September 14, 2024
BUFORD, Ga. — A very special ceremony took place on Friday, Aug. 16, at Phillips State Prison in Buford. Faculty from Truett McConnell University gathered with prison staff, family, and friends to celebrate 24 offenders who received their bachelor’s degrees in Christian studies.
The graduates were part of a joint program between the Georgia Department of Corrections, TMU, and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, which provided the funding. The offenders, many of whom are serving life sentences, will become part of the prison system’s chaplaincy program. The hope is for these men, equipped and trained to minister to others with the Word of God, to serve as missionaries sharing the gospel throughout the system.
Ken Ellis, prison chaplain at Phillips State Prison and Statewide Chaplaincy Coordinator, said “The inmates working on this degree is a game changer and a second chance to do something great in their lives. My hope is that these men will share the knowledge, hope, and love with other men who are down and about to give up. I hope that this educational experience changes the lives of future generations.”
The program’s impact on the graduates has been life-changing, and many of the inmates have expressed their eagerness to share that change with fellow offenders.
“I want to bring thousands of people to know, love, and submit to the truth of God, but I may be only able to affect a change in a few,” one graduate wrote, “However, those few, newfound believers, may then go to preach the gospel and remain faithful until the end.”
“I plan on… utilizing what the Lord has gifted me with for the advancement of His Kingdom,” wrote another.
One offender remembers first feeling the call to ministry. “In a prison cell in 2004, two years after God saved me,” he recalled, “He made me understand I was to be a Missionary/Evangelist.”
W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said, "This is a perfect example how partnerships multiply our effectiveness. Kingdom work is always done through relationships and partnerships. Only God knows the eternal impact each of these men will have as they live out their faith and draw from all they have been taught these last four years. This is another reason I am so grateful for Georgia Baptists."
Over the past four years, TMU faculty have regularly traveled to the prison to teach. This included professors from the School of Stem, Humanities, and Theology & Missions. Ellis said he is grateful for their willingness to teach and mentor the offenders. “I am so impressed working with such authentic faculty and called men of God who have shown such dedication and commitment to the students at Phillips State Prison,” he said.
Many of the professors reflected that the experience of teaching in the prison impacted them as much as their students.
Michael Justus, chair of the School of the Humanities and a history professor, said, “I have developed friendships that will last long beyond our time together. As one of the students said, ‘Don’t forget me.’ I never will.”
“My first visit to a prison completely changed my perception of the lives of those incarcerated,” reflected biology professor Diby Paul. “They need someone to uplift their spirits through prayer and kind words. Many of my students at the prison are strong believers who trust in God with all their hearts.”
Gary Jarnagin, associate professor of Theology and Missions, said “They have greatly influenced my life and have brought a new perspective and insight into serving our Lord, where you are, with what you have and, in all things, glorify Him.”
The graduates have already impressed the faculty with their abilities and desire to serve God. Last year an inmate won TMU’s campus-wide writing contest with a non-fiction account reflecting on the moments leading up to his execution. The execution was stayed after the offender received his last meal and was preparing to die. Now, he just wants to serve the Lord.
“The students are sharp. They are motivated. They want to do their best,” Justus said. “I have seen them gain confidence in themselves and in their own abilities. They have strived and steadily succeeded.”
Jarnagin also commented on the offenders’ desire to learn and the depth of their knowledge and faith. “They attended class and studied with more purpose and sense of urgency than the average students on campus display,” he said, “and the questions asked during class were not surface Sunday School questions, but the type of questions that shake the intellectual soul and drives you to His Word to find the prevailing truth from our Creator.”
That firmness of faith also impressed Justus. “If you want to experience prayer that reaches to the highest Heaven,” he said, “ask a student to lead in prayer.”
Though the graduates do not experience physical freedom, they have found spiritual freedom in Christ. “The thought that they could be forgiven, a free man, and they could serve God in the place where their actions had brought them,” said Jarnagin, “was humbling and also convicting to this fellow believer.”
Ultimately, the inmates received more than an education and a diploma, said Ellis, the prison chaplain. “The word of God has made a great impact on the lives of these men. I have watched their lives move in a positive direction and their attitudes have changed. They see hope as a choice for a better future.”
