Prison Ministry

In collaboration with the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (https://theocpm.org/), the mission of the SJTD Prison Ministry is to bring the light of Christ into the lives of those incarcerated in state prisons.

How to Get Involved

What we need right now are volunteers and to find out who is interested in supporting the new prison ministry at St. John the Divine. Come by the Kafenio during Coffee Hour on July 27, 2025 to meet with Joshua Mustoe, our parish’s OCPM Advocate and Ministry Leader, to discuss your interest. You can also talk to Joshua any Sunday after Divine Liturgy or email him at [email protected].

There are a number of options available to get involved:

 ●     Prayers – Supporting the prison ministry and those incarcerated with your prayers

●     Giving – Financially supporting the OCPM through your giving

●     Writing:^[1]

○     Postcards – Sending postcards to the OCPM so that they can route them to the imprisoned.

○     PenPals – Becoming a PenPal with someone incarcerated by sending your encouraging letters to the OCPM and having their responses sent to St. John the Divine.

●     Onsite Visits:^[2]

○     Storybook Connections™ – Visiting incarcerated fathers and mothers to record them reading children’s books that can then be shared with OCPM who will then share the recording with their families

○     Early Church History Lessons – Visiting the incarcerated to teach them about Early Church History using the OCPM curriculum.

Nearby Prisons

–       Florida

–       Baker Correctional Institution is a state prison for men in Sanderson, FL of mixed security levels. The drive is approximately one hour from SJTD.

–       Columbia Correctional Facility is a state prison for men in Lake City, FL of mixed security levels. The drive is approximately one hour from SJTD.

–       Union Correctional Institution is a state prison for men in Railford, FL of mixed security levels. The drive is approximately one hour from SJTD.

–       Georgia

–       D. Ray James Correctional Facility is a privately operated medium security prison in Folkston, GA. The drive is approximately one hour from SJTD.

 

 

 

 

^[1] Parishioners will be using a pseudonym (pen name) instead of their legal name for correspondence

^[2] Volunteers will need to pass a background check before being given access to prisons