Category Archives: Jail Ministry
Community Impact AND Church Growth = Success
- “What difference does it make if your church grows but the community stays the same?”
- “If community transformation became the measure of our success, how would our churches and our communities look different?”
- “If the church were absent from the community would anyone miss it except for its own members?”
- “If you asked someone in your community who doesn’t go to your church what your church is known for, what would they say?”
- “How sad we’ve settled for a growing campus instead of striving for a transformed community.”
Challenging questions/quotes from Bob Roberts books Transformation & Multiplying Church that have pushed me to measure more than just the nickels & noses on Sunday’s at church. It’s easier to count nickels & noses & its more instantly gratifying. Now, after four years of insisting on community impact along with a growing crowd on Sunday, we’ve found the community tallying up our success for us.
A 2012 Graduating Class from Project 180.
This week officials from our local sheriff’s dept called to confirm some of the numbers from our ministry called Project 180. It’s a 26-week Discipleship/Recovery Course that seeks to prepare men in local work releases for re-entry into society after incarceration. We currently have over 125 men in the course in two facilities. We’ve had over 500 men participate since 2010 & 210 have completed the course & been rewarded with time off their sentence by the Dept of Corrections. The sheriff’s dept informed us that these numbers mean that our program has saved tax payers around $238,000 since 2010. They’re also tracking a decrease in recidivism (inmates returning to jail after release, which costs on average $24,000 per year) & credit programs like ours for helping with that. Great to see the community measuring the impact of the body of Christ!
And for us, we’re still tracking the church growth stuff as well. 30+ men have been baptized, over 100 have been saved, over 100 have participated in a Sunday morning Bible Study at the jail each week, and over 100 volunteers have served at the facility.
How is the community measuring the impact of your church? What is a big need in your community that your church could begin to address? Where is the church not, & how can you go there to bring community transformation?
Church Multiplication INSIDE
Shane O’Hara (left) director of Team 518. Dave (right), Inmate Chaplain & Church Planter at a South Louisiana Jailhouse.
Dave is now a hero of mine. Met him this week and learned about his church starting endeavor INSIDE one of South Louisiana’s Jailhouses. He served there as an inmate chaplain. He will be released on Friday and will continue his mission on the OUTSIDE. Pray for Dave and others like him who are overcoming and helping others overcome through prison ministry. Pray for the many Inmate Chaplains, reaching out to those INSIDE like none of us can.
If you’re interested in joining men like Dave and being ON MISSION to those in prison, shoot me a line. Laborers are needed to facilitate Celebrate Recovery, Fatherhood classes, Financial Planning classes, Discipleship courses, or help with churches starting INSIDE.
“I was in prison and you came to me” ~ Jesus, Matthew 25:42
“I was in prison and you came to me” ~Jesus #prisonministry #faithinaction
Finished up another round of our Recovery & Re-Entry Program at our local jail last night. Very proud of the 37 men who are graduating from the program called Project 180 and the guys who volunteer their time each week to facilitate and encourage. This has been an incredible experience for me personally and for our church as we’ve sought to be present in and bring light to some of our communities dark places. So many stories of transformation. So many stories still in need of intervention. From some recent Project 180 participants:
- “I’m 50 years old and I’ve never completed anything. This year I’ve completed two courses through Project 180 and Bridge Church.
- “I thank God for not only second chances, but many chances. And I would like to take this opportunity to get my life on track so that I can be a positive influence to my kids and grandkids. I look forward to hearing the words “Daddy” and “Grandpa.” And to being able to fulfill what those words really mean.”
- from a mother of an inmate, “I’ve had 3 out of 4 sons die before the age of 18 due to drugs, alcohol, and violence. Thanks for helping my 4th son rise above.”
- from a sister of an inmate, “Thank you for helping my brother feel like a human being again.”
- “my dad left when I was 6 weeks old. My mom died of a drug overdose when I was 13. She left me a note on her death bed that said, ‘Baby, please don’t get addicted to drugs.’ She didn’t know it, but I was already addicted to drugs.”
Contact me if you’d like to get involved. We have a worship gathering at our local jail every Sunday at 9AM. Celebrate Recovery is Monday & Thursday, 7pm-9pm. Fathering Course called Malachi Dads meets on Sunday’s at 7pm. There are other opportunities to teach and encourage. In 2012, we’re hoping to get an ongoing Financial Planning, Parenting, and Healthy Relationship courses going. As well as continue with quarterly Block parties for inmate families and weekly worship gatherings.
This Sunday we’ll be doing a special Father’s Day Block Party for Inmate families. Flyer is attached. Call me if you’d like to participate.
