In the mid 2000’s, I felt compelled to begin my work in prison ministry after one of my dearest friends was unjustly convicted of a white-collar securities violation. It didn’t take long before I began to get an understanding of prison life, and the trauma that many men and women have to endure. I started my work with Federal prisons in Texas until 2008, where we moved back to where I’m from in Northern CA.

 

Early on I was invited by another close friend to serve as a volunteer inside historic Folsom Prison. This friend later became the Co-Director of our ministry. For the next three years, I was at Folsom prison 3-4 days a week, serving as an assistant to the Chaplain. During this time, I had an opportunity to get to know up close and personal several hundred prisoners.

 

It was during my time at Folsom Prison that I developed my philosophy of prison ministry which is what we follow today. I realized that these men hungered for a deep connection with someone who would take a personal interest in them, and who would help them grow in grace and a knowledge of God’s Word.

 

This connection with men grew thru the ongoing process of writing personal letters, accepting their phone calls and by continual personal one-on-one visits. It didn’t take long before we were receiving hundreds of letters each month.

 

This led to the development of our Christian Discipleship Ministry which I started at Folsom and in the summer of 2016 launched at Mule Creek State Prison, as many of my friends had been transferred to that facility. By Christmas of that year, we had 60 men participating. The Lord has had his hand upon our work in a mighty way, and hard to believe but as of 2022, In Perfect Peace Ministries is reaching out, and coming alongside more than 6,600 men and women in all 50 states. Currently, we receive well over 1,000 letters every month from inmates all over the country who have found out about our Christian Discipleship pen-pal outreach and are desirous to participate.

 

Our goals are quite simple. We want to bring the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ into prisons and jails all over our country that are filled with darkness and a lack of Peace. I chose Isaiah 26:3 as our ministry verse which says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.” The men and women who write us represent just what we expected. Many have been exposed to the Gospel, but do not have a personal, vibrant relationship with Christ Jesus; one that comes thru repentance and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Others are new Christians that want to learn and grow; people who need someone to come alongside them and help disciple them in the faith.

 

This process grows and deepens thru back-and-forth personal letters. There are no form letters in our ministry. Correspondence for me with an inmate includes a personal letter, along with several devotional essays on some aspect of the Christian faith or doctrine. Inmates have a forum where they can write and ask questions about any aspect of the Christian faith.

 

This philosophy of developing a personal relationship with inmates has served us well, which we see every day by what prisoners say in their letters. Simply put, I’m blessed that God has given us a love and compassion for incarcerated men and women. Our greatest need is for volunteers from our churches to come forward who are willing to serve as a friend and personal mentor to an inmate. Sadly, one thing has always been true in prison ministry, – “The Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” While we are one of the fastest growing prison ministries, we are tiny in size; myself, Gregg Harris as the Director, Joseph Walling, as our east coast director, and Jeffrey Wheldon, who serves as our west coast director.

 

I am so blessed to have men like Joe and Jeff on board. From day one, they have displayed a love and passion for this work and have developed deep connections with those that they are writing. We are earnestly praying that with the development of our website, the Lord may impress many committed Christians to join us in this noble work. This platform allows family members who have an incarcerated friend or loved one to reach out to us, knowing that we will gladly step in, providing ongoing friendship and spiritual encouragement.

 

Prayer has always been the backbone of our ministry. We stand as faithful prayer warriors for all those who have become a part of our outreach.  We greatly covet the prayers of God’s people all over our country to stand with us in prayer for those men and women who are enduring the rigors of prison life.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this introduction to our ministry. Do not hesitate to contact us if we may in any way be of service to you or an incarcerated loved one.

 

Knowing That Our Labor Is Not in Vain…

Gregg J. Harris, Director of  In Perfect Peace Ministries.