Become a faithful prayer warrior lifting up the needs of prisoners and speaking blessings into their lives.
For any prison ministry to be truly effective, it must have a solid foundation of prayer. In prayer we call upon God for resources that He alone can provide in our battle against the spiritual forces of darkness.
If you are part of an in-prison ministry, you know that prisoners have many prayer needs. They desperately want prayer for themselves, their families, and their future reentry back into society. All you have to do is say, “May I pray for you?” Prayer touches the deepest hurts of those who feel so lost, lonely, and unwanted by the world.
Every in-prison ministry team needs prayer warriors lifting up the needs of the prisoners as well as ministry volunteers. But prayer ministry for prisoners does not require going to the prison. Even if you’ve never been inside a prison or jail, you can be a prayer warrior interceding before the throne of God for those who are incarcerated.
You can simply gather at a friend’s house with a few other intercessors and pray for prisoners. If your church has a prison ministry, ask them to start sending you the prayer requests so you can lift them before the Lord.
Even when you don’t know specific needs to pray for, you can seek God’s power and provision for a variety of general needs.
Want to encourage people to pray for prisoners? Download and share this prayer list with others in your church or with anyone you know who feels called to intercessory prayer. Here is a list of common prayer needs of prisoners.
PRAYER NEEDS OF PRISONERS
PRAYER NEEDS OF PRISONERSTHEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Pray for prisoners and their relationship with God, that they would:
- Experience His love
- Accept Christ as Savior
- Allow God to work in them and accomplish His purpose in their lives
- Earnestly seek God and get involved with chapel services and other Christian programming offered within the prison
GODLY ATTRIBUTES
Pray for prisoners to grow in godly attributes, that they would:
- Respect the authority of the prison staff
- Be able to control their temper
- Exhibit the fruit of the Spirit
- Experience genuine remorse for the harm they have caused their victims, and that they would seek to make amends as appropriate and possible
THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR FAMILIES
Pray for prisoners’ relationships with their families, that they will:
- Be committed to keeping in touch with their spouse and children
- Be able to maintain a strong connection with their family, despite being separated
- Experience reconciliation in strained or broken relationships
THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PRISONERS
Pray for prisoners and their relationships with other prisoners, that they will:
- Make godly friends to support and encourage them
- Stay away from harmful associations that will lead them astray
- Be a friend to the lonely, the discouraged, the lost
THEIR PROTECTION
Pray for prisoners’ protection, that they would:
- Resist the snares of the evil one, Satan
- Shun drugs and other types of contraband that get into prison
- Be safe from sexual assault and other forms of victimization
- Be healthy and free from serious illness
THEIR FUTURE
Pray for prisoners and their future, that they would:
- Take advantage of prison programs to enhance their educational and vocational skills
- Be wise in the use of their God-given talents
- Seek the wisdom and resources they need to adjust to reentering society: job, housing, supportive friends, etc.
THEIR SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Pray that Christian prisoners will:
- Remain strong in their faith
- Find a volunteer mentor to encourage and disciple them
- Have strength and courage to witness to other prisoners
- Resist temptations and remain good role models
DOWNLOAD THIS RESOURCE
Download this resource. Once downloaded, you can print, save, or share the pages with others.
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www.prisonfellowship.org
We frequently receive letters from prisoners who are grateful for our monthly leaflets and accompanying letters. They are happy to know that they can unite themselves to the prayers of millions of Catholics around the world for the salvation of humanity, the Pope’s monthly intentions, and one another. It gives them a sense of purpose and meaning at a time in their lives when they feel abandoned and insignificant.
Here are excerpts from three of those letters:
“Thank you, once again, for sending me your monthly prayer intentions. But also, for letting me be a part of this special prayer ministry. It makes my heart feel so good that I can serve God in praying for others – worldwide. It just feels good to be useful! While, as a prisoner, my body is limited by the razor wires and guards around me, my spirit and prayers are free to go anywhere in the world where there is a need. Amen! Thank you also for these monthly newsletters you send. It too makes me feel I am a part of reaching out to others. I’ll be praying.”
“For well over the past year I have been using the Apostleship of Prayer leaflets along with my rosary to begin each day and while praying the Holy Father’s intentions this morning it dawned on me that even here in prison I was a member of the largest faith community in the world. That the very prayers I was saying were being echoed by countless others across the world making me truly feel like a beloved daughter of God and a member of the One true body of Christ.
“As I said, I’ve been using your leaflets for some time now but it wasn’t until this very morning that I gave serious thought to the gift that your apostolate was providing me each month. The gift of inclusion. The gift of knowing that I matter and that my prayers are needed too.
“So Father, I am writing to thank you for including prisoners, regardless of their ability or inability to make a financial contribution to the Apostleship of Prayer and I wanted you to know that along with the pope’s intention I pray daily for this apostolate as well.”
“Hello. I receive the Pope’s prayer intentions every month. I am glad that there are programs like yours and others for prisoners. I enjoy them so much because I am a prisoner. A lot of people write and send things to prisoners, but they only do this a couple times and then they stop. You are one that does it monthly. I have a long sentence and I really get down sometimes. Going to church, reading God’s word and praying work for me. I know that I am a sinner. And that I cannot do anything without God. Somedays I feel like no one cares or understands what I am going through here. And then I receive something in the mail that talks to me. And today it was the Pope’s prayer intentions. So I thank you for doing what you do every day, every month, and every year. I really enjoy what you do not just for prisoners, but for everyone that you touch.”
Of course we send materials to prisoners at no charge but every so often one of them sends us a small check or stamps to help cover our costs. We depend on donations from generous souls to make sure that we can continue this growing ministry.
If you would like to help us, please hit the “Donate Now” button below.
Table of contents
Donate Now
If you know someone in prison who would like to become a member or receive materials, please email us at [email protected]
popesprayerusa.net
Who Are We?
The Prison Ministry’s mission is to reach out to men, women and youth who are behind prison walls as well as to their families. We minister through visitation, prayer, songs, testimony and the Word of God. We believe that God can change lives through the love we share with each person behind prison walls.
Eligibility to Volunteer
In order to serve in this ministry, you must be a member of the Brooklyn Tabernacle or in the process of becoming a member. You must also complete the ministry training sessions and have a burden to minister to those in prison and their families.
Activities & Functions
- Praying for the salvation of inmates and their families.
- Visiting the prisons and participating in the services in the prison chapels.
- Sending of correspondence, bibles, books, and birthday cards to inmates.
- Participating in Christmas gift presentation programs and other functions for the families.
- Being a mentor for newly released inmates.
Frequency of Service
All Prison Ministry volunteers are asked to make a one-year commitment to the ministry.
Length of Commitment
All Prison Ministry volunteers are asked to make a one-year commitment to the ministry.
Special Requirements
The Prison Ministry worker must be able to follow instructions from the group leaders as well as Chaplains, and Department of Corrections Staff. All workers must obtain proper identifications to enter the prisons. All workers who have been incarcerated must have release dates at least one year for city jails, and two years for state facilities. Workers must be willing to meet in the mornings or evenings at pick-up sites to enter the prisons. All workers entering the prisons must abide by the prison ministry’s dress code.
www.brooklyntabernacle.org
