Christ is Alive and Well in Prison

Christ is Alive and Well in Prison

 Charles Norman

In 1980 I was incarcerated at Union Correctional Institute in Raiford, Florida. Fellow prisoners repeatedly tried to get me to attend a “Kairos* Weekend.”  But I did not want to go and be with child molesters and hypocrites. 

However, in 1982, after my friend Joe Miller gave me a different insight -- the church was more a hospital for sinners than a showcase for saints, I did sign up.  I began to understand that if prisoners were going to church, it gave them a chance to change their lives and to become better men.  I also realized that I needed to deal with my own shortcomings.

When the Kairos weekend arrived, I did my best to keep my judgmental nature in check. While there, I discovered that those men were actually glad to meet me and considered me a brother.  They shared the joy they felt when they hugged me and told me Jesus loved me. It might sound hokey, but they were for real. The feelings were contagious.  And I sensed myself becoming a better man.

During the intervening years since that weekend, I have volunteered in many Christian programs. I have needed the reinforcement and fellowship that such gatherings offer.  In the midst of such worldly evil and degeneracy that dominates prison life, these gatherings serve to maintain our hope, faith and belief in a God who forgives and delivers us - which is crucial to our survival, both physically and spiritually.

I am still incarcerated but have now been moved to Tomoka Correctional Institute in Daytona Beach, Florida.  In 2010 I attended a “Kairos Reunion” program at the prison chapel. Such reunions give the prisoners, who have previously attended Kairos Weekends, a chance to reinforce the faith and spiritual lessons they learned during the “short course in Christianity.”  During these follow-up monthly programs, volunteers come from surrounding communities. These two-hour programs consist of testimonies, prayers, songs, and discussions.

At this particular gathering several prisoners with guitars and other musical instruments led an introductory hymn, “Victory In Jesus.” As I sang along with the group with my eyes closed, I imagined that I was a child in Redwater Baptist Church in East Texas in the 1950’s.  I was in the comforting midst and security of my family, hearing those same words for the first time.

“I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me.


I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning,

Then I repented of my sins and won the victory...”


When I opened my eyes, I returned to reality – no longer a child in Texas.  Instead it

was 2010, and I was in a prison chapel filled with convicted felons. There were also a handful of well-meaning citizens who could see beyond these sins.  They demonstrated their faith by coming through the razor wire and prison gates to encourage the men whom society has written off and cast aside.

For the couple of hours we spent in the chapel, we couldn’t see the fences, the guard towers, and the gun trucks cruising around. We were able to see the best in our fellow man, as we continued to sing:

“O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever,


He sought me and bought me, with His redeeming blood.

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.

He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood.”

Thank God, Christ is alive and well in prison!

* Kairos Prison Ministry is a Christian program which shares the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.  The goal is to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women, and youth, as well as their families.