A number of years ago, I was looking for an assistant for my office in Pasadena and decided to run an ad at Fuller Seminary. As a result, I hired a young man who was volunteering with his wife at the local Juvenile Hall. Bob (a Fuller Seminary student) had asked me on a number of occasions to join them, but for some reason I was always busy and could not make the time to attend on a Friday night. Eventually, a Friday came around when I had no excuse and I decided to attend with him and his wife. As it turns out, that night would bring about a major change in my ministry life. We went down to Juvenile Hall with a group of about eight to 10 people from Lake Avenue Church. Prior to going, everyone needed a background check. When we arrived, we cleared security and entered what looked like a dormitory with a large activity room.
We entered the room with the intention of singing and praying to encourage the young men that evening. Their ages ranged from 12 to 17 (18 and over end up in the adult facilities). The leader of our group asked us if we would sing praise songs to the kids. They were dressed in what looked like pajamas and surgical slippers and they were asked to pay attention to us as we were there to visit. It occurred to me that the kids were approximately the same age as my own children. I was overwhelmed by the fact that these young men were going through serious problems in their lives to bring them to this place.
I remember that as we started singing, no words would come out of my mouth. I was very overcome by my surroundings. That night was the start of a desire and love for this type of ministry.
After a few months, the leader of the Prison Ministry resigned. The executive director of the Community Foundation, Andy Bales, asked me if I would be interested in directing the ministry. At first it seemed overwhelming, but God spoke to me and I felt Him calling me to serve in this way. It has been at least ten years since my decision to become the director. Over the years we have worked both at Eastlake Juvenile Hall near County Hospital in Los Angeles and the Sylmar Juvenile Hall. We have even run into and heard of a few celebrities like Evander Holyfield and Martin Sheen serving at Juvenile Hall.
About a year ago, I was at Eastlake to take down information to install a projection screen for our worship service that our company had donated. It was during a Sunday worship service being held by another church. A young black pastor was preaching his heart out when a young white female prisoner started sobbing uncontrollably. She was quickly escorted out of the chapel. I decided to follow her and the guard out to see if I could help. When given permission to counsel with her, she began to share about her young life of crime, prostitution and drug use. She told me through her tears that God would not want her because of all she had done in her life. I assured her that God knew all about her and still loved her despite all she had done. She calmed down enough to be allowed back into the service. I sat right beside her agreeing with all the young pastor was preaching about the love and forgiveness of our Christ. I asked her at the end of the service if she wanted to receive Christ as her Savior and she agreed and we said the sinner’s prayer together. One of the chaplains reported to me later that she was now carrying a Bible and desired to grow in Christ. PRAISE THE LORD!
Want to get involved? There are a number of ways you can be involved in our Prison Ministry. We have weekly Thursday evening Bible studies from 7 to 8 pm. On Tuesday evenings, we provide counseling sessions which require a special badge and training classes. About six Sundays per year we facilitate a Bible study from 8 to 9 am and a worship service from 9:30 to 10:30 am.
We also do special programs during the holidays. For Thanksgiving, we serve a full Thanksgiving dinner, share Christ with the kids and visit one-on-one with them. At Christmas, we bring food and sing carols. It can be a depressing time for the inmates to be incarcerated during the holidays, especially when separated from family and friends. We get the kids to sing with us and bring Christmas cards for them to send to their families.
Interested in serving in this wonderful ministry? Please contact me at or call 818.662.7525. Men and women 21 years of age or older are desperately needed. We also need musicians and singers to assist with the worship service. We would love to have you join us. An orientation and clearance & badging process is required to attend.