2022 Winter Edition

GOD BEHIND BARS

GOD BELONGS IN PRISON • GOD BELONGS IN PRISON • GOD BELONGS IN PRISON • GOD BELONGS IN PRISON

LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER

As an organization that has been doing prison ministry for the last 13 years, there has never been a greater urgency to reach men and women behind bars. Take one look at the world and you’ll see incarceration rates are up, recidivism rates are the highest they’ve ever been, the rate of suicide is climbing (specifically in the next generation), fathers are absent, and there is a dire need to mobilize the gospel. Traditionally, prisons get half-baked, second-best programming and a less than inspiring demonstration of the gospel. In our society, incarcerated men and women are often thought of as hopeless, addicts, lost causes,

We believe we are called for such a time as this, and that men and women behind bars have never been so hungry for what Jesus has to offer. We want to deploy our faith-based app, PandoApp, onto every prison tablet in the country (750,000+) so that every inmate feeling hopeless and lonely in their cell can turn on a worship song or a sermon and feel the presence of the Lord. We want to launch more churches inside of prison walls so that inmates can shake the hand of a volunteer who shows up every week to tell them how loved and known they are and feel true community. We want to continue to launch seminary

IT’S TIME WE BREAK THE CYCLE

and wasted time. We lock them up and forget about them. Until one day, the statistics say that 95% or more of inmates are eventually released. They go home to their families, their children, and into our communities. Most are exactly the same person they were when they were locked up – carrying around the same trauma, shame, guilt, and anger – still believing their worth is tied to what this world says about them. And all that does is perpetuate the cycle: their children will grow up with a father or mother searching this world for fulfillment they cannot find and will inevitably follow in their parents footsteps.

What the world would call a lost cause, God calls his greatest opportunity. We firmly believe with every fiber of our being that if we interrupt the generational cycles of abuse and addiction with the power of the gospel, our world will change.

programs so that men and women can rise up and take their place as ambassadors for the Kingdom. We will stop at nothing, ensuring every inmate in the U.S. has direct and personal access to the gospel and spiritual resources to not only help them grow their faith, but heal trauma and wounds, break addictions and cycles, and allow them to step into their calling as sons and daughters of the Most High.

The reality we face every day is that the only barrier to reaching the vast majority of inmates with the gospel is financial. Something is stirring up inside of prison walls and we truly believe revival is here and it’s beginning in the least likely place. Much like we’ve seen in the last decade-plus of ministry, we know that we cannot do it without you. Your willingness to be a part of this movement in any form will echo into eternity and the ripple effects will not just be felt here on earth, but will only be fully realized on the other side of heaven.

Would you prayerfully consider becoming a monthly donor to help us bring the gospel into

WHO IS GOD BEHIND BARS?

God Behind Bars is a Christian non-profit organization aiming to introduce inmates to Jesus and connect them to the local church. Founded in 2009, we recognized the gap between wellintentioned churches looking to fulfill the various commands to “visit and serve inmates” found in the Bible, and the reality of the challenges of gaining access into prisons across the U.S. We found that MOST churches wanted to be involved in their local prisons but just didn’t have the time or resources to figure out what that looked like. We dedicated ourselves to filling that gap and becoming experts on church involvement in local prisons and have been one of the leading prison ministries in the world ever since. Our team has 20+ years of relationships built with various

Department of Corrections officials and 13 years of actual experience within the prison systems. Without abandoning the methods that have proven successful, we have committed ourselves to innovation within prison ministry. We are not afraid to do things that no one is doing to reach people no one is reaching. Our goal is to make the Gospel accessible to every inmate in the country–whether that’s by launching a church campus in their facility or deploying our app onto their state-provided tablet. By inviting God into prison and showing His love in tangible ways, God Behind Bars is restoring lives, building faith, fighting addictions, reconnecting families, and giving thousands of inmates hope for the future.

TALESA’S STORY

I grew up in the church my whole life, my mom would always take me. But early on, I was sexually abused by a family member when I was just a child. Because of the sexual abuse, whenever I looked at myself in the mirror all I would see is an ugly face. I also grew up with domestic violence towards me from my family. There were many nights where I would jump out of my bedroom window and run. During my childhood, Jesus was the only constant in my life. I think everyone has a story where if you look deep enough you will see Jesus. Because of all of this, I started using drugs and that is what got me into prison. I spent 4 years here in the Indiana Women’s Prison. I remember the first day God Behind Bars came to our prison. We were so excited! I have been a member of God Behind Bars and North View Church the very first day they came here. I’ve been a member now for 6 years. When God Behind Bars came, it felt like I was a part of an actual church. I started a program here in prison and it started to teach me to actually believe who God says that I am. I spent many nights on my knees in this prison.

I had to accept the things that I did to hurt the people I cared about. I lost children and that affected their life. When I completed this program I was quickly released from prison. It was a true miracle. I got released on Christmas Day. So I knew it was Jesus. 6 weeks after my release, I was approached by the Department of Corrections to actually come and work for them. So I said yes and sign me up. So I was 4 years behind bars and now 2 years working for the prison system. I have truly come full circle.

