Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new
2 Corinthians 5:17
TRANSFORMED FROM WITHIN For his first few years in prison, Jose thought of nothing but getting through his sentence. “I was going through the motions, still getting involved with stupid stuff, a lot of the vices that were available there,” he said. At one point a prisoner named Robert, whom Jose describes as “an ex-Crip from Venice Beach,” began sharing with him the Good News of Jesus. “He actually would take the time to evangelize me,” Jose recalled. “It started with him inviting me to church. He was pretty persistent, and I was like, ‘Yes, maybe.’” Jose put off Robert’s invitations to church until one day, he finally decided to attend. And he returned again and again. Jose had a lot of questions about what he heard there. Robert always listened and gave answers. Eventually, Jose realized he needed to leave behind the life he had been living. “I’m done,” he finally prayed. “I’m done with this lifestyle. God, please forgive me. I want to just follow You.”
Stories This week we feature prison ministry stories. Stories of individuals finding Jesus in the most perilous circumstances. Jose made one bad decision after another, but God used the Church to show him a new way to live. Jose’s mother always came to her son’s court hearings following his arrest for a serious crime. Her weeping could be heard at each of her visits to the courtroom. She wept even more at his last sentencing, so much so that the victim’s family gathered around her to console her. “OK, awesome,” Jose recalled saying to himself in that moment. “Keep doing that. Maybe it’ll help me get less time.” The victim’s family—who Jose later learned were Christians—asked the court for leniency for him during sentencing. Even though Jose’s heart was still selfish and proud, God was at work, pouring out His undeserved love. UNMERITED FAVOR By the age of 13, Jose was already smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. By high school, he had been expelled from the school district, causing his family to move to another town for his schooling. Unfortunately, the move didn’t change his behavior. “It was more of the same,” he recalled. “I got kicked out of another school and got into heavier drugs at that point.” By age 17, Jose had moved on to smoking meth—and to what he calls “a pretty long” arrest record. Although the police arrested Jose for increasingly serious crimes, he admits the justice system gave him multiple opportunities to change his ways. “I kept getting chance after chance after chance. A slap on the wrist here, a couple of weeks here,” he said. He eventually served a 10-month sentence, only to land back in jail just three months later for a more serious crime. But this time, he faced life in prison. Incredibly, his victim’s family spoke up on Jose’s behalf, asking the court not to hand down a life sentence. “Ultimately, I got 17 years,” he said. “I was 23 when I got arrested but much younger in my mentality.” It was during this prison stay that Jose finally began to see that all the chances he had received had led to a moment of decision.
GROWING IN GOD’S WORD As a new Christian, Jose continued attending church and encouraged those around him to do the same. In this early phase of his walk with Christ, he was zealous “but with very little knowledge.” Eager to learn more from God’s Word, Jose took part in The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), a four-year intensive biblical studies program facilitated by Prison Fellowship® in partnership with World Impact. This program prepares leaders to disciple new Christians in prison and eventually to continue their ministry upon release. For Jose, it was the community and gatherings at TUMI that he enjoyed the most. “The facilitator would have the group discussions,” he explained. “Hearing these guys go back and forth discussing things—that helped me grow in just seeing different ways of biblical application and methods of interpretation.” Because he was transferred to another prison, Jose remained in TUMI for more than a year. He is grateful for the access it gave him to understanding biblical concepts. For Jose, it was the community and gatherings at TUMI that he enjoyed the most.
SCI-Mahanoy Frackville Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me A Testimony from Within: Reflections on Faith and Injustice at SCI-Mahanoy Over the past several months at SCI-Mahanoy, a troubling pattern has emerged—one marked by religious discrimination and the abuse of authority. Inmates have seen their First Amendment rights to freely practice their faith routinely dismissed or obstructed. From denied access to religious materials and services, to mistreatment at the hands of those in positions of spiritual leadership, such as chaplains and administrators, the climate has become increasingly hostile for those simply seeking to walk in their faith. This experience has been disheartening. Many of us find ourselves putting trust in people we believe are in place to help us—chaplains, counselors, and officials whose roles suggest compassion and guidance. But time and time again, we are reminded that these individuals are human. And as human beings, they are fallible. They are susceptible to the same pressures, biases, and weaknesses as anyone else. It is painful to witness these failures—especially when they come from those tasked with upholding moral or constitutional principles. But it is also a reminder that our ultimate hope and trust should not rest in man, but in Jesus. Too often we look horizontally—at institutions, systems, or individuals—to save us from our circumstances. But when those avenues collapse, when those we thought would speak out remain silent, when justice seems distant, it is then that we are humbled. And it is then that we are drawn back to the One we should have turned to in the first place. Jesus alone is unchanging. Jesus alone is righteous. Jesus alone sees clearly the pain, the injustice, and the longing in our hearts. In these trying moments, we must seek Him more fervently. He is not unaware. He is not distant. He is near to the brokenhearted and present with the oppressed. As we continue to face these challenges at SCI-Mahanoy, let us not give in to despair. Let us not grow weary in doing what is right. And let us encourage one another in faith—reminding ourselves and each other that while people may fail us, Jesus never will. He is our refuge and strength. He is our true advocate. And in Him, we find the courage to keep going.
