It’s been 5 years since I became a Prison Chaplain. It took me 3 years to answer God’s call
John
on my life. I thought it would take up a lot of time and that I wouldn’t be any good at it.
At first, I had no idea what I was doing but the Lord was patient with me and He taught me humility, compassion and people skills. It took me most of 2 years to get confident in my role as a Prison Chaplain.
I know that anything I’ve achieved hasn’t been by my skills or knowledge but by God Himself. I’ve started to believe that God can use anybody willing to give it a go.
So when God prompted me to do something about supporting ex-prisoners, I didn’t hesitate. I approached our senior pastor and Church Elders and they were very supportive.
The program will involve walking alongside ex-offenders as they integrate back into society, helping with relationships, find a job, overcoming addiction and growing in faith. With a shortage of suitable housing for ex-offenders, our long-term plan is to help with this as well.
With God’s help, this program will be up and running soon and we hope to see a reduction in the reoffend rate as a result.
Please pray for everyone involved, that we would be sensitive to God’s leading, feel free to encourage us via email and your donations will help bring this project to life.
Thanks to Beenleigh Baptist for their support and involvement in this project. To God be all the glory.
John Petrak
Prison Chaplain