Fifteen years ago, one Seed was sent to one prisoner at the request of his mother, a longtime friend of the Ministry.  Today we send over 19,000 Seeds of Hope devotionals and copies of our monthly Sowing & Reaping Publication to prisoners every month.  We also have over 475 prisoners enrolled in our Prisoner Certificate Program.

Each day we receive many prayer requests and letters from prisoners sharing their personal needs and issues. It is essential for us to show them how important they are to the Lord and to us as well. Not only do we pray for each one, but we also respond to their individual requests for study Bibles, correspondence courses, and literature relating to their concerns and questions and the difficulties they may be experiencing. We also send books that contain the Gospel message and a detailed plan of salvation for them to return to us if or when they make a profession of faith in Christ. 

Every week we received heartfelt letters from prisoners proclaiming they have accepted Christ due to encountering God’s Word through these materials. Upon their profession of faith, we send them “The New Believer’s Packet,” enroll them in a correspondence course, and add them to our personalized mailing list. 

A significant part of our correspondence is led by a group of dedicated volunteers who meet weekly to pray over prisoner prayer requests and letters and then respond to each one with a personal handwritten letter. The issues addressed include questions about what it means to be saved, how to become a Christian, the Bible, their walk with the Lord, abandonment, and rejection from their families and friends, fear for their well-being and life, the threat of gangs, and other concerns. For many, we are the only ones who write them and let them see God’s love, compassion, and concern.

Teaching prisoners to become missionaries to other prisoners, like the Apostle Paul, is the goal of our Prisoner Certificate Program. Through our newsletter to prisoners, we regularly invite them to apply for our three-phase certificate program. Those who apply must complete a lengthy application and be carefully screened prior to being accepted into the program. The three phases of the Certificate Program are as follows: 

• Understanding the Christian Faith

• The Apostle Paul: The Man, His Message, and Mission

• Doing the Work of a Prisoner 

Imagine, if you can, the immense impact these individuals will have as they share the message of God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation, hope, and eternal life with fellow prisoners. Our goal is to train each participant to become a “Paul-like” missionary who will be serving the Lord while in prison and beyond. Rather than “serving time,” they will be “serving the Lord” as His servants and witnesses as they interact with other prisoners.

Certificate Program Courses:

Level One: Understanding The Christian Faith
This initial phase leads the prisoner to thoroughly understand the basic principles and apply them to their lives. Unless they understand and live their faith in front of and with other prisoners, they cannot be effective witnesses for Christ. It’s “Christ in me, with me and through me,” that our Prisonaries can serve the Lord as He deserves to be served.

Level Two: The Message and Mission of Paul
This phase of training is an investigation into the life, teaching and ministry of Paul in prison. It is essential for the prisoners to understand who Paul was, what led him to what he believed, how Christ gained control of his life, and then what he did to serve his Lord while in prison. Some prisoners will be locked up for 10, 20, 30 --some even more years that that—and they will have countless opportunities to serve the Lord.

Level Three: How To Lead Prisoners To Jesus and Minister In Small Groups
After learning the essentials of their faith and knowing how Paul served the Lord by witnessing to and working with others and teaching the truths of the Bible, this phase is a “how to do it” or an “applied Christian living” study. Prisoners will learn the steps to use when leading a person to Christ or getting them involved in studying the Bible, and how to lead others in a study of God’s Word.

Examples of Coursework:

Question: What are some of the changes you have made in your life since you became a Christian?

Student Answer: I now read the Bible daily and also take 7 Bible study classes through correspondence. I do my best not to cuss or use vulgar language. I do my best to respect others: security guards, medical staff and inmates, and I take very little for granted, and in taking this course, I hope to begin to reach out to others, to share the gospel of Christ.

Question: Have you ever had things go wrong in your life? What storms have you weathered or are currently going through?

Student Answer: Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in my life.I turned my back on God, dated an abuser, ended up marrying him, having a family, and finally left him after over 24 years. We're still in that storm mentally, when I met my co-defendant and caught this charge. However, God never once left me and He guides me to change my life around, and even as of 10-16, was baptized.

Question: How do others know if Jesus is your best friend?

Student Answer: Via our character and actions, and all we do. We must set the example so everyone can see the light by obeying. Even in the smallest matters, people will know Jesus is our best friend. My life has changed forever. For the first time in my life, I have no vices and I am free on the inside, and I can't wait to be released to do the Lord's work.

Question: From your experiences, how have you seen God's hand is shaping you to resemble Christ?

Student Answer: Peter tells us these things about Jesus. He committed no sin. Nor was deceit found in his mouth. When he was abused, he did not return the abuse while suffering, he made no threats. Instead, he kept entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously. I confess I am neither sinless nor always truthful. I still get angry, hold grudges and sometimes even seek revenge. But I can still see God’s hand in shaping me to be more Christ like day by day through the experiences he allows into my life. I'm getting better and better at dealing with such issues.