Feb 18, 2026
“I was in prison and you came to me.” – Matthew 25:36
Jesus didn’t make prison ministry optional.
He didn’t frame it as charity work or a social justice cause.
He made it personal.
He said, “I was in prison…” and in doing so, He identified not just with the hurting, but with the incarcerated. He connected Himself with those society often ignores: the broken, the unseen, the cast aside. And He called His Church not to avoid these places, but to enter them.
At CHARM, this isn’t just a side project.
It’s the front line.
We Go Because He First Came
Every year, CHARM teams enter 18 prison units across Texas to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those behind bars.
These aren’t one time visits or holiday drop ins.
They are intentional, consistent, and deeply relational.
From preaching and prayer to one on one discipleship, we are walking with people in the hardest places of their lives.
Over 3,500 incarcerated men and women attended CHARM led events last year.
That’s more than a number.
That’s 3,500 image bearers of God hearing about a Savior who hasn’t forgotten them.
A Savior who calls them by name.
In the world’s eyes, prison is a place of judgment.
Through the lens of the Gospel, it is a field ripe for harvest.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… liberty to the captives… recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” – Luke 4:18
This is why we go.
Not just because there is need, but because Jesus is already there.
Prison ministry isn’t simply about sharing a message.
It is about showing up with presence.
It is bringing the love and light of Christ into places long overshadowed by despair, addiction, shame, and hopelessness.
And this isn’t work for a few bold individuals.
This is a call for the Church.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” – Matthew 9:37
The early Church didn’t run from suffering.
They moved toward it.
They visited the imprisoned.
They served widows.
They risked their comfort to carry the message of Christ into dark and dangerous places.
At CHARM, we are simply carrying that same torch.
Presence That Transforms
When a CHARM volunteer looks someone in the eye and says, “You’re not forgotten,” walls begin to fall.
When the Gospel is preached, identities are rebuilt.
When Christ is lifted high, hope breaks through the hardest hearts.
We have seen it again and again.
Men once consumed by rage now kneel in tears at the name of Jesus.
Women who believed they were worthless are now leading others in Bible study.
Generational cycles are being broken, not by programs, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That’s the mission.
That’s the miracle.
And that’s why we won’t stop going.
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.” – Hebrews 13:3
At CHARM, we take this seriously.
Because when Jesus said, “I was in prison and you came to me,” we believe He meant it. And we will keep showing up until the whole prison hears.