Prison Ministry

Melvin Mitchell
Director
mitchellm@awconf.org

Overview

The litigious society in which we live dictates to legislators andprison officials the need to rid society of an individual guilty of felo-nious behavior. The physical depositories are known as prisons,which are considered to be instruments of control. The word “cor-rection” signifies a change in behavior and suggests rehabilitation.However, this is a misnomer. In reality the attitude is simply out ofsight, out of mind. Although an individual has been eliminated fromsociety for a season (and 98.6 percent of incarcerated felonseventually return to society) the work of regeneration must be initi-ated within the hearts of offenders behind the walls lest they returnto society worse off than they were at the time of incarceration.The church has not been in sync with the significance and therelevancy of ministering behind the walls. Maybe that’s because itis not a glorious ministry—or is it because inmates don’t pay titheto the church, or have no apparent accountability to church hierar-chy? Perhaps for all these reasons, ministry to inmates has beenput on a back burner with little interest in making it a priority in theSeventh-day Adventist Church. The significance of Prison Ministries is clearly stated inMatthew 25:35-40: “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat:I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye tookme in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: Iwas in prison and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous an-swer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fedthee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee astranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or whensaw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the Kingshall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuchas ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye havedone it to me” (KJV).

Be involved with our ministry, ask about:

•Personal Hygiene Kits: Make up personal hygiene kits and supply them to the chaplain for indigent inmates.

•Clothing: Supply clothes for inmates who are being released from prison. Help the chaplain and the counseling staff to be aware of this ministry.

•Van: Transport inmates’ spouses and children to the prisons to see their loved ones. This ministry is for families who live at a distance and who have no transportation. Ask the chaplain to inform the inmates of this service. Keep logs, addresses, and phone numbers of those who benefit from this ministry. Share religious literature with them.

•Literature: Support Prison Ministries with money to keep the ministry supplied with Bibles, tracts, Bible studies, and other needed materials.19

•Prayer: Organize a group of prayer warriors who consistently pray for the Prison Ministries team each week.

•Support Groups: Start support groups for wives, fiancés,and families of inmates. Families are serving time with their loved ones. Hold support group meetings at your church once a week for one hour.

•Pen Pal: Correspond with inmates who are with-out family or who do not receive correspondence from the outside world. Keep all correspondence above board.Don’t write letters that would suggest an intimate relation-ship. Give out no phone numbers, addresses, or names except for a pen name. Use the address of the church or aP.O. Box address

Mission

We are the best communicators of God’s grace to those whoare behind prison walls. We are the conduit pipes in which Hislove flows to those who have been ostracized by society. Jesusadmonishes us to throw out the nets and fish. The net will reveal avast variety of fish. It is not the duty of Christ’s workers to cleanany of the fish that have been caught in the net. That is the job ofthe Holy Spirit.

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 5 - Job 6-9

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 6 - Job 10-13

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 7 - Job 14-16

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 8 - Job 17-20

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 9 - Job 21-23

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 10 - Job 24-28

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 11 - Job 29-31

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 12 - Job 32-34

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 13 - Job 35-37

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 14 - Job 38-39

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 15 - Job 40-42

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 16 - Genesis 12-15

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 17 - Genesis 16-18

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 18 - Genesis 19-21

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 19 - Genesis 22-24

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 20 - Genesis 25-26

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 21 - Genesis 27-29

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 22 - Genesis 30-31

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 23 - Genesis 32-34

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 24 - Genesis 35-37

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 25 - Genesis 38-40

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 26 - Genesis 41-42

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 27 - Genesis 43-45

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 28 - Genesis 46-47

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 29 - Genesis 48-50

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 30 - Exodus 1-3

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 31 - Exodus 4-6

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 32 - Exodus 7-9

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 33 - Exodus 10-12

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 34 - Exodus 13-15

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 35 - Exodus 16-18

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 36 - Exodus 19-21

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 37 - Exodus 22-24

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 38 - Exodus 25-27

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 39 - Exodus 28-29

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 41 - Exodus 33-35

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 42 - Exodus 36-38

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 44 - Leviticus 1-4

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 45 - Leviticus 5-7

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 46 - Leviticus 8-10

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 47 - Leviticus 11-13

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 48 - Leviticus 14-15

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 49 - Leviticus 16-18

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 50 - Leviticus 19-21

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 51 - Leviticus 22-23

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 52 - Leviticus 24-25

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 53 - Leviticus 26-27

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 55 - Numbers 3-4

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 56 - Numbers 5-6

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 57 - Numbers 7

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 58 - Numbers 8-10

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 59 - Numbers 11-13

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 60 - Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 61 - Numbers 16-17

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 63 - Numbers 21-22

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 62 - Numbers 18-20

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 64 - Numbers 23-25

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 65 - Numbers 26-27

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 66 - Numbers 28-30

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 67 - Numbers 31-32

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 68 - Numbers 33-34

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 69 - Numbers 35-36

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 70 - Deuteronomy 1-2

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 71 - Deuteronomy 3-4

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 72 - Deuteronomy 5-7

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 73 - Deuteronomy 8-10

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 74 - Deuteronomy 11-13

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 75 - Deuteronomy 14-16

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 76 - Deuteronomy 17-20

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 77 - Deuteronomy 21-23

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 78 - Deuteronomy 24-27

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 79 - Deuteronomy 28-29

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 80 - Deuteronomy 30-31

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 81 - Deuteronomy 32-34; Psalm 91

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 82 - Joshua 1-4

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 83 - Joshua 5-8

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 84 - Joshua 9-11

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 85 - Joshua 12-15

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 86 - Joshua 16-18

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 87 - Joshua 19-21

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 88 - Joshua 22-24

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 89 - Judges 1-2

2023 - AWC Chronological Bible Reading - Day 90 - Judges 3-5