In order to work through the abuse that I had gone through. I would write the promises of God in postcards and every time that I felt worthless, I would read those promises out loud. I would say, ‘God says that I am worthy, God says that I am a child of His, that I am a daughter, that I am loved and beautiful.’ These are the things I would have to say over and over until I believed them. Now, people look at me and don’t even recognize me because of what Jesus has done in me.

“Now, people look at me and don’t even recognize me because of what Jesus has done in me.”

WE BELIEVE GOD BELONGS IN PRISON

We partner with local churches all across the U.S. that are passionate about reaching those behind bars. We plant satellite campuses in prison facilities with state of the art equipment so incarcerated men & women can experience church like anyone in the free world would. Our vision is to partner with churches and ministries, to bring dynamic, high-quality worship experiences, recovery programs, family reunification, and pre- and post- release care into prisons all over the world.

Our vision is both transformational life-change for their present season and generational impact for their children and their children’s children. We desperately believe with every fiber of our being that if we interrupt the generational cycles of abuse and addiction with the power of the gospel, our world will change and generational incarceration will break.

GOD BEHIND BARS provides a 3-Phase building block strategy when it comes to church plants inside of prison facilities.

1

Weekly Experience Get connected

The purpose of the weekly experience is to engage both “churched” and “unchurched” inmates in a contemporary, high-energy atmosphere where the word of God is delivered, communicating grace and hope in a relevant, cutting-edge way. We partner with nondenominational churches to stream their services inside of the prison with theater quality screens and speakers.

PHASE 2

The equipment is installed in a large room inside of the prison and is kept onsite to allow the institution to use the equipment for anything they choose. The partnering church will adopt the facility as a satellite campus where volunteers will physically attend, replicating what the inmate would experience if they were to attend their church in the public community.

Small-Groups + Betterment Programs Plug in and grow deeper

Small Groups help inmates fight their hurts, habits and hang-ups in real ways, with real people who have been through life scenarios just like them. By getting together and sharing their struggles, they realize that their peers are also overcoming similar struggles. Everyone does better when they see they don’t have to do life alone! In some of our long-term facilities, we believe that everyone deserves a second chance, even those who

PHASE 3

By taking everything they have learned in their walk with God, they now get to apply it in the outside world. Our goal is that they begin their new journey backed with a church community. God Behind Bars will train and equip the church to create a Fresh Start Kit that is packed with resources such as a Bible, a journal,

will never be released from prison. One of our favorite programs is a special leadership academy that offers “lifers” the opportunity to learn leadership skills and find purpose in serving their correctional community. Our goal is to make ‘lifers’ feel equipped for their very own mission field and assist them in provoking change in their prison culture.

information on network churches, transportation, food banks, housing assistance, education and employment opportunities, toiletries, and more. We want to help them develop a plan to move forward in their lives and in society so they can remain out for good.

God Behind Bars has planted 58 church campuses in 15

states with 24 church partners

Since February 13, 2002, I have not seen a single day outside of some sort of correctional facility. During my nearly 20 years of incarceration I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how men and women in prison have “jailhouse religion.” Many of you have heard this term, but some of you may not be familiar with it. Let me define this term for you in the way that these people mean it. The people who use this phrase mean that those of us who are incarcerated, who profess that we met Jesus Christ during our incarceration, are somehow insincere in our profession of faith. That somehow we are professing faith in Jesus in order to manipulate the authorities within the prison system, hide behind the Bible in order to do our prison terms, or are attempting to somehow garner favor with the parole board or other authorities that hold the decision making power over our release. Now, is this a true definition? For some, a small few, I would say yes. But let me tell you what “jailhouse religion” really is.

I was born to a father who was a minister of the gospel. My paternal grandfather was also a preacher. From what my family has ascertained by studying our lineage, I apparently come from a long line of preachers. To say the least, I grew up going to church every time the doors of the building were opened. At the age of 8, I made a profession of faith in Jesus and was baptized. Fast forward 16 years. I committed first degree, premeditated murder. Was I saved at that time? I believe I was, but I was in such an unbelievably backslidden state that I was unsure. During my term of incarceration, I have rededicated my life to Christ. Additionally, during this time, I have encountered jailhouse religion. Let me tell you what I have encountered.

I have encountered men who worship God unashamedly. They praise God during the song service in a way that is foreign to so many churches in the free world. I have witnessed men run to the alter during the song service in tears, fall to their knees, and cry out to God for deliverance. I have seen men move to tears by the Spirit of the

Living God in the midst of song services and during the preaching of the gospel. I have seen men raise their hands without caring who may or may not be watching. I have heard men as they shout their “hallelujahs” to God. I have seen men whom I once knew to be violent and predatory be changed into men who are gentle as lambs because they felt the touch of God. I have heard men preach with fire not heard since the days of D.L. Moody and C.H. Spurgeon. I have seen men places themselves in harm’s way in order to help a brother who is in need. I have seen men weep with other men who have lost family members. I have seen individuals give their very last item of canteen to someone else that was hungry. I have seen men sit for hours in prayer interceding for the inmate population, institutional staff, family members, and our state and country’s governments. I have seen men run marathons to raise money for children’s hospitals. I have seen and experienced things during my encounters with “jailhouse religion” that absolutely defy logic.

