What a wonderful report! Glory!
Baptist Press
By Scott Barkley, posted December 30, 2024 in Churches and Ministry
LINCOLN, Neb. (BP) — It happens every weekend. On Saturday the men have breakfast and join for a Bible study at Bethel Baptist Church, then do some work on the grounds. The next day they return for Sunday School and worship. Lunch follows in the fellowship hall.
Then it’s back to the Community Corrections Center of the Nebraska Penitentiary System.
For 10 years now this church that routinely runs 50-70 in attendance has welcome the men on work-release and within at least a year of fulfilling their sentence. George Darlington brought the program from the previous church he attended.
“The ministry gives these men sound Bible teaching and the feeling of acceptance,” said Darlington. “Some come to faith in Christ; some don’t.”
Any first-time visitor to a church wonders how they may fit in. Now imagine doing that and people knowing you are currently incarcerated. Suffice it to say, acceptance is big to the men, even if just for four hours.
Drug-related offenses dominate as to why they are there. No guards come with them from the prison, though Pastor R.D. Fowler’s wife, Deborah, is a former corrections officer. The men receive transportation from a van rented by the church.
“It’s a ministry of love,” said Fowler. “You love on the guys, who are going to hear the Gospel every week. Some have said they never felt accepted before like when they came to church. You have victories and you have setbacks. But you hear how it has changed their lives.”
Bible leaders from throughout the area lead the Saturday studies. Many inmates in the ministry’s decade of existence have gone on to join the church alongside their families. About a dozen come Saturday, with up to around 16 on Sundays. Fowler has performed three weddings for them. Seven men were baptized this year. The Rest of The Story Here
