From one weekly letter to multiple in-person Bible study groups, Brigantine Bible Church is showing what it truly means to serve others through faith. Each week, volunteers from the church visit prisons to bring Bible study groups to those who are incarcerated. In addition to the in-person meetings, volunteers also write guided Bible study letters to any inmates who request them.
The letters are sent locally and to inmates in other states who have expressed interest, showing Brigantine Bible Church’s commitment to reaching anyone seeking connection and faith.
Church members Karen and Dave Daily were the ones who first brought this mission, known as Corrections for Christ, to the church.
Karen shared that in 2020, she learned that a former student of hers had become incarcerated. She began writing letters to him and eventually made a commitment to write to him every single week.
“Being in there, you have no connection to the outside world. Nobody keeps up with them on a weekly basis and they feel forgotten, so I made a commitment to write encouraging Bible study letters to this former student of mine every single week,” Karen said. “He then started sharing my letters with his cellmates and others in the jail, and it just grew from there through word of mouth. More and more inmates started requesting the Bible study letters, and we would send them to them as well.”
What started as a way to connect with one person quickly grew into something much bigger. As requests for the letters increased, the Dailys realized they needed help to keep up and to continue reaching even more inmates.
That’s when they connected with Brigantine Bible Church and Pastor Jim Powderley.
Pastor Powderley said he was eager to bring this ministry to the church and decided to take it a step further. Instead of only sending letters, the church expanded the effort to include in-person Bible study groups inside the prison. After several months of clearances and background checks, the church was approved to begin hosting these studies.
Pastor Powderley shared that the ministry began with just a handful of sessions, initially for women. As word spread and attendance grew, they expanded the program to weekly sessions inside the prisons, one for women and one for men.
The response from inmates has been inspiring. According to Pastor Powderley, many are eager to take part each week.
“They have to sign up to be able to join, and there are limited seats,” Powderley said. “The jail helps rotate participants, so everyone gets a chance because the inmates are rushing to get their names on the list. They all want to be a part of it.”
In addition to the letters and in-person Bible studies, members of Brigantine Bible Church also hold a prayer group focused specifically on the inmates they meet. The group takes note of prayer requests from the individuals they connect with and makes sure those needs are lifted up each week.
Pastor Powderley said the church believes it is important for these inmates to know someone is praying for them personally and cares about them.
“A lot of them are lonely and feel ostracized, but we have a desire to love on them and show them that we care and believe God can still use them in a great way,” Powderley said. “Our number one mission is to help them enter into a closer relationship with God. Our second mission is to equip them as believers so they can grow spiritually and, when they are released, continue to find a sense of purpose and stay on the right track with God by their side.”
Karen said the overall mission behind Corrections for Christ is to remind inmates they are not forgotten.
“Our mission is to help them know that God loves them, that they’re not forgotten in His eyes, and that He has a plan for their lives,” she said.
The Dailys shared that while the inmates often thank them after each session, they feel equally grateful for the experience.
“They’ll thank us after each session, but we thank them as well because they give us reinforcement for what we’re doing,” Karen said. “We learn and grow from this too. It benefits us just as much as it benefits them. It’s an amazing thing.”
Over time, they’ve noticed many familiar faces returning to the weekly sessions, allowing them to build genuine connections with those they serve. They say they’ve seen meaningful changes in the inmates who consistently participate, which motivates them to keep expanding the outreach.
What began as one letter a week has grown into roughly 120 letters sent out weekly, along with regular in-person Bible study meetings. The Dailys shared that some individuals who once received the letters while incarcerated continue to request them even after their release.
For the volunteers behind Corrections for Christ, that continued connection speaks volumes about the impact the ministry is having and the guidance they are providing.
