Greetings to you,
As the Prison Ministry Director for Life Without Limbs, I am honored to welcome you to “Champions for the Prisoner” month (and also wish you a happy Easter month!). This is an opportunity for us to share how God is using LWL to bring hope to those who are incarcerated.
Working in the prison system has given me a unique platform to minister in some of the darkest and most hopeless environments you can imagine. However, in the midst of the darkness, I am constantly inspired by what God is allowing me to see.
I see the opportunity for light in a dark place, and I see hope for those who are seeking God. I see transformation through the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. I see inmates of all races and affiliations standing shoulder to shoulder as they become the body of Christ. I see the Church.
I have witnessed firsthand how our ministry has impacted the lives of inmates, and it brings me great joy to see the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts of these individuals. I remember walking into a facility in South Florida and being greeted by over 150 inmates in a chapel. There was vibrant praise and worship music being played and led by the inmates themselves! As I took my seat in the chapel and began worshiping alongside them, I realized I was in a church and that God had been working long before I arrived.
One of the men there stood up and gave a testimony about his chance at parole being denied and through tears he said,
“… although I realize now that I will spend the rest of my life behind bars, I know I still have purpose. This is my mission field, and this will be my church.”
The impact that Nick and our ministry has on the inmates is incredible. The inmates really do love Nick and they always feel a connection with him whether he is there in person or on video. In fact, one inmate in Texas once said,
“I identify with Nick in so many ways because even though it’s not the same, being in prison often feels like I have no arms or legs. The hopelessness and the despair about the future are often overwhelming. But today, God used Nick and the ministry to bring a tangible hope and a sense of purpose.”
The Life Without Limbs Prison Ministry is committed to using every resource possible to evangelize and equip those in prison to establish their own church where they can be discipled and disciple others while becoming all that God has called them to be.
Our newest resource is the second installment of the curriculum we’ve created for inmates. The new book is called Staying Free, and it promises to be a vital resource for discipleship and continued spiritual growth. I cannot wait to unleash this new resource into the prisons in which God has called us.
Lastly, I would like to invite you to check out our new Prison Ministry Podcast called “Free In My Faith,” which will be available on our website and major audio platforms beginning on Tuesday, April 18th. This will be a great opportunity to hear firsthand how God is moving in the lives of inmates, and I am excited to share it with you all.
I hope and pray that you will be inspired to partner with us as we continue to carry the gospel into prisons, affirm what God is already doing there, and help inmates establish a house of faith that they can call their own. May God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Jay Harvey
Director of Prison Ministry, Life Without Limbs