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How We Began in 2000
Forgiven Ministry, a non-profit organization, was established in October 2000, but the story behind it began in 1995 with Jack and Scottie Barnes. They had a successful business in North Carolina, but they were solely focused on their own plans and pursuits, without considering God’s plan for them.
One day, the Superintendent and Chaplain of the local prison asked Scottie to speak at their Sunday worship service. Scottie initially refused, as she had visited her father in prison since childhood and had no intention of going back. But the Chaplain reminded her that her father had found salvation in prison, and this moved her to reconsider.
When Scottie spoke at the prison, she felt a powerful anointing and knew that she was doing God’s will. She had asked God to save the inmate closest to eternity, and a gray-haired man came forward that night and accepted Jesus as his Savior. Scottie later found out that he was dying of cancer and had only days to live. This experience confirmed to her that God had a plan for her life.
Since that Sunday evening, Jack and Scottie have walked miles alongside their Savior, serving in prison ministry and establishing Forgiven Ministry in 2000. They were reminded of Matthew 25:36, which says, “I was in prison, and you visited me.”
Watch as Scottie Barnes
shares more on how
Forgiven Ministry began.
Click to listen to Ezekiel’s Story
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Forgiven Ministry opened Ezekiel’s Room, the first children’s center in North Carolina, in November 2004. The center is housed at Alexander Correctional in Taylorsville, NC, and volunteers work with inmate children every Saturday during visitation time. They minister and share their love with these precious little ones through organized programs and activities. It is an opportunity for children to interact with others in similar circumstances.
Ezekiel’s Room
In 2003, Jack and Scottie were invited to do a 14-day trip to the Philippines sharing Scottie’s testimony of forgiveness. On the last leg of the trip, while in Cebu; they were invited to speak at Project Mercy, an orphanage. Twelve year old Ezekiel had heard of Scottie’s search for her father’s love and wanted her to pray for him to find his father. He had been abandoned at age 2 and left in “trash city.” Encouraging Ezekiel to keep praying, Scottie left the facility and thought that she would never see him again. God had another plan and truly this was a divine appointment.
The next day, while leaving a speaking engagement at a prison she
heard a loud voice come across the prison yard with these words: “Hey, hey.” She stood in front of an elderly Filipino and heard him say, “Today, I asked Jesus into my heart. I have a little boy, his name is Ezekiel, and I want to tell him that I love him.” Immediately Scottie knew that God had a purpose, and soon she would see the plan be revealed as the work of reconciliation burdened her heart. Six months later the first camp of reconciliation was done in the United States. Truly, God had to take Jack and Scottie to a third-world country to reveal His divine plan for Forgiven Ministry. The camps are a two day event held in 7 states. In 2017 the ministry has been blessed to take children across our nation into a beautiful day of unconditional love and reconciliation.
Dribble For Destiny
Where We Serve
Forgiven Ministry brings its program behind prison walls where God opens doors of ministry opportunity. The One Day with God camps are in 7 states which are: North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Florida and Louisiana. Our volunteers are from all over the United States of which many drive hours to serve at a camp. Volunteers sacrifice their time and money to be part of our worthwhile, rewarding program. We have had as many as 38 camps a year until Covid and now in 2023 we have 22 camps on the current calendar. Where God guides us is where we want to be.
Population Served
We focus on helping inmates, their children, and caregivers. Since beginning Forgiven Ministry in 2000 we have been blessed to serve inmate fathers, inmate mothers and the juveniles in some youth facilities. Many have began a relationship with Jesus and are now leading other inmates in discipleship classes. When we see an inmate parent accept the Godly role as a parent then we know that a child may not follow in their parents footsteps as they see their parent seeking Christ in their life. If we can reach a child of an inmate then we may not have to repair them as an adult. In contrast, compare the cost of a college tuition for a year to the cost of $50,00 to house a NC inmate per year and $17,000 per year for college. It makes financial sense to serve them through Jesus Christ.
If we don’t help the children of inmates, they become vulnerable to drug dealers and gangs. Research shows that 80 percent of these children will end up in prison eventually. We must intervene and help as many at-risk youth as possible.
Inmate Servants Praying over the ODWG Speaker
More Services of Forgiven Ministry
Within Forgiven Ministry, we have the privilege of offering a multitude of invaluable services and life-changing programs. In the midst of the darkness of incarceration, we discover precious gems hidden behind the daunting barriers of barbed wire. We encounter individuals dwelling within fractured families, and children burdened with the weight of shame. It is a tremendous honor to be a part of a ministry that stands alongside these families, providing a glimmer of hope in their moments of hopelessness and despair. Their heartfelt cries resonate deeply within Forgiven Ministry, guiding our every action and igniting our passion to make a positive difference in their lives. We are honored to offer Ezekiel’s Room and Adams’ Center to our Forgiven Ministry community.
Adams’ Center
A vision turned into reality in June of 2007 when Adams’ Center was opened. Adams’ Center is a hospitality house for the many visitors who come to Alexander Correctional and surrounding prisons during visitation periods. Volunteers work at the center to minister to those individuals and families. A continental breakfast is served to the visitors that come by. The center offers hope and encouragement to those whose lives have been darkened by incarceration.
There are many areas of service and programs that we are privileged to offer within Forgiven Ministry. Within the garbage of incarceration, we find gold nuggets living behind barbed wire, living in broken-hearted families, and living in children who must face shame every day. What a joy to be part of a ministry that walks beside families in hopelessness and despair. Their hearts’ cry is Forgiven Ministry’s heart beat.
Adam’s Center is a hospitality center accessible to every visitor at Alexander Correctional. It provides a place of rest, prayer, fellowship and Christian counseling to those who stop by. The Adam’s center is operated with the assistance of area churches and volunteers, and is a non-profit organization funded by donations. We have a vision that this center could serve as a model for other churches around the state seeking to support family visitation at nearby prisons.
