Seminary Changed My Life

The American prison system is full of future pastors and ministry leaders waiting to be empowered. God has laid it on the hearts of the leadership and staff of World Impact to make this a core focus for our efforts. We recently received this letter from Greg, who has an amazing story to tell about his experience with World Impact’s Church-Based Seminary while he was behind bars. We’ll let him take it from here:    
 
You don’t know me, but I’m a convicted murderer. 
 
My name is Greg, and I’m writing you this letter today because thanks to someone like you, God performed a miracle in my life. 
 
Back in 1998, I was arrested for first-degree murder. 
 
I was still a teenager, and at the time I was living a life of sin and addiction. 
 
I didn’t know anything about Jesus. Most of the time His beautiful name was just another curse word. But after committing my life crime as I call it, I remember sitting in the county jail and feeling completely broken. I fell to my knees and asked God to reveal Himself to me. 
 
I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew that I needed Jesus. 
 
After my trial, I was convicted of second-degree murder. It took my breath away when the judge ordered me to serve 16 years to life in state prison. Hard time. 
 
I quickly found out that I did not have the skills to cope with life behind bars. The violence, the temptations … it wasn’t long before I slipped back into my drug addictions and bad behavior. 
 
But thank goodness God disciplines those He loves. Because one day, I was caught with some drugs. And as a punishment, I was sent to solitary confinement. 
 
Suddenly, God had my attention. 
 
When I was in solitary confinement, I was quiet and alone for the first time. Away from all the noise and chaos of prison, I heard God’s voice very clearly. He told me that I didn’t need my addictions… I just needed Him. 
 
At the right time, God gave me the opportunity to participate in World Impact’s Church-Based Seminary training. I’m told that it was a donation from a fellow believer like you that made my training possible. 
 
And I am forever grateful because from the moment I started the seminary course my life changed. 
 
Everything I needed to complete the course while in prison was provided by a donor’s gift. This included all my workbooks, textbooks, video lessons, and even mentor support. 
 
I poured everything I had into that course because I had a purpose! I didn’t know what it was or what it looked like, but I knew that God desperately wanted to do something through me. 
 
From inside a prison cell God called me to serve Him and His people. 
 
Now, you may not believe this, but today I serve as a deacon in my local church. That’s right, I’m free. 
 
By God’s grace, I was released from prison after serving more than 20 years for an unforgivable crime. But God forgave me, and I’ve since graduated from the seminary training and continue to serve my great God in my local church. 
 
Recently I found out that it costs just $493 (just $9.48 a week) to put an incarcerated believer through the seminary training for one year. That’s 24 classes, the workbooks, textbooks, video sessions, a mentor guide, and other life-changing support. 
 
World Impact has a goal to provide 200 prisoners with their seminary education by April 21.And a generous donor is promising to double your gift, up to $35,000! 
 
Would you provide an incarcerated believer with their first course of World Impact’s Church-Based Seminary training?