the first one or two reach out to Jason White, Bobby Carrouth, or me. There is a background check that takes a little time.
I am unable to go on this weekend; how else can I participate? Pray for the inmates and team members, write letters, make posters, come to some of the team meetings to learn more.
A tribute to our prison ministry spiritual leader. God called Bobby Carrouth to prison ministry many years ago and gets all the credit. God then used Bobby to bless and call many, many men and is like one of King David’s mighty men–A true warrior for the Lord.
Other prison ministries. We focused on Kairos in this article due to the upcoming weekend. St. Peter's also brings Celebrate Recovery to prison and is working to expand our re-entry partnerships with the Good Samaritan Network and Good News Outreach. Let us know if you might be willing to help in some of this work that will include construction, fellowship, and other work together.
In God’s Great Power,
Chuck Lang