Prison Project

by Daniel Darling

71-year old Helen Thomas was flipping through the television channels one day in search of some inspirational programming. Suffering from health issues, she was looking for some good solid Bible teaching. She stumbled upon Dr. James A. Scudder and Victory In Grace Television. It was the tail end of the show and, just like he does every week, Dr. Scudder got out his billfold and did his famous “hand gesture” illustration that shows the simplicity of the gospel message. This caught Helen’s eye. Always looking for better ways to spread the Word, she liked Dr. Scudder’s approach. She continued to the rest of the broadcast and saw where Dr. Scudder offered little “Am I Going to Heaven” tracts. She suddenly had an idea. Couldn’t she send these to the prisoners in her area who were desperately in need of the Gospel message?

So Helen began her mission. First she ordered a few hundred tracts. Then she began tracking down and contacting the state and federal prisons in her home state of Illinois. She personally talked to every single chaplain and asked if they wouldn’t mind receiving some spiritual materials for their prisoners. Most agreed.

When her first supply of tracts ran out, she ordered more. Then she worked her way through the prison lists for the state of Ohio, where Helen used to live. Then it was on to Florida and North Carolina, where her children lived.

After a few months, Helen had a conversation with Neal Dearyan, Director of Ministries at Victory In Grace. She began sharing about her ministry and her desire to send Heaven tracts and spiritual materials to prisoners.

Neal was so excited about this opportunity for ministry that he asked Helen if Victory In Grace could take over the shipping of the tracts to the various prison chaplains if only she would continue to provide us with the names and addresses of those who desired materials.

This encouraged Helen and she has continued to contact state and federal agencies to get lists of prisons across America. She has a science to her ministry. She has prison lists from every state in America. “I even contacted a chaplain in Hawaii,” she says. She writes the name of every chaplain she gets in a notebook and puts notes by their information—how many tracts they want, what their needs are, etc. As of November, 2005, she was on her 11th notebook and has contacted every federal prison. She has sent Victory In Grace over 50 lists of names. She’s now working her way through the state prisons, with the help of a new directory from the American Correctional Association she just recently got in the mail.

Most chaplains are extremely favorable to Helen, so grateful that someone would take time out of their day to consider their ministry. Several have written to Victory In Grace to express their gratitude:

“Your donation of materials is greatly appreciated. The books and tracts will be utilized as learning tools in the chapels by the inmates at Ironwood State Prison. Our programs at Ironwood State Prison are designed to help rehabilitate inmates, and you have been a big part of this process. We thank you for your generous gift.”

“I am the chaplain here on the Jester III, Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Prison Unit. I am writing this letter thanking you for the inspirational materials that you sent to us. These materials will be distributed to our Christian offenders, and the books will be kept in the Religious Library for use by any of the offenders. I and my ministry sure do thank you for the materials and welcome any other that you may be able to bless us with because of all the cutbacks in the chaplains' Department we are really appreciative of any inspirational materials that we are able to receive. I can assure you that they will be wisely used and appreciated by the offenders here on the unit.”

“Thank you for your donation to North Kern State Prison (NKSP). Your donation of 1,000 new pamphlets is a truly appreciated and generous gift to NKSP. Your donation will be used for Chapel distribution…”

“Thank you for your generous gift of Heaven tracts in both English and Spanish. We were also happy to receive the copies of the book, Forever With God. This ministry is entirely dependent on contributions from outside sources to supply Christian literature and resources to our population. This Department also maintains a data-based lending library which allows inmates to check out books, tapes, and audio CD's for study in their individual housing units. We are always pleased to receive additional resources. “

“I would like to thank you on behalf of the State of California and myself, the Warden, here the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State prison at Corcoran (CSATF), for your generous donation.”

Victory In Grace and Helen Thomas continue to work hand-in-hand in bringing the gospel to thousands of prisoners across the country. In 2005 alone, we shipped 750,000 heaven tracts, 1,000 Forever With God booklets to over 750 chaplains. And the ministry keeps growing. Says Jim Boyce, Resource Manager at Victory In Grace, “Every month, we get Helen’s faithful handwritten list of new chaplains.”

Victory In Grace has received hundreds of letters from prisoners who have been touched by this ministry:

“After receiving your materials, I feel warm and thankful that you reach out to a total stranger and prisoner like me, you and your ministry is indeed gifted and special. I feel good to have you praying for me, and it's helping. It's not everyday that someone tries to help inmates like myself, but this counselor is reaching his hand and heart out to help me, taking time to understand me and talking to me with kindness and friendship.”

“I am an inmate in a California state prison, serving time for drug charges. I came to prison a wicked, disobedient, prodigal son of the worst sort; but by the power of God unto the glory of God He has changed my life. My life is not my own anymore (thanks Lord!) but He lives through me. I have come to know what many a Bible-believing, blood bought child of God has come to know in this age of grace, which is "Christ in me, the hope of glory!" The purpose of my letter is to request your aid in the Lord's work with me on the prison yard in which I reside. The Lord put upon my heart some time ago to share my hope with other prisoners through evangelizing. I especially enjoy your tract called "Am I going to Heaven?" I have since passed these tracts on through the Lord's work and only have two tracts left. Could you possibly spare more? "

“I am on your mailing list and I am richly blessed everyday by the devotions. I thank God for your prison ministry. I am in need of good books to read. I have read and studied the ones you sent me and passed them on and I'm sure they will help somebody because they sure have helped me. Thank you.”

This is from a mother whose son was in prison:

“I want to thank everyone at Victory In Grace for sending reading material and a Bible to my son Frankie. He has written and said to thank you for his Bible and books you all sent him. He said he has read them and also whenever he gets out he will be passing them on to his Christian friends there in prison with him. But I have wonderful news: my son Frankie is out already. He is home! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers also. I also have more good news. I'm telling you my God has transformed me completely. I no longer use foul language. What an awesome God I serve. Please continue to pray for Frankie and Brandy. I am a living testimony of the healing that my Heavenly Father can do. “

Why does Helen do this? Ever since she trusted Christ as her Savior, she’s had a burden to reach others with this same truth. “I was so thrilled to know that Jesus died for me, I thought, why shouldn’t others knew the truth?” What’s more, she has special place in her heart for prisoners, “These are people that society has given up on, people who are aware of their sin and are trying desperately to reform themselves. Here we are to share with them the love of God, who cares for them more than anyone else could. When no one loves them, God loves them. This is the heart of God—shouldn’t it be ours as well?”