Behind the Walls Blog Revival! - 2016 Ministry Update

It's been a pretty long time since anything has been posted to this blog, but we're reviving it! I'm Ben Casey, the new Communications Coordinator for Bill Glass Behind the Walls. I was hired to help Staci Woodruff in developing the Communications Department. One of the things that I'll be doing is working with the ministry's social media sites and helping to increase awareness of what we do in the vast realm that is the Internet.

We're still in the brainstorming stage of what this blog will look like on a more permanent basis, but for now, I'll give you an update on what 2016 looked like for Bill Glass Behind the Walls. If you weren't involved in the ministry this past year, you missed out on seeing God do lots of amazing things!

In 2016, 4,473 teammates shared the Gospel with 145,661 offenders, and 24,138 of them made a decision to make Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! Praise God for blessing this ministry.

The biggest event from 2016 was our last one, the DFW/Waco Weekend of Champions that took place over the first weekend in November. 22 different units were visited in the DFW and Waco areas, and nearly 2,500 inmates made decisions for Jesus.

I was able to serve as a teammate at the DFW/Waco event, and it was a huge blessing for me. I knew God did big things through BGBTW before that weekend, but experiencing it firsthand opened my eyes to how truly incredible it is. The nature and layout of the events make it incredibly easy to share one's faith, and, from what I saw, the inmates were extremely responsive! I can't wait to serve at many more events during my time with BGBTW.

I wasn't the only first-timer (freshman) who was impacted by serving at a Day or Weekend of Champions. Here are some quotes from several different freshmen from various events throughout the year:

"Most Christ-like ministry I've ever been associated with. Incredible testimony by all the platform guests and just an awesome witness to the prisoners and to me too."

"I was so energized by being able to and encourage so many women and just be with them and listen to them and pray for and with them. It was great!"

"I love the simplicity of how we are to share the Gospel with the inmates. I will definitely use this in the future when I share with others about Jesus Christ."

"It was amazing, I was extremely uncomfortable thinking that I would be with the male inmates but I enjoyed every minute with them! ... I can't believe how receptive, kind and respectful the men were. I can't wait for the next event."

Part of my job with BGBTW will be to utilize social media and online marketing to recruit new freshmen teammates to serve at 2017 events, and I'm excited about that after reading through so many incredible testimonies from 2016's freshmen.

Another highlight from 2016 was the hiring of our new Operations and Process Manager, Joe Barron. Joe has been a wonderful man to work with for the time I've been with BGBTW, and his heart for the gospel is apparent to anybody who's met him. Joe's experience ranges from pastoral jobs to high school basketball refereeing, and has a story that makes him especially passionate about BGBTW's mission.

"I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord through Bill Glass Behind the Walls," Joe said, when asked about his experience so far working with BGBTW. "Knowing the work we do has an eternal value that can be expressed and enjoyed while here on earth is both humbling and awe-inspiring. Only a great God, with a great purpose, could call me to a great mission, and allow me to witness such great results. I am grateful for this ministry and the countless lives impacted by its God-honoring desire to minister to the least of these!"

Like Joe said, countless lives were impacted by Bill Glass Behind the Walls in 2016, and we're excited for an even better 2017! There are 32 events on the calendar for next year, from a Day of Champions in Austin in January to one in Florida in December, and we are praying that God changes many lives through each one of them! You can already sign up for events in Austin, TX, Macon, GA, Shreveport, LA, and Huntsville, TX. If you want to see the other 28 events for next year, visit the calendar on our website!

I hope that you'll join me in praying consistently for Bill Glass Behind the Walls. The Lord has great things planned for this ministry, but that means the devil is eager to get in the way. Pray that God's will be done through BGBTW in 2017, and that the Gospel changes many hearts!

I hope that this post has been informative, and that this blog can be a good source of encouragement in the future as we near the start of 2017. If you have any stories you'd like shared on this blog or ideas for posts, leave a comment with your email address and I'll get contact you as soon as possible. Or, just give me a call at (972) 283-7325. Thanks for reading!