Publisher's Synopsis
Prisons are an institutional altar God has placed in communities all around us. In this book, the author is giving an invitation for the outside churches to minister in such a way that Jesus can say: I was in prison and you came to me. Prisons are mission fields in which God has brought the world to our back yards. Any given prison in America houses inmates from all nations around the world. This book is also a call to the Church to answer Jesus Christ's Great Commission: to go into all the world and make disciples. After thirty years as a prison chaplain and assistant program director, the author has a keen insight into this rewarding ministry. He draws that knowledge from personal experiences, writing policies, and training staff and volunteers. He has ministered with and to the inmates on every level of the system, including Death Row. This book is essential for serious readers who are seeking to improve relationships with wardens, correctional officers, chaplains and inmates, their family, and the victims. Leonard M. Payne, Jr. was just a country preacher with a PhD (Praying Hard Daily) when he applied for the chaplain position at the West Virginia State Penitentiary, Moundsville, WV. He was the only staff member allowed to go with Governor Arch Moore to the negotiations during the 1986 riots at the West Virginia State Penitentiary. He has authored two books: Un-redeemer Son and Daughters and My People Yesterday, Today and Forever, a history of the Glorious Churches of God in Christ, in which he presently serves as National Director of Chaplaincy. He holds a Doctoral degree from the United Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts from the Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. Leonard lives in St. Clairsville, Ohio with his wife, Charlotte
