The God of Hope Ministries is a discipleship ministry in central Texas that runs Faith Based Dorms inside two prisons. In the Travis State Jail for men, we have 2 Faith-Based Dorms, currently housing up to 48 inmates, and we are hoping to expand to a third dorm within the next year. In the Lockhart Coleman Unit for women, we also have 2 Faith-Based dorms housing up to 100 inmates. When inmates enter the program, they are discipled by volunteers, consisting of Bible classes, small groups, and one-on-one coaching.
These men and women learn to follow Jesus through Bible courses, life skills, and spiritual habits.
We celebrated 20 years in Ministry recently. The Bible says that ‘Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give his life away as a ransom for many.’ We believe that we are saved to serve, which means that we are to imitate Jesus Christ by serving others. For over 20 years the God of Hope Ministries has discipled prison inmates behind prison walls.
With great joy, we acknowledge the faithfulness of the men and women volunteers who give approximately 10,000 hours a year combined towards the discipling of inmates.
Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our ministry.
Without them, we wouldn’t have a ministry. Not only do our volunteers make a huge difference in the lives of the prison inmates they serve but they also are changed by the experience and feel blessed to be a part of God’s work.
In 2023 we interviewed 6 of our volunteers, both past and current volunteers. The following video is the result of this interview:
So many of the graduates from our Faith-Based Dorm Program are changed by the work of these volunteers.
Many of them give testimony of how their lives were impacted by the program. This is what two of our graduates have said about our volunteers:
I want to thank you for everything you do and stand for. I need the volunteers to know that for the first time in a long time, I have felt loved, wanted, and valued by another woman.
My parents passed away and for years after I didn’t feel that anyone was rooting for me, then I came to 2 Echo. My life changed, (deep in my core kind of change) by the life all of you breathed into me. Each class I took in the program became instrumental in building my faith. My story isn’t any different than anyone else’s. I started the program with a lot of pain, regret, shame, unforgiveness, loss, and everything else you can imagine.
But as I went through the program, God worked through the volunteers and these ladies in here and I am leaving feeling different.
God has started a perfect work in me. At times this process has been difficult and oddly enough on those days someone in here (a volunteer or inmate) would reach out to me and guide me through this. I found God in this place. I found life in this place. I found freedom in this prison. Thank you, God of Hope. Thank you, 2 Echo. Thank you, God, for saving me. My journey is beginning somewhere else, and I am taking all of this with me. With God’s help, I will share all of this, and others will find the God of hope that will fill them with joy and peace.
Love,
Mary
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Mr. Dorrough,
I pray that this letter finds you in the best of spirits. I want to thank you and all of the God of Hope Volunteers for preparing me for the next step of my Journey. Discipleship takes a willingness and commitment that extends from beyond within.
This is where people like the God of Hope Volunteerstirelessly donate their time to the betterment of others. For this, I’m truly grateful.
God truly opened some doors for me and showed me that the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and keeping the right attitude and
trusting God will always outweigh what you’re going through;
also, if you trust Him and walk with Him, He’s always looking for an opportunity to bless you.
As things progress, I will keep you posted. They suggested at UCC that I pursue Field Ministry while here.
I want God to use me in any way possible and I’m very willing. A lot of people don’t have a clue how much of an opportunity is right in front of them with the Faith-Based program.
I will continue to remain in contact Mr. Dorrough. Please tell Jesse and Robert plus all of 11-Bravo to keep striving and stay focused on the Lord. (Matthew 6:33)
In Christ,
Dylan
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The God of Hope Ministries would appreciate connecting with you. To learn more about how you might become involved with their expanding outreach, please see their website:
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