First Church of Wheatfield, Indiana, is bringing revival to their community. After bringing a Church service to a local jail, several inmates of Jasper County Jail dedicated their lives to Jesus!
Inmate transformation at Jasper County Jail
John Hill, pastor of the First Church of Wheatfield Indiana has been bringing an entire church service to Jasper County Jail for just over three months now. And within this short time, the staff have noticed a shift in the atmosphere.
“We have a quieter atmosphere… In times past, you would hear banging, kicking, yelling, screaming, but now it’s very quiet. They get along well, they treat staff better, so we have [fewer] incidents. It just complements the other things going on in our jail.” said Sheriff, Patrick Williamson.
Pastor John expanding the Kingdom of God
Sheriff Williamson and John Hill have collaborated in the past in creating an addiction recovery house, long before they ever started a worship service in the actual jail. But Pastor Hill was not done dreaming and planning with the Lord in reaching this community, and decided to go into the jail and reach the inmates where they were at.
“Our church was really excited just to build bridges with these families, help them connect with our community, help them with employment, and just show them that we care” Pastor John said in an interview.
Inmate Anthony Gann’s testimony
“It’s awesome to get to have that real church experience while we are in here doing our time… Some of the best guys I know are in here” said one of the inmates, Anthony Gann.
Anthony is one of the men who have decided to give their lives to Christ and get baptized. He was previously arrested for using drugs, but after hearing the Gospel of Jesus, he is planning to continue walking on the “right path”.
He shares how the worship service has become a positive impact in his life in his interview with WLFI-TV.
“Don’t give up on us” he says. “Just because we wear these clothes doesn’t mean we are bad people. We just made some dumb decisions.”
Inmates worship the Lord
The worship service is usually held every Thursday and is an optional service to the inmates. Thursday serves as a highlight of the week to over half the men and women in Jasper County Jail.
Last month, the above video was shared on Facebook showing how the inmates worship the Lord while singing heartfelt praise to God entitled “Amazing Grace”.
Inmates progress is a “miracle from God”
Seeing the transformed lives of the inmates, Sheriff Williamson shared his belief that it is a “miracle to behold.”
Last month, the First Church shared a video showing nine inmates of Jasper County Jail being baptized and offering their lives to Jesus Christ.
“I believe that Jesus is the only hope in the world… I think we live in a society that is so quick to condemn people, but Jesus was so quick to give people second chances,” said Pastor Hill.
This article was written by: Joyca Lorriene
Reference: FaithIt
Also read: From Gang Members To Followers Of Christ: Inmates Encounter God’s Love