Getting The Word Out By Going In!

When we first started CR in 2004 at our local church, someone approached me and said, “We need to take this to our local prisons!” ~ translation ~ “Mac, when are YOU going to take this inside to prisoners?”  Well, not having major co-dependent issues in my own life and my hands full with a brand new CR, I was able to say, “We will take this inside, whenever God sends the right person.”

I was thinking I’m off the hook…wrong! Every week it seemed someone would approach me and basically say the same thing, “When are we going to take this ministry inside?” Thankfully that day arrived 2 years ago when God placed on the heart of a man, John Grigson, whom I sponsor, that was exactly where he needed to serve.

I went with John the first few times to help cast the vision for what CR could do. Out of that first meeting,  16 men signed up for Step Study. Doesn’t seem like a big start, does it?  Hold on…in case we forget we serve the God who took a couple of loaves of bread, a few fish, and made a buffet for thousands!

From that original group that decided to join a Step Study, 14 men graduated and from there launched Monday night CR meetings at Richwood Correctional Center with over 100 men in attendance that first night!  They had Large group with the “CR Prison Praise Band”, teaching on Denial, then small groups.  That’s right, regular Celebrate Recovery.

God showed up, showed out, and brought out the buffet!  He is doing more than we could ever have imagined. The prison officials saw such a change in these men they created a CR dorm.  Then they brought in 50 inmates from 5 other prisons in our state to be involved in Step Study. Then those inmates could take it back to the prisons they came from after completing Step Study.  They may become the first CRI missionaries!  Long story short, there are now 140 men in Step Study meeting during the week and have CR on Monday nights.  

They just had their first 3 day seminar with Hector and Sherry Lozano last week.  Hector, our National Director for CRI, shared with inmates, volunteers, and prison staff on how working together we can not only impact this prison, but the rest of our state.

So how is this impacting our CR and community? Already we have ex-inmates serving in different areas of our CR, with more to be released soon. I’m glad we didn’t miss out on this blessing! Mary and I gave our testimony to over 100 inmates this past Monday.  No, let me rephrase that, we gave it to over 100 of our brothers in Christ who are getting closer everyday to coming home and will get to serve in CR on the outside.

Mac