How to Minister to Prisoners

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me (Psalm 142:7).

Imagine if you will, the modern day miracle of someone who is scared, alone and loathed by society finding God’s love in the harshest conditions on earth – a prison. And now imagine this person radiating God’s glory to those around them and helping other prisoners find Salvation. This is the power of prison ministry. All the Kingdom needs for more of these Big miracles to happen is for us to help out in Small ways. And there are many ways to help prisoners take their first step towards knowing Jesus. Keep reading to find out how you can help make a miracle happen today!

Pray for a prisoner. Pray for their protection, their future and for their families. But most of all, pray for their salvation. Here’s a wonderful prayer from Paulist Evangelization Ministries:

Mary, Mother of Captives, give us your compassion for those in prison.
Mend in mercy the broken in mind and memory.
Soften the hard of heart, the captives of anger.
Free the innocent, parole the trustworthy.
Awaken the repentance that restores hope.
May prisoner’s families persevere in their love.
Jesus, heal the victims of crime, they live with the scars.
Lift to eternal peace those who die.
Grant victim’s families the forgiveness that heals.
Instill prudence and patience in those who guard.
Make those in prison ministry bearers of light.
For all of us are in need of your mercy!

Write a letter of encouragement. Many prisoners have been rejected and abandoned by friends and families and wonder if anyone cares. Send us your letter and we will forward it to a prisoner who is on our Seeds of Hope mailing list and desperately needs to hear from a caring and loving Christian. Tell them in your own words what it means to be saved, how you became a Christian, how amazing it is to walk with the Lord. For many, we are the only ones who write them and let them see God’s love, compassion, and concern.

Many prisoners are unable to afford even the most basic of items. But with your support they can receive important items like calling cards and personal hygiene products. There are trusted services you can use like MoneyGram that make sending money to prisoners to help with these essentials very safe and easy. If you don’t know anyone in prison but you feel called to help in this way, you can go online and contact a prison chaplain at a correctional facility near you. They can provide you with names of those in need.

We receive many requests from prisoners asking if we can send them a Bible to inspire and comfort them. By donating just $15, your gift allows us to send a Bible and study guide to a prisoner in need.

Help a prisoner receive our Seeds of Hope daily devotionals, currently going out to almost 17,500 prisoners every month. Our Seeds of Hope devotionals offer daily inspiration, learning and comfort and is often the only communication they have with the outside world. Your donation of just $25 will help us reach and share words of encouragement for an entire year. Read some of the letters we have received from Prisoners telling in their own words how much our Seeds of Hope daily devotionals mean to them by clicking here.

Training prisoners to become missionaries to other prisoners, like the Apostle Paul, is the goal of our Prisonary Training Course. Presently, we have over 400 prisoners currently enrolled in this three-phase course. The three phases of the course are as follows: Understanding the Christian Faith; The Apostle Paul: The Man, His Message, and Mission; and Doing the Work of a Prisoner. Imagine, if you can, the immense impact these individuals will have as they share the message of God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, salvation, hope, and eternal life with fellow prisoners. Our goal is to train each participant to become a “Paul-like” missionary who will be serving the Lord while in prison and beyond. Rather than “serving time,” they will be “serving the Lord” as His servants and witnesses as they interact with other prisoners. Your support of $50 will enable another hopeful prisoner to participate in our Prisonary Training Course.

Your donations ensure that we can continue to be a beacon of light in the darkest of hours for thousands and thousands of God’s children incarcerated across America. It is essential for us to show them how important they are to the Lord and to us as well. Be part of a modern day miracle today by taking one small step in helping a prisoner take their Big step towards Salvation. Let not these souls be lost on our watch.