(Image credit: First Church/Facebook)
A Pentecostal church in the USA has been amazed by the revival happening in its community following a major decision to bring prayer services to a local jail housing hundreds of inmates.
According to God TV, though the worship and prayer services organised by First Church of Wheatfield, Indiana, inmates and staff alike at the Jasper County Jail are already seeing notable progress and a shift in the atmosphere in just three months.
“We have a quieter atmosphere,” one community Sheriff Patrick Williamson told faithit.com. “In times past, you would hear banging, kicking, yelling, screaming, but now it’s very quiet. They get along well, they treat staff better, so we have [fewer] incidents. It just complements the other things going on in our jail.”
Before the jail church service initiative began, faithit.com says Sheriff Williamson collaborated with First Church pastor John Hill on an addiction recovery house. Success from that effort inspired Hill to expand their ministry efforts at the Jasper County Jail, faithit.com reported.
The weekly services held on Thursdays have become a highlight for over half the men and women in the jail who have decided to participate in the optional activity.
“It’s awesome to get to have that real church experience while we are in here doing our time,” one inmate only identified as Gann remarked. “Some of the best guys I know are in here.”
In a powerful video shared on Facebook , the inmates were featured leading worship, singing soulful praises to the tune of “Amazing Grace.”
According to CBN News, the service is an optional activity for inmates, but around half of the men and women in the jail attend.
“Don’t give up on us,” said Gann. “Just because we wear these clothes doesn’t mean we are bad people. We just made some dumb decisions.”
“Our church was really excited just to build bridges with these families, help them connect with our community, help them with employment, and just show them that we care,” said Pastor Hill, adding, “The corrections officers have talked about how the entire culture of the jail has shifted. The inmates are caring for one another and actually thinking about life beyond bars.”
Sheriff Williamson calls the transformation he’s seen in the jail inmates a “miracle [that] is something to behold.”
The most amazing part of the whole initiative is that lives are being transformed from the inside out by the blood of Jesus.
First Church shared a video in May that showed nine inmates at Jasper County Jail being baptized and giving their lives to the cause of Christ.
“I believe that Jesus is the only hope in the world,” said Pastor Hill. “I think we live in a society that is so quick to condemn people, but Jesus was so quick to give people second chances.