Louisiana’s Incarcerated #nola #prisonministry
The Times-Pic / Nola.com article series on Louisiana’s Prison system has been very interesting. The report says that we incarcerate more people per capita than any other place in the world. And often local economies are built around the local prison. Today’s article was about how few have access to re-entry classes and programs. It’s true in St. Tammany as well. Two big reasons: little space & few volunteers. Our church has made St. Tammany’s Jail a place of engagement since 2008. We’ve taught Celebrate Recovery, Fathering Classes, Relationship Skills, & helped inmates connect with their families on the outside. The problem is we are few in number & the work takes a big toll on volunteers over time. More volunteers are needed who are willing to spend weekly or monthly times teaching, encouraging, etc. A few reasons why I believe the church MUST take the lead:
- Jesus’ call on those who are part of his kingdom in Matthew 25:36 – “I was in prison and you visited me” (NLT).
- A majority of our local inmates will be neighbors again. We have an opportunity to give them some tools to help them be productive upon release. But also to restore their dignity & let them know someone cares. As a relative of an inmate told me after one of our Family events at the Jail, “Thank you for helping my brother feel like a person again.”
- Each inmate represents a network of relationships that are many times at risk & isolated. A mom that’s heart broken, kids that are ashamed & without role models, wives forced to care for a household without an income. And many of these struggling with addiction & bitterness & loneliness themselves. When I think of Christ’s words, “sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), my mind turns pretty quickly to this population segment. And the numbers hit us hard in this area: 41% of current inmates had a relative in prison. 25% of current inmates had a dad in prison. Could we stop this cycle through kindness, concern, & intentional Christian love?
- The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). They need re-entry classes & life-skill training. They need to know people care & want them to succeed. But ultimately, they need to hear the Gospel & have the opportunity to be transformed by the power of God. We I saw the words in this morning’s paper – “few have access to the classes.” It hit me hard, b/c in my experience few have access to the Gospel as well.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:38 (ESV)
How can you help?
- Volunteer to teach a class. Some of the biggest needs are Bible Study, Celebrate Recovery, Financial Planning, Relationships Skills, GED Tutoring, Literacy.
- Attend one of our family day events at our local jail. Next ones will be June 17 & July 29.
- Serve as a sponsor or mentor for an inmate in recovery.
- Serve as a mentor for an inmates child in our area. Our church will be doing a Mentor training on June 2 at the Groves Apartment Complex in Covington.
Email me about these or other opportunities.
It’s easy to talk bad about “the system.” Harder to sacrifice yourself to do something about it.
It’s easy to talk bad about “the system.” Harder to teach a class at the jail, mentor a child, sponsor an addict in recovery.
Words Matter
“You’ll probably end up in jail one day!”
I’ve taught classes in our local jail for 3 years now. I ask every class, approximately 70 men at a time, how many heard the above statement as a child. Every time 33%+ raise their hands. Unscientific. But if we could have added positive words of affirmation and/or Gospel centeredness to these lives, would things have gone differently before now. Can’t help but ask that.
- “I’m proud of you!”
- “God’s going to use you!”
- “I love you!”
- “You’re doing great!”
- “Jesus, loves you!”
- “I’m praying for you.”
These are words that shaped my mind and heart as a boy and I still love to hear them today. Trying to say them as many times as I can to my boys at home, to my new friends at our local jail, and to young boys that we’re hoping to get started in a mentoring program at local multi-housing complexes and to anyone else that will listen.
I also remember other words as well. In the 4th grade I tried out for basketball and didn’t make the team. I still remember the smell in the room, the sounds around me, and everything about that moment when the coach said, “YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH THIS YEAR!” She was right. And it inspired me to start practicing and better my game before try outs the next year. But HARSH and CARING words can both stick with us and shape our futures.
Proverbs 21:18 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
What words have shaped you? Are you passing them on to others? Are you passing on death or life to those around you with your words?
“I was in prison and you came to me”
Finished up another round of Celebrate Recovery at our local jail last week. Very proud of the 16 men who are graduating from our Re-entry program called Project 180 and the guys who volunteer their time each week to facilitate and encourage. This has been an incredible experience for me personally and for our church as we’ve sought to be present in and bring light to some of our communities dark places. So many stories that are being transformed by God. So many stories still in need of intervention. From some of this year’s Project 180 participants:
- “I’m 50 years old and I’ve never completed anything. This year I’ve completed two courses through Project 180 and Bridge Church.
