Prison Ministry at Lansing: A Spiritual Hunger Is Rising
A few years ago, one disciple-maker began investing in men at Lansing Correctional Facility through the Brothers in Blue Reentry program. He simply started equipping ordinary men to follow Jesus by making disciples right where they were. That investment has multiplied.
How can every housing pod at Lansing become a place where people encounter Jesus? Recently, three of the hub leaders approached prison leadership with a bold request: to be allowed to enter any housing unit where they were invited to start a Discovery Bible Study. Remarkably, that permission was granted. We don't take that lightly. We see it as both the favor of God and the fruit of years of faithful witness.
Hunger in the Hardest Places at Lansing
Their first focus has been one of the prison's hardest housing units. Before official permission had been finalized, correctional officers turned the team away at the entrance to the unit. The next day, as they walked through the dining hall, men from that housing block stopped them and asked: "Where were you yesterday? Why didn't you come? When are you coming back?" They weren't disappointed because a program had been canceled. They were hungry to open the Scriptures together and encounter Jesus. That's the kind of spiritual hunger we're beginning to see emerge throughout Lansing.
Disciple-Makers Sent Beyond the Prison Gates
One of our hub leaders also completed his sentence this month and was released. While we'll miss his leadership inside the prison, we celebrate that his calling to make disciples didn't end at the prison gates. He's already preparing for his next assignment, and we're praying with him as he continues to invest in others wherever God leads him.
Everything Begins With Prayer
Perhaps the greatest encouragement came during our most recent gathering. What was planned as an equipping session became ninety minutes of worship, prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit. One of the men reminded us, "Everything we do begins here." Every Discovery Group. Every disciple-maker. Every open door. Every new opportunity flows from extraordinary prayer and radical dependence on Jesus.
Will You Pray With Us for Lansing?
Would you join us in praying for these brothers? Pray that God would continue opening doors throughout Lansing. Pray for courage, protection, and wisdom as they step into difficult places with the hope of the gospel. And pray that the Lord would continue raising up disciple-makers and microchurches until every housing unit has an opportunity to encounter King Jesus.
And as you pray, remember the words of Hebrews 13:3: "Remember those in prison, as though in prison with them." These men are our brothers. They are faithfully living out the mission of Jesus in one of the hardest places imaginable, and we have the privilege of standing with them in prayer as God continues to open doors and transform lives.
