Ministries

In-Jail Ministry

Volunteers lead weekly Bible studies and worship services inside the Warren and Washington County jails.

Why do we go to jail?

One of the strongest reasons to minister to inmates comes from Jesus himself in Matthew 25:31-46. In this passage, Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd separating his flock, putting the goats on his left and the sheep on his right (the preferred side). The criteria for those who belong on his right, those who are blessed, is surprisingly not what we would think. There's no mention of going to church regularly, reading your Bible, or all of the usual events we associate with being a Christian. What Jesus does mention is how they've given food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, housing for strangers, clothing for the poor, care for the sick, and, lastly, visitation for the prisoner. Jesus makes this clear as he tells the goats, those who are cursed, that they did not do any of these. Both groups, however, are shocked at the fact that Jesus identifies with these people, saying "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

2 Corinthians 5:20 says "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." We are not the Holy Spirit. He is the one who convicts inmates of their sin. We are not their lawyers. They are the appointed advocates in the justice system. We are, however, an ambassador for Christ who is privileged to lead others to Jesus Christ with integrity.

Jail Manual
Application

Aftercare Ministry

“Integrated involvement in the life of a local church is the singular most important piece in the aftercare pie.”
Lennie Spitale, Prison Ministry: Understanding Prison Culture Inside and Out

What is aftercare? Simply this: after she's released from jail, will you care?

The last thing we want to be known as is a "hit n' run" ministry. Aftercare is crucial to the growth of young believers in jail. Don Smarto, author of Setting the Captives Free, says that "everyone should play a role in trying to help released Christian ex-offenders make the transition back into the community by helping them find a church and feel welcome."

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus illustrates the need for ongoing spiritual cultivation. As seed-sowers, the in-jail ministry team helps start the process, but it's the mentors in the local church who can help yield the fruit. They are the ones who can help the seed take root, prevent the worries of life from choking them, and help produce a crop useful for the Kingdom.

Practical aftercare means helping inmates find a local church to be involved with who can take them further than we can. We also have personal care bags and gas cards to give them a jump start on their new life. Tips for helping inmates upon release is available below, as well as resources in Washington and Warren County.

Warren & Washington County Guide of Services

The Transitional Housing Project seeks to provide a Christ-centered temporary residence for formerly incarcerated, with the goal of successful transition to the community. This project is currently in a research phase looking into organizations with already established homes. Finances have been set aside in a separate account to further this project along.

Correspondence Ministry

You can bring hope, compassion, and the Gospel into a lonely environment. Prisoners are often isolated from family and friends. Often their relationship with a Christian pen pal is their only connection with the outside world. Imagine the witness it is to a prisoner when the only person who will write and be a friend is a Christian. You will have the opportunity to engage in prison ministry without ever actually entering a prison.

Many lonely men and women are currently in prison. They have nothing to look forward to, some are on death row or locked in their cells 23 hours of everyday and most prisoners never receive mail. They have become the forgotten part of society their existence spent locked away in cold houses of concrete and steel. These prisoners have become "out of sight, out of mind" to their family, friends and loved ones; that is if they were fortunate to have any of those. Like you and I, these prisoners feel pain, they feel the ache of loneliness, they feel the guilt of their past but they also can feel the happiness of receiving a simple letter written expressly to them. Mail to the prisoners are treasured keepsakes and reminders that they are still a part of society, that they are not alone and that they are worth something.

Correspondence Manual
Application

Angel Tree Ministry

Prisoners' children are the most severely at-risk children and youth in America. Studies show that children of prisoners are five to seven times more likely to end up in prison themselves (U.S. News & World Report, April 2002 and Bureau of Justice Statistics 2000).

Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree is the only nationwide, year-round effort that specifically reaches out to the estimated 2.3 million children in the United States whose parent or parents are incarcerated (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2007). UJM participates in Angel Tree by helping churches provide Christmas gifts to kids of local inmates, helping to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and reconcile the relationships of prisoners and their children.

For more information, please visit www.angeltree.org or contact UJM to find out how your church can get participate in Angel Tree.