Becky Green, from LCM’s Prisons and Resettlement team, shares how Jesus is moving powerfully behind prison walls — and how journeying with prisoners and prison leavers has deeply shaped her own faith.
A friend from church asked me recently how the Sunday service in the prison chapel went. I told him, “It went really well — peaceful, engaging, and such a wonderful time of worship. One of the inmates jumped on the drum kit for 10,000 Reasons at the end, and the whole room just took off. Some were even dancing!”
He paused, smiled, and said, “Well… ours was pretty tame compared to that.”
People often assume that we go into prisons to bring Jesus with us — but the truth is He’s already there. He’s already moving, already speaking, already pouring out His love. Prisons can be dark places, of course, but as John reminds us, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
For me, serving first as a volunteer and now as a mission associate with LCM’s Prisons and Resettlement team has been one of the biggest privileges of my life. We partner with chaplaincies to share the gospel inside prison, and then walk with people as they leave — helping them to settle into life outside and encouraging them into local church, where they can grow in community.
And honestly? I often feel I receive far more than I give. Sitting with prisoners in Bible studies has deeply shaped my own faith. Their questions are raw, honest, and unfiltered. They don’t mind disagreeing or pushing back. Sometimes their questions stump me — and send me back to Scripture, where I find deeper revelation.
God has used this ministry to grow my faith in ways I never expected. I’ve seen Him speak clearly, heal people, lift burdens, and bring joy into some of the most intense environments imaginable. We only get a small window of time each week inside, but Jesus keeps working long after we leave.
It started in Starbucks
My journey into this ministry began long before I ever stepped into a prison. As I became more aware of gang culture and rising knife crime in London, I sensed God breaking my heart over what breaks His. Then one day in Starbucks in January 2020 — just before a netball match — I was reading No Neutral Ground by Pete Portal. He quoted Psalm 68: “God sets the lonely in families and leads out the prisoner with singing.”
I suddenly felt God say, “This is the calling on your life.”
I found myself crying in the middle of Starbucks, much to the confusion of the man in the suit next to me. I couldn’t explain it, but it was the start of a journey that eventually led me to worship alongside prisoners who are discovering freedom in Christ — even while still behind bars.
