A Bridge of Hope
from Prison to New Life

WHO WE ARE | CORE VALUES | FAQS

• How is God of Hope Ministries different from other prison ministries?
• How many prisoners are there in the U.S. and what is the impact on society?
• What’s the history of The God of Hope Ministries?
• What’s the alternative for inmates who don’t have a program such as this?
• I’ve never done anything like prison ministry before. Would I be qualified for this?
• Is there any physical danger in going directly into the dorms and having such close contact with the inmates?
• What training do you offer for the volunteers?
• What assistance does God of Hope Ministries offer to inmates when they leave your faith-based dorm?
• What is the long-term vision for God of Ministries?
• If I were to make a financial contribution to God of Hope Ministries, for what would it be used?
• Can I be sure your ministry is “sustainable?”

Q   How is God of Ministries different from other prison ministries?

A   God of Hope Ministries offers intensive discipleship on a daily basis inside the prison. After a lifetime of dysfunctional thinking, destructive habits, and bad choices, a short-term discipleship experience, although wonderful, is unlikely to produce lasting transformation. Following Jesus’ model, we feel that ongoing, 24/7 exposure to God's word, interaction with mature Christians, and extensive practice at developing godly habits is the most effective way to produce real, lasting life change.

Q   How many prisoners are there in the U.S. and what is the impact on society?

A   In the mid 1970's there were approximately 250,000 people in prison in the U.S.  Today, roughly 30 years later, we have approximately 2.3 million people incarcerated.   We have another 350,000 children under 18 who are serving time in juvenile detention centers, for a total of 2.65 million people in the criminal justice system in the U.S., with 3700 of those in central Texas   The largest mission field in North America is right in our own backyard!

These packed prisons are costing U.S. tax payers approximately $88 billion each year.  In 2007, Texas, with the second largest prison population in the nation, spent approximately $2.6 billion on its prison system.  Not included in these costs is the lost productivity of the inmates and the devastating financial effects on their families.

Q   What’s the history of The God of Hope Ministries?

A   Robert Dorrough, Jr., the executive director of God of Hope Ministries, visited a prison for the first time with Bill Glass Ministries in 1988. After going in that first day, he was deeply moved by what he saw. Robert went back to his hotel room that night and couldn’t sleep.   He says he kept seeing the images on the faces of those men and was reminded of the passage in Matt. 9 where it says “When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion, for they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Robert continued to make weekend trips over the next 12 years, all the while praying that God would allow him to do more. In 2000, Robert left his job as police chief, and some loving friends helped him get started in prison ministry full time.

In praying about what to name the ministry, Robert says he heard so many inmates say, “There’s no hope for me.” When the Lord reminded Robert of Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe that you might overflow with hope…,” Robert knew then that God wanted him to name the ministry “The God of Hope Ministries.”

Robert has now also been trained as a Certified Volunteer Chaplain Assistant (CVCA), so he is able to function as a prison chaplain.

Q   What’s the alternative for inmates who don’t have a program such as this?

A   In dorms other than the faith-based dorm, some inmates attend GED classes and other adult basic education programs, but many just sit and do nothing or watch TV all day, and we all know how well that prepares a person for a responsible, productive, Christian life.  Rather than wasting their time in prison, we would love to see inmates filled with a God-given purpose, investing this valuable time growing closer to the Lord themselves and sharing their faith with other inmates.

Q   I’ve never done anything like prison ministry before.  Would I be qualified for this?

A   The only necessary qualification is that Christ lives in you and His love shines forth.  The inmates will remember your unconditional love for them far more than whatever words you may say.  Just showing up and letting them know that Christ loves them and you love them is 90% of the job.

We make it very easy for people to get involved, even for people who’ve never done any kind of outreach before.  We offer a range of service opportunities in the prison, from being an assistant to other people doing ministry, to one-on-one mentors and coaches, to small-group leaders, to large-group teaching.

For those people who don’t feel called to minister in the prison at all, we need volunteers to handle creative tasks such as web site creation, video production, newsletter writing, graphic design, and admin duties such as office assistance, bookkeeping, event organization, etc.  If God is calling you to this ministry, I’m sure you can find a place to use your gifts.

Q   Is there any physical danger in going directly into the dorms and having such close contact with the inmates?

A   No.  We believe “God gives His angels charge over us,” and He has never lost a volunteer yet.   Though it may sound scary, the prison environment is actually quite safe.

Q   What training do you offer for the volunteers?

A   To become approved to serve in the prison, all volunteers are required to attend a 4-hour prison safety training class. This ensures that the volunteers abide by all safety regulations and don’t do anything that would compromise the security of the prison or themselves. In addition, we also offer training specifically for each of our volunteer positions, to share insights into the unique challenges that our volunteers may encounter as they teach and disciple inmates.

Q   What assistance does God of Ministries offer to inmates when they leave your faith-based dorm?

A   God of Hope graduates typically return to the general prison population. We encourage our graduates to share their faith wherever they go. Additionally, we are developing a new “extended care” program to support them by providing Bibles and other study materials to help them start their own study groups in other prison units.

Once our graduates get out of prison, we have a network of Christian resources to which we can refer them as they acclimate to their new life on the outside. If they're released in Austin, we typically refer our graduates to Texas Reach Out, which provides Christian transitional housing where the ex-offenders receive support throughout the rehabilitation process until they’re established as mature, self-supporting Christians in our community.

Q   What is the long-term vision for God of Hope Ministries?

A   Because we believe that true transformation can only take place through the power of God’s Word, we want to offer a faith-based dorm option to every inmate in the U.S.

As more and more God of Hope graduates populate the prison system and share their faith, we hope they will change the entire climate of the system, possibly leading to exponential growth of Christianity within an otherwise godless environment.

Q   If I were to make a financial contribution to God of Hope Ministries, for what would it be used?

A   The God of Hope Ministry is a very cost-effective operation.  We have only a few paid staff—all other workers are volunteers.  Office space has been donated by a local church.  Funding is needed when we start a new faith-based dorm for equipment such as sound systems, TVs, and DVD players.  On an ongoing basis, the primary expenses are curricula and study supplies for the inmates.

Q   Can I be sure your ministry is “sustainable?”

A   We have a dedicated board of directors and an experienced leadership team who are committed to the ongoing operation of this ministry.   We also have over 60 trained volunteers who are active in the ministry.   Prison officials are asking for more programs of this sort, and we have a waiting list of inmates wanting to be in the program, so the opportunities for expansion of this ministry are enormous.