prison Archives - Baptist & Reflector

CHURCH TAKES GOSPEL TO PRISON

August 23, 2018

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

MOUNTAIN CITY — When Gale Hartley moved to Mountain City nearly five years ago to become pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, he discovered the church had an active prison ministry thanks to the passion of deacon Mike Long.

Long felt called by God to minister to prisoners at Northeast Correctional Complex where its minimum security annex holds approximately 300 offenders and an additional 180 at its Carter County Annex in Roan Mountain.

Long initiated the prison ministry at Bethany Baptist, Hartley said. “When I came he encouraged me to get involved. God had already dealt with my heart and called me to jail and prison ministry years ago while I pastored at East Side Baptist Church in Elizabethton before we went overseas with the International Mission Board,” he recalled. [Read more…]

PRISON MINISTER, CHAPLAIN EARNS NATIONAL AWARD

June 29, 2018

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

John Spurgeon was recently named the Volunteer of the Year by the American Jail Association during a ceremony in Sacramento, CA.

MURFREESBORO — Although his name was the only one that appeared on the plaque, John Spurgeon quickly points out that his award-winning prison ministry is built on the combined efforts of a large army of individuals.

Spurgeon, the prison ministry pastor at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, was recently named the Volunteer of the Year by the American Jail Association. [Read more…]

CHURCH HOLDS UNUSUAL MOTHER’S DAY EVENT

June 1, 2017

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Recording artist Nicole C. Mullen of Nashville sings and dances with children of inmates during the Mother’s Day Celebration of New Vision Baptist Church, Murfreesboro.

MURFREESBORO — The day finally arrived.

About 30 of the women inmates had waited for this occasion, some years. They were being allowed to leave their center for the first time since their incarceration.

One woman inmate had waited for six years for the event so she could be baptized.

Another 30 of the women had waited for about a year for the occasion. They looked forward to it so they could spend time with their families in addition to the regular visitation times at their center. [Read more…]

PRISON MINISTRY FOCUS AMONG PASTORS, CHURCHES STUDIED

June 2, 2016

Baptist Press

NASHVILLE (BP) — While most Protestant pastors visit correctional facilities and want to help prisoners and their families, their churches often lack the training or finances to run an effective prison ministry.

Those are among the findings of a new phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from LifeWay Research.

Researchers found widespread support among pastors for the idea of prison ministry. Eighty-three percent of pastors have visited a correctional facility. And nearly all believe churches should help families of those incarcerated (97 percent) and provide care for those getting out of jail (95 percent). [Read more…]

PASTOR SERVES IN ADDICTION CENTERS, PRISONS

February 29, 2016

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Matt Reed

OLIVER SPRINGS — It might seem to the casual observer that Matt Reed can’t avoid people who have life-controlling issues and/or have broken the law.

Reed has ministered in jails and prisons all of his ministry, which began 14 years ago at age 39, when he preached his first sermon in a jail. Reed felt called to the ministry while he was a fire department captain.

So he wasn’t surprised when in 18 months he saw 20 men make professions of faith in a 1-5-1 Harvest Plants group his church started at the Morgan County Recovery Court in Wartburg. [Read more…]

Recent Posts

Tags

Categories