On May 2 and 3, 2025, returning citizens, volunteer chaplains, Angel Team members, and reentry leaders met at First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Washington, D.C., and on Zoom, for our third Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries Conference. All seven sessions are now free to watch. Pick one below, or watch the whole conference in order.
Pick a session
How change happens insideMy Path to Freedom: Moral Transformation Inside Prison49 min
For prison volunteersHow to Be an Effective Prison Ministry Volunteer50 min
Helping someone come homePreparing for Release: Journeying Together on the Path to Freedom1 hr 7 min
For churches and faith communitiesReentry Ministry: The Role of Faith Communities in Healing Society54 min
For letter writers and chaplainsPrison Tablets, Securus eMessaging, and Collaborative Games1 hr 3 min
Life years after releaseBecoming a Pillar of Society After Prison1 hr 6 min
What attendees took homeSmall Group Sharing: Turning Conference Ideas into Action24 min
Welcomes and musicSongs, a story, and two welcomes10 short videos
My Path to Freedom: Moral Transformation Inside Prison
Speakers
- Carlos PonceAngel Team leader, Los Angeles
- Byron Alexander
- Tony KimPartnership for Re-Entry Program
- Rey AguilarPartnership for Re-Entry Program, on Zoom
“Look them in the eye and treat them like a human being.”
Tony Kim
Four men describe the change that happened while they were still in prison, and what volunteers and chaplains did that helped. Their turning points include a dream in a military prison cell, a visit from a Christian Science chaplain, a mother’s face, and facing the harm done at a sentencing hearing. The panel ends with advice for anyone who visits prisons: keep showing up, call people by name, and treat them as human beings.
This session includes personal accounts of violence, addiction, and a past suicide attempt.
Jump to
- 2:24Carlos Ponce: a dream in a military prison cell
- 5:05Byron Alexander: the wrong box and a Christian Science chaplain
- 15:09Tony Kim: his mother’s face and a Kairos retreat
- 29:56What helps: Rey Aguilar on Sister Mary Sean and PREP
- 33:35Tony Kim: show up, keep it real, call them by name
- 39:48Carlos Ponce: cell by cell as a county jail chaplain
How to Be an Effective Prison Ministry Volunteer
Speakers
- Byron Alexander
- Steep WeissVolunteer chaplain and Angel Team leader
- Kenyard WhiteOn Zoom
“People want to be loved in prison.”
Byron Alexander
Two men who met Christian Science volunteers while they were incarcerated, and a longtime volunteer chaplain, talk about what makes a prison visit count: showing up consistently, listening before teaching, explaining big words simply, and getting past the distrust many people inside feel toward church. The audience asks what a chaplain can ask without prying, and how to start a study group inside.
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- 3:56Qualities of an effective volunteer chaplain
- 8:27Kenyard White: “your pilot is on”
- 16:46Steep Weiss: using the Bible Lesson and staying flexible
- 26:29Byron Alexander: getting past the shield around church
- 42:15Q&A: what can a chaplain ask without prying?
- 45:46Q&A: how to start a study group inside
Preparing for Release: Journeying Together on the Path to Freedom
Speakers
- Courtney StewartThe National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens
- Tina HustonVolunteer chaplain, Texas
- Daniel Alexander
- Rey AguilarPartnership for Re-Entry Program, on Zoom
“It should come from the church instead of programs.”
Courtney Stewart, on preparing people for release
Why do so few people feel ready on the day they get out, and what can volunteers do about it? The panel covers the fears and practical needs of the first days home, like IDs, phones, bank accounts, and a place to stay, and the spiritual footing that carries people through. Audience members add ideas for connecting people with support in the places where they parole.
Jump to
- 5:42Courtney Stewart: preparation should come from the church
- 11:44Rey Aguilar: impostor syndrome after prison
- 20:52Tina Huston: IDs, phones, banks, and shopping
- 27:27Daniel Alexander: shoveling snow with a dustpan
- 37:47A correspondence chaplain on the first 90 days home
- 42:01What is prison culture? Courtney Stewart answers
Reentry Ministry: The Role of Faith Communities in Healing Society
Speakers
- Sister Mary Sean HodgesPartnership for Re-Entry Program
- Marshall ReddickAngel Team leader
- Lisa MooreLife Changes, Inc., on Zoom
- Chris HokeUnderground Ministries, on Zoom
“I had no kids and now I have a son.”
Marshall Reddick, Angel Team leader
How can a church walk with someone after prison? The panel shares what has worked: support that starts before release, asking a person what they actually need, mentoring that gives people purpose, and programs like One Parish, One Prisoner, which pairs one congregation with one person coming home. The Q&A covers mistakes, boundaries, and easing a congregation’s fears.
This session includes a personal account of addiction, abuse, and trafficking.
Jump to
- 12:07Marshall Reddick: “What do you need?”
- 24:57Chris Hoke: One Parish, One Prisoner
- 30:01Marshall Reddick: how to start an Angel Team at your church
- 36:50Lisa Moore: purpose and mentoring keep the fire going
- 42:52Q&A: mistakes, boundaries, and guarding your heart
- 49:01Chris Hoke: easing a congregation’s fears with letters
Prison Tablets, Securus eMessaging, and Collaborative Games
Speakers
- Brian AbbottThe First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston
- John MooreVolunteer chaplain, Oklahoma
- Ted WohlfarthEnTeam
- Chaplain Ka’Neisha HowardD.C. Department of Corrections
“Can you have a winner if you don’t have a loser?”
Ted Wohlfarth
Three short, practical talks. Brian Abbott explains how Christian Science content reaches people on Edovo tablets and how churches can prepare for more requests from inside. John Moore shows, step by step, how to write to someone in prison with Securus eMessaging. Ted Wohlfarth and Chaplain Ka’Neisha Howard demonstrate collaborative games that build trust and leadership.
Names of incarcerated people that appeared during the Securus demonstration are blurred and muted for privacy.
Jump to
- 0:00Session 4: Brian Abbott on religious content for tablets
- 15:17Session 5: John Moore on Securus eMessaging
- 20:32John Moore: sending an eMessage, step by step
- 33:00Session 6: Ted Wohlfarth and Ka’Neisha Howard on win-win games
- 38:05Live demo: a collaborative ball relay
- 45:54Q&A: can a facility block tablet content?
Becoming a Pillar of Society After Prison
Speakers
- Troy Spann Jr.Urban Alchemy
- Courtney StewartThe National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens
- Sister Mary Sean HodgesPartnership for Re-Entry Program
- Whitney LouchheimOpen City Advocates
“You don’t forget your angels.”
Courtney Stewart
What does it take to become a pillar of the community after prison? Troy Spann Jr. talks about changing during 30 years in California prisons and stepping away from gang politics. Courtney Stewart describes his wake-up call and his life since coming home in 1985. Sister Mary Sean Hodges explains how lifers became the leaders of her correspondence courses, and Whitney Louchheim describes young people in the juvenile system as leaders among their peers.
Jump to
- 3:02Troy Spann Jr.: changing from within during 30 years inside
- 10:39Courtney Stewart: a wake-up call at Lorton
- 21:56Sister Mary Sean Hodges: lifers became the programmers
- 27:13Whitney Louchheim