The Yokefellow Prison Ministry: Sharing His Love and Fostering Authentic Relationships

Yokefellow Prison Ministry is a true spiritual work of mercy inspired by Matthew 25:37-39 — “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?”

The ministry is a non-denominational Christian group that shares the love of Christ with those in prison. Its mission is to inspire “inmates and formerly incarcerated persons, yoked in personal relationships with Christian community volunteers, to examine their lives, experience the forgiveness, healing, and power of God’s love, and develop new disciplines for personal responsibility and contribution to family and community.”

Carlton Gooding is a veteran volunteer and board member for Yokefellow Prison Ministry. He has witnessed the power of God’s love in the life of hundreds of inmates and understands the positive impact that this ministry offers.

“We go to create an environment of safety, caring, and love,” Carlton says. “We are a ministry of reconciliation and bring people closer to God. In prison, you can’t trust anyone. The name of the game is to survive. The prisoners need an outlet to share who they are and what they are struggling with. As volunteers, our job is to become active listeners who love the inmates by desiring to get to know them and listen to their stories.”

Unlike other Christian prison ministries, Yokefellow does not have an agenda. They do not perform church services or lead Bible studies. Instead, Yokefellow volunteers are trained to create authentic relationships with the inmates that are based on taking a vested interest in their lives.

The prison meetings consist of volunteers leading organic small-group discussions with a few prisoners at a time. The conversations are focused on the lives, struggles, hopes, and dreams of the prisoners.

“We are there to love them where they are at,” Carlton says. “Every meeting is an opportunity to plant seeds of God’s love.

“We go to the prisons to bond with the inmates,” he adds. “The most important thing is for the inmates to know that they can open their hearts to us. They need to be able to identify that the only reason we are there is for them individually.”

Then, as Carlton puts it, “the Holy Spirit does the rest.”

“It is the supernatural power of the almighty God that then transforms the lives of the inmates,” he says. “It is also true that the inmates become a blessing to you.”

Yokefellow Prison Ministry is built on the philosophy that God works powerfully when people show each other love.

Currently, the ministry has over 400 volunteers who visit 37 prisons, which is 67 percent of the prisons in North Carolina. Yokefellow meetings are done in person by visiting the prisons and online through virtual meetings over Zoom. In addition, the ministry also ministers to those who are in residential re-entry homes and are acclimating to life outside of prison. There are many ways for volunteers to impact the lives of others.

Yokefellow is always welcoming those who can serve and the commitment is flexible. Meetings occur once a week and volunteers are encouraged to make as many as they can, but ultimately it is up to the volunteer.

The onboarding process includes a simple application and online training found at yokefellowprisonministry.org/volunteer/. To visit the prisons, you must also follow the institution-specific background check and training protocol.