Pastor Jeffery Fay
It’s About the One
I never expected prison ministry to become such a defining part of my life. In the beginning, I was simply a husband trying to stay connected to my wife. When Audrey was incarcerated, I drove to visit her every single Sunday. Those visits changed me.
Sitting in those visiting rooms, I began to notice something I couldn’t ignore, so many people had no one showing up for them. God started working on my heart during those drives back and forth. I began to understand, in a deeper way, His love for people, especially those the world had written off.
Not long after, someone from my church asked if I’d ever considered volunteering inside a prison. Given my circumstances, it made sense and I said yes. What started as a step of obedience quickly became a calling.
When Audrey came home, we eventually stepped into this work together. Since 2009, we’ve been teaching and serving inside prisons through a biblical training program that equips men to become leaders, while incarcerated and when they return to their communities. Watching transformation happen right in front of us has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life.
What’s impacted me the most is seeing how God changes people from the inside out. You’ll see someone walk in one way that is guarded, broken, maybe even hopeless and over time, something shifts. Their thinking changes. Their purpose becomes clearer. Their lives begin to reflect something new.
There have been moments when Audrey and I felt tired and even to the point of ready to walk away. But God reminded us of something simple that changed everything, “It’s not about reaching the masses. It’s about reaching ONE.”
That perspective reshaped our entire approach. When things feel overwhelming, we come back to that truth that just one life, one person, one moment of impact.
Even on the days we don’t feel like going, we go anyway. Before every class, Audrey and I pray, asking the Lord, “Who are we here to serve today? Who’s the One?” And almost every time, we leave more encouraged than when we walked in. There’s always a conversation, a breakthrough, or a quiet reminder of why we said yes in the first place. The men tell us they’re grateful we show up, but the truth is, we’re just as blessed by them. It’s never one-sided. God meets all of us there. And I can’t remember a single time I’ve walked out without thanking Him for the opportunity.
If someone is unsure about stepping into prison ministry, my advice is simple: just go once. Experience it for yourself. When you see what God is doing behind those walls, you’ll know whether He’s calling you to be part of it.
For me, and for Audrey, this isn’t just something we do. It’s who we are.