So I’d like to ask you a question. I’d like to ask a question for those who have never stepped a foot into a correctional facility. For those of you that may believe that the men and women professing faith in Christ behind prison walls lack sincerity in our faith. Do you have jailhouse religion? Have you ever experienced those thing which I have just described? Have you ever felt the Spirit of God move so strongly across an auditorium that it has move you to tears? Have you ever worshipped with complete and total abandon, knowing that those around you are awed by the moving of the Holy Spirit? Or do you go into a church building on Sunday morning, but still feel unchanged and uninspired by Sunday evening? Does your religion begin and end in the church parking lot? Do you enter the sanctuary empty and longing to be filled, only to leave in the same condition? Do you yearn for a touch from God? If you do, I invite you to spend some time with us here in the jailhouse. Maybe, just maybe, you will have ‘jailhouse

“Do you have jailhouse religion?”

WE BELIEVE GOD BELONGS IN PRISON

BELIEVE BELONGS PRISON

PANDO APP: DIGITAL MINISTRY

Technology in our prison system is not particularly advanced, but did you know that there are between 750,000 to 1 million prison tablets in circulation in the US? Androidtype tablets are becoming a standard for prisons across the nation where inmates are able to pay for amenities they would normally access in the free world like shows, games, and music. Because of this reality, we built Pando, the first christian app that streams 24/7 sermons, worship, devotionals, and even features the first digital bible. While we as an organization will never stray away from planting physical church campuses behind prison walls, we painfully learned through 2020 & 2021 that there is a variable of prison ministry that is extremely unpredictable and the doors could be shut to us for any length of time at a moment’s notice, making the opportunity for in-person ministry impossible. It is imperative for us as a ministry to have a plan B or fall-back opportunity so inmates are still being ministered to across the country.

But don’t we know that God will take our plans and flip them upside down?!

What began as just a “means to an end” in a terribly hard season of ministry has become one of our main avenues of ministry. For prisons that are just too far away from cities or churches that don’t have the volunteer base or resources to plant a satellite campus in a prison- PandoApp has become a revolutionary way to do prison ministry.

In just the short 18 months since our launch, God has done incredible things in the lives of our nation’s inmates through this unassuming tablet app. What started as just a hopeful “someday” idea has grown into an unbelievable revival tool for real life change in prisons we never could have physically entered.

Since the launch of this app in January 2021, our app is currently on 235,432 tablets in roughly 227 facilities across 31 states! 626,540 inmates have created an account on our app, there have been 30,538,957 views, and by God’s grace, 120,843 inmates have made decisions to follow Jesus.

I was released from prison on Nov. 8, 2021. I love the PandoApp. The sermons, the music, the prayer wall, I love what you are doing! Thank you so very much. Watching Pando gave me so much peace even when my dorm was not so peaceful. I came to know Jesus during my incarceration and Pando helped grow my faith. I was a part of a discipleship program for 2 1/2 years. We spent most of our time in Bible study and classes. While incarcerated I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to have surgery and go through chemotherapy treatments. I was transferred to a male prison because the only Department of Corrections hospital in Florida is at the male institution. So I had to be locked in a room. I was basically in confinement for the 5 months I was there. Believe it or not this is where I found the most freedom. I spent most of my time praying and reading God’s word. I felt God’s presence more than any other time in my life.

It sounds strange that I had more freedom locked in a room than I ever had on the streets. I was in bondage to addiction and immorality on the streets but because of the grace of mercy of my savior I’m free from the power of sin. Since I’ve been released God has restored family relationships, sent me to a wonderful church home where I have so many Godly women friends that encourage me and love me. God also provided a way for me to reach out to others struggling with addiction. I am a counselor at Fusion Women’s Recovery. What the enemy meant for evil God is using for good! I thought I had destroyed my life with the bad decisions I made but MY GOD can use anyone no matter how broken or lost so please don’t stop doing what you’re doing reaching out to inmates. You are making a difference. I am forever grateful to God Behind Bars and the PandoApp. Also, I forgot to mention, I am cancer FREE by His stripes I am healed.

“I came to know Jesus during my incarceration and Pando helped grow my faith.”

REUNIFICATION / SPECIAL EVENTS

We know that the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and perhaps nowhere has he succeeded more than within the world of incarceration. He has killed dreams, stolen joy, and destroyed lives through the hopelessness and shame found behind prison walls. One of the most devastating ways we have witnessed this damage is in the destruction of the family unit. Whether it is the separation of a child from their mother or father or a husband from his wife- prison destroys families every single day.

But while the enemy is on his mission of destruction, God is on a mission to “turn the

hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” At God Behind Bars, our heart is to join God in this mission. We have seen that family restoration is an integral piece of ministry that breaks generational cycles of incarceration, trauma, hurt, and shame, allowing families to draw a line in the sand and start fresh. This is something that we have always done and will continue to do because it is important to God.

And while reunification is not always an option, we can rest in knowing that we will continue to do all we can and watch in awe as God continues to do what only HE can do!

“We believe family restoration breaks generational cycles.”

GOD BEHIND BARS