Ed, like so many other prisoners, found the tedium of prison life boring beyond endurance. So, he signed up for as many programs as possible. Every one was full, as last resort he put his name down for Alpha.
At the first session we went around the group asking each person why they had signed up and what they hoped to get out of the the course.
When Ed's turn came to speak, he said: "I don't have any expectations, I only signed up to relieve the boredom of being in this place. What's more I k... read more
"Lord, thank you for becoming our brother. We ask that you would free those in prison from the bondage of their shame and disgrace. Let them see prison as a time to share in the sufferings of their brothers - and to know that you share those pains as well." Charles W. Colson
Alpha Course in Prison
The personal story of two men, whose lives were changed in prison, through Alpha. Click on the YouTube link below to watch a short, two-minute video about an Alpha course in prison.
A Christ-centered Prison Ministry.
* Free Inside, a Christ-centered prison ministry, bringing the Gospel of the love of Jesus Christ to the incarcerated through the Alpha Course, and other Christ-centered courses.
* The Alpha course gives participants an opportunity to explore the questions of life, and have a real and growing personal relationship with Christ.
* We recruit, encourage and equip teams of volunteers from local churches, in all aspects of prison ministry; with special emphasis on Alpha in a prison setting.
* Our vision is to help equip ex-offenders for a successful re-entry into society by encouraging involvement in the life of a local church and to use all resources available to them to achieve that aim.
Our teams of dedicated and trained volunteers from churches of different denominations, take the Alpha Course to those in prison. Teams consist of both men and women and number between 3 and 6 members.
Vision and Beliefs
A Christ-centered ministry;building solid foundations for prison ministry by
Taking the Christian message into prisons.
Training volunteers from local churches in prison ministry, using the Alpha course(see details about the Alpha course below) and other Christ-centered courses.
Alerting churches to opportunities that exist for prison ministry helping them to establish their own prison ministry.
Alpha for prisons is offered in over 200 prisons in the USA.
Have
you thought about reaching those in prison with the love and mercy of
Jesus? Just contact your local Alpha Regional Adviser and ask if there
is Alpha in your area.
You can start a course with volunteers
from your church. Just contact Jack Cowley, the National Director,
Alpha for Prisons & Re-Entry for information.
The archive of the Free Inside newsletters is a record of the ministry of Free Inside since its inception.
The history of the work is an inspiring account of the birth of Free Inside and its subsequent effect in the prisons of New England and Connecticut in particular.
If you
have a heart for God and a desire to share the love of Jesus with those
in prison please consider joining one of our volunteer teams. All
volunteers must be in agreement with the Free Inside statement of
beliefs and accept the Volunteer Covenant, set out below in our Beliefs
page.
