I would like to introduce you to two men of God who are serving faithfully in the church behind bars at Hutchinson Prison in Kansas. About a year ago, Randy and Abraham started meeting on Sunday nights in the yard with other inmates. It was more of an informal fellowship and Bible study than an official church. However it grew and gained traction in the yard. God moved in the fall and this last January they were able to start two new churches in the East and South Units.
Abraham describes the church as “a true blessing to me. It is still hard to believe that we are part of real live church here in prison. In a matter of 7-10 months what started out on the yard as a fellowship has actually become a church that is growing, where men are being saved and rededicating their lives to Christ. This church is a place where men feel comfortable to express how they feel without fear of anyone belittling them for it or taking what they have said and spreading it around. It is awesome to be a part of a Church where we have a Pastor who knows where we come from, and who believes in us.”
And Randy says: “When I first arrived at the South Unit there were around six guys attending the Protestant Chapel call out, which was the main Christian call out at the time. Since then, through the leadership of several guys, the attendance has grown to an average of around 25. When we started our church, I was worried we would have to work really hard to get guys to attend consistently, but since we have started, we have pretty much had a full call out every night. Now we have reached 30 members who faithfully attend, and we have had to start a waiting list. It truly has been a revival!
“The best news of all is that between the East Unit and the South Unit, after two months of operation we have seen nearly a dozen men come to Christ and acknowledge Him as the Victor! That is twice as many men as those who composed the whole church here only 6 months ago! We still have work to do, but we have seen an amazing start.”
Click here to read more from Matthew Penner about God moving in the Hutchinson Prison.