I was "in prison, and ye visited me not," will not be said of Tom and Pamela Stone, Howard and Berta Brenton, Kathleen Abbott, and Cristian Bobocea, who minister to inmates at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Grays Harbor, Wash.
The ministry began in 2000, with five to seven inmates attending Monday evenings. At the inmates' request, the church asked for permission to hold weekly Sabbath services and quarterly communion services.
Today, attendance ranges between 35 to 50 men. Attendance can fluctuate when inmates are transferred to other facilities or released from incarceration. God has blessed the ministry with three baptisms and some others after they leave prison.
It has taken love, perseverance and sacrifice to carry on this twice-weekly ministry for the last seven-and-a-half years.
"Sharing Jesus with these men has been, and continues to be, a great blessing to our lives," say the Brentons. We see life-changing growth. Many of these folks have become dear friends to us. Studying with men with widely differing concepts has caused us to study more intently and has confirmed even more strongly our confidence in the Adventist teaching."
Prison Ministry volunteers from left: Cristian Bobocea (pastor), Howard and Berta Brenton, Kathleen Abbott, and Tom and Pamela Stone.
