In its 17th year, Freedom Ministries has started its annual series of visits to Kansas prisons.
Founded by Tom Bevard and perpetuated by him and son Randy, the ministry provides food through a cookout, entertainment and the message of Christianity to inmates. However, visits are open to all faiths, not just Christians.
Bevard told the Register Freedom Ministries had an abbreviated event at the women’s prison in Topeka last week, but still had about 100 inmates respond each of two nights to altar calls.
“We’ll be going back to Topeka soon full-blown, with food and all,” Bevard said.
Visits are scheduled practically every week at state prisons through September. By then, Bevard predicted at least 7,000 of the state’s 10,000 prison population will have been exposed to his message.
An addition this year is a medium-security facility at Oswego, which closed as a boot camp for young people and has reopened as a prison housing about 160 adults.
Freedom Ministries also goes into schools, where the focus is on encouraging students to avoid drugs and alcohol. An adjunct is filmed interviews of inmates who tell, often in graphic terms, how drugs and alcohol ruined their lives.
“We’ve been in about a dozen schools in the past couple of years,” Bevard said.
At prisons and schools Bevard and his son entertain with guitar-backed vocals. Randy often draws raves when he plays his guitar behind his head.
Bevard was first exposed to spiritual needs in jails and prisons when he and wife Lucy lived above the Bourbon County Jail in Fort Scott. He was jailer and Lucy cooked meals.
“She got $2 per prisoner per day,” Bevard said, more than sufficient to feed the prisoners.
He later worked as a jailer in Allen County, where he honed his prison ministry with local inmates. He continues to visit inmates in the Allen County facility.
