A day of rain showers gave way to afternoon sun as Don Ball and Daniel Hathorne, both of Bruce, stood on each side of a young man as he kneeled in a large tub of warm water. Following a discussion about the significance of being baptized and a short prayer, the two men grabbed the young man by each arm and slowly lowered him into the water.
It was a scene not uncommon in churches all over Calhoun County, but what made this one different was it was happening in the tiny, triangular yard behind the Calhoun County Jail.
Don Ball and Jerry Murphree started this prison ministry three years ago.
“I joined the Gideons about five years ago and that has been a tremendous blessing in itself, going around and giving my testimony to different churches and raising money to buy Bibles,” Ball said. “Part of the Gideon ministry is a prison ministry, and I had tried twice to go to Parchman to give my testimony, and both times they had problems and we were turned away at the gate.”
Ball and Murphree decided to explore the possibility of a local ministry at the county jail.
“At first we thought it would just be to pass out Bibles. There is a prison Bible the Gideons put out,” Ball said. “We brought a bunch of those up and went into the cells and some of the guys said they would like to have church here.”
Ball and Murphree began putting together brief devotionals and sharing it with the prisoners. The early efforts garnered a mixed response.
“When we first started, the guys weren’t sure where we were coming from,” Ball said. “They didn’t know if Gideons was some denomination or some off the wall sort of thing. So at first they were very dubious of our intentions. They would leave the TVs on and play cards while we were doing devotionals. As they became more familiar with what we’re all about, now we have church. They turn everything off and pull chairs around and it’s really like church.”
Ball said he enjoys the interaction, although sometimes the conversations go beyond his capabilities.
“They ask very good questions, some of which I’m not sure Jerry and I are qualified to answer,” he said. “One of the things we have to be careful of is the denominational lines – once saved always saved – and some of the doctrine. We have to be careful, a lot of these guys have grown up in the church, so we steer away from that. We steer away from politics and just preach right out of God’s word.”
Ball said the ministry hasn’t been without criticism, but he understands the skepticism of some and simply marches forward doing what he believes he’s led to do.
“We get comments, ‘why are they being treated special?’ It just goes back to the Bible,” Ball said. “Jesus, several times, had told his disciples they should go to the sick and the poor, but also to the prisoners. This is a ministry about God. It’s not about us or in any way to put guilt or to try and solicit anything. It’s purely love. It’s the type of love God wants all of us to give to our fellow man.”
“These guys are special in the sense that they’re hurting and they’re families are hurting,” Ball said. “We always pray for their families as they are anxiously awaiting their return. I just have a feeling for them that we need to do something.”
Ball feels he has a unique connection with the prisoners as he lived much of his life as an atheist before finding Christianity.
“I wasn’t breaking any laws, but I was still very sinful,” Ball said. “I think I have a special connection with them in that regard.”
“We had an interesting discussion the other day about sin and sinners. We’re all sinners, it’s not about breaking the law,” Ball said. “We don’t see them as any more sinful as ourselves. They have been caught up in something and they need to turn away from it just as we do.”
The ministry took another step last week with the first baptismal.
“We had some wanting to be baptized, so we were transporting them to churches, but it was a security problem for the sheriff’s office,” Ball said.
They studied the various options and came up with the idea of a portable baptismal that can be set up when needed. Since the first one last week, with prisoners looking on through the windows, more have followed.
“It’s been a real blessing,” Ball said.
Since the ministry began, 29 prisoners have “accepted the Lord,” Ball said. He also works with the Calhoun Baptist Association who is developing a prison ministry of its own and has shown support for Ball and Murphree’s efforts.
Sheriff Greg Pollan said he too is supportive of the ministry inside the prison walls.
“I strongly encourage it and try to support it as much as I can. Today was the fruits of that labor,” Pollan said referring to their first baptism.
Ball, too, was very encouraged by the day’s events and said he will continue to preach a message of “hope and faith, because it’s something they really need.”
“It’s been a good walk and I’m going to do this as long as I can,” Ball said.