Written by Chaplain Steve Scott, Bay and Midland Counties
I recently had lunch with two men who completed their sentences. Both are at least two years sober, and left Bay County Jail to serve time elsewhere. One also completed a court-mandated rehab program.
What happened next is incredible.
When they went to their new facilities, there were no chaplains, no church services, no Bible studies, and no spiritual mentors. Rather than accepting that reality, both men stepped into ministry themselves. They started chapel services and Bible studies and prayed for like-minded men to join them. One spent 20 months in a larger facility and eventually had up to 60 attending church services, 80 involved in Bible study, and five prayer circles meeting regularly. Both men left ministries behind that continued after they were released.
I received a call from Oliver while he was in prison. He wanted me to know his release date so we could reconnect. I asked how things were going and I wanted to hear all about the prison ministry he was part of. That was when he told me there was no chaplain or programs, so he started them himself.
When I asked what he was doing, he explained, “I kept notes from every Bay County church service, Bible study, and counseling session. I started praying about how to start and I kept asking myself, ‘What would Chaplain Steve do?’ You prepared me for everything I would be doing.”
He also shared that his relationship with his father was restored and eventually he led him to Christ. That became more meaningful when his dad passed away before Oliver was released, but he died “full of faith.”
These stories will remain among the greatest highlights of my ministry career. I am deeply humbled and blessed. So I leave you with this picture of two men whose fruit remains. May God multiply that fruit exponentially in the years to come.