- “I thank God for not only second chances, but many chances. And I would like to take this opportunity to get my life on track so that I can be a positive influence to my kids and grandkids. I look forward to hearing the words “Daddy” and “Grandpa.” And to being able to fulfill what those words really mean.”
- from a mother of an inmate, “I’ve had 3 out of 4 sons die before the age of 18 due to drugs, alcohol, and violence. Thanks for helping my 4th son rise above.”
- from a sister of an inmate, “Thank you for helping my brother feel like a human being again.”
- “after your classes and getting to know ya’ll a little bit, I realize you truly love not only Christ Jesus, but even a man like me. You guys have helped me and other see that despite our current situation and circumstances we can learn a new way to live. Thank you for your honesty and for caring about us.”
Contact me if you’d like to get involved. We have a worship gathering at our local jail every Sunday at 9AM. Celebrate Recovery is Thursday, 7pm-9pm. There are other opportunities to teach and encourage. In 2012, we’d love to get an ongoing Financial Planning, Parenting, and Healthy Relationship courses going. As well as continue with quarterly Block parties and weekly worship gatherings.
A Keepsake Made from a Prison Bed Sheet
Our church has been doing life on the inside for the past two years. On the inside of our local jail that is. We’ve treked with over 300 men through Celebrate Recovery and other Bible Studies. We’ve lost some guys and we’ve gained some brothers in Christ and some best friends. I’ve learned a lot about the gospel, about the sinfulness of sin, about justice, about grace. This week we received this simple drawing in the mail. Excerpts from the attached letter are below:
after listening to your classes and getting to know ya’ll a little bit, you truly love not only Christ Jesus, but even a man like me. You guys have helped me and other see that despite our current situation and circumstances we can learn a new way to live. Thank you for your honesty and for caring about us.
Grateful to be a part of a church that’s helping others “learn a new way to live.” Thankful to be serving a savior who loves “even a man like me.”
Getting involved in prison ministry is as simple as being willing and ready to be used. Contact me about local opportunities.
“he will turn the hearts of fathers to [their] children…”
Monday’s at our local jail, our church is doing a fathering group called Inside Out Dad. Why? The #1 request on our prison survey form was help with Parenting/Family Issues. Also, for every inmate (1,200+ in St. Tammany Parish) there is a family system on the outside that is hurting, at risk, and in need of the gospel. 20% of inmates are children of inmates (click here for stats on Father absence). 2.2 million children in the U.S. under the age of 18 have a parent in prison. The average age of these children is 8 years old. Compared to their peers, children of inmates are more likely to also end up in prison. If we prevent a child from following a lifestyle of crime we prevent one or more people from being a victim of crime, and cost to the government (estimated at $24,000 per year per inmate; $49 billion nationwide last year). A child’s connection with their Dad is key to many social indicators. I could go on, but in two weeks this study has touched deep issues that get to the heart of the problem of crime and incarceration. “I never had another person tell me, ‘I love you.’ growing up.” “I’ll never have kids b/c I don’t want to cause them the pain that my dad caused me.” And a deep longing to get it right… This is from the journal of an inmate in the group.
I thank God for not only second chances, but many chances. And I would like to take this opportunity to get my life on track so that I can be a positive influence to my kids and grandkids. I look forward to hearing the words “Daddy” and “Grandpa.” And to being able to fulfill what those words really mean.
The Old Testament closes with a promise in Malachi 4:6 – “he will turn the hearts of fathers to [their] children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” Praying to see hearts turned.
It’s easy to talk bad about “the system,” harder to teach a class at the local jail, mentor a child, invest in a single parent household. Check out these ministry resources if you’d like to get involved in Fatherhood/Incarceration/Prison Ministry/Mentoring fatherless kids, etc.:
- Life Coaches, Inc. – Local ministry linking fatherless children with mentors. Shane O’hara also leads fathering groups at Angola, Rayburn Correctional, and Hunt’s in Baton Rouge. He’s on the teaching team at our local jail as well. Also, look for info on volunteering with Shane at One Day With God or Returning Hearts event.
- Inside Out Dad – the 12-week workbook we’re utilizing at our local jail. Works good for facilities where sentences are short. Check it out and consider starting a group at your local jail.
- Malachi Dad’s – a longer, 12-month program for prisons or facilities with men that have longer sentences.
- YOU! If you know a single mom or family with an incarcerated loved one. Have them over and love on them. If you know a kid whose dad is incarcerated. Take them to the movie, pay their way into a community sports program, invite them to your church or on your family vacation. That would be more effective than 52 sermons.
- Let me know if you’d like to help provide the books and resources for our inmate programs at the St. Tammany Parish Jail.
Lane Corley 