Jermaine Wilson had not heard from his son at all during the three months before Wilson’s son received a gift through Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program. But God used the program to bring Wilson’s family back into his life while he was incarcerated in Lansing Correctional Facility in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Now, Wilson has rebuilt his life, is an ordained minister, and is serving as Prison Fellowship’s mission ambassador.
“I signed up my son to receive a gift on my behalf. And before my son received the gift, three months had went by and I didn’t hear from my son at all,” Wilson told ChurchLeaders. “So that Christmas, I called home to see if my son received the gift. And my son’s mother answered the phone, and I heard my son laughing in the background.”
“And when I found out that he received that gift, that gift gave me the hope that I needed to know that there’s still hope for me being a parent behind bars,” Wilson said. “Even though prison locked up my body, it did not lock up my purpose as being a father. And Prison Fellowship Angel Tree gave me that opportunity to be present in my son’s life during the Christmas season.”
Prison Fellowship’s ‘Holistic’ Approach Includes Angel Tree Program
In 2026, Prison Fellowship celebrates its 50th anniversary. The ministry was founded in 1976 by Chuck Colson, who, shortly after becoming a Christian, served time for his role in the Watergate scandal.
“Our mission is to encounter Jesus with those impacted by incarceration,” Prison Fellowship President and CEO Heather Rice-Minus told ChurchLeaders. The ministry does this in a variety of ways, including through its Angel Tree program. One of the outreaches the program does is partnering with over 4,000 churches to provide Christmas presents to the children of incarcerated parents.
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Rice-Minus explained that Prison Fellowship has a uniquely “holistic” approach to prison ministry in that it serves people who are in prison, the families of incarcerated people, and prison wardens, as well as tackling issues at the legislative level.
“Every time I go into prison, [I am] just so moved by the spiritual discipline that I see in prison, whether it’s studying the Word, Scripture memory, intensive prayer, intensive worship,” Rice-Minus said. “There’s just nothing like getting a chance to worship alongside brothers and sisters in prison who are following Jesus.”
She also sees “a real sense of repentance” from people in prison.
“A lot of times in the free world, we can forget as believers that we need God’s grace or maybe overlook it,” said Rice-Minus. “And when people get to prison, it can often be a moment when they really understand the weight of their sin and an opportunity to turn to God.”
That is what his time in prison became for Wilson. Wilson grew up with a father who struggled with drug addiction and incarceration and a mother who worked two jobs to support her children. The result was that Wilson and his siblings were “left to raise each other.”
God used Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program to bring Jermaine Wilson’s family back into his life while he was incarcerated.Click to Post
