Buddy Gray, pastor of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, told the assembled prison ministry volunteers that he began his preaching ministry in jail.
“I grew up in Prattville and preached at the Autauga County Jail as a 16-year-old,” he said. “What you volunteers do is making a difference in lives that we might not fully see until eternity. We thank you for caring for those in jails and prisons, and we welcome you to our church today.”
‘Noncompetitive’
Hunter Street Baptist hosted the volunteer training on June 25. Mitch Haubert, chaplain of the Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent, pastor of Brent Presbyterian Church and executive director of Jump Start Alabama, officiated. Haubert explained that although the training was originally planned on site, he welcomed the church’s invitation since most of their ministry volunteers are in the Birmingham area.
Haubert called the Bibb Correctional Facility prison ministry “noncompetitive.”
“We work and serve together, and our reflex is to say ‘yes’ when new groups ask about helping,” he said.
“We have 192 volunteers, and in the first five months of 2024, we registered some 25,000 contact hours that we define as a volunteer spending one hour with an inmate. We’re fortunate to have so much help in this work.”
Haubert directed the training session that is required for volunteers each year, and he covered basic rules about conducting oneself as a prison guest.
Hunter Street member H.R. “Rick” Hudson, prison ministry director for the church, served as one of the hosts for the day. He oversees the congregation’s work at Bibb, the Federal Correctional Institution in Talladega, the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer and the Hoover City Jail.
Hudson, a Jasper native, explained that he became interested in prison ministry while working for the American Cast Iron Pipe Company in Chicago.
“We had the chaplain for the Cook County Jail (in Chicago) speak at our church one Sunday, and my wife and I invited him home with us for lunch,” Hudson said. “His story was amazing, and his testimony was inspiring as a former inmate who now ministered to inmates. He invited me to come to a service at the jail, and I enlisted 10 people from our church to go. God touched my heart for this work.”
Opportunities
Hudson, now retired, returned to Birmingham in 1995. He joined Hunter Street and began his current ministry shortly thereafter at the Jimmie Hale Mission in Birmingham.
“I was involved in this work for seven years, and it continues at our church,” he said. “Our members conduct worship and provide food for the residents.”
Hudson said his church now conducts worship services in Brent two Sunday afternoons each month from noon until 2 p.m. He’s seen how God changes the hearts of lay people when they’re invited to share their faith.
“Some who’ve never talked about their faith get the opportunity, and it helps them become better witnesses,” Hudson said.
“And some volunteers share their own backgrounds as a testimony to God’s grace. Some of their stories are remarkably similar to inmates’ stories. These are intimate parts of their lives that they’d perhaps not shared with others, but God uses this to encourage inmates.”
Hudson said his congregation sponsors a project each Christmas to deliver 2,000 bags of cookies to Bibb and 1,500 bags to Donaldson.
“We give bags of five home-baked cookies to everyone — inmates and employees alike,” he said. “The bags are welcomed gifts, and we include a word of witness in each one.”
Not for everyone
Hudson admitted prison ministry is not for everyone.
He spoke of taking a relative to death row at a facility years ago where Hudson had occasion to visit with four inmates. The relative regretted his decision that day. Hudson was unsure whether to call it discomfort or oppression, but the relative wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
“God gives passion for whatever ministry He’s chosen for us,” Hudson said. “We have passion or we don’t for prison ministry. Some went with us to prison worship services and then decided it wasn’t for them. That’s fine. Other ministries abound. We all must determine our gifts and use them for the Lord.”
Hunter Street’s website is hunterstreet.org. Haubert can be reached at Mitchell.haubert@doc.alabama.gov or by calling 205-926-5252, ext. 300.
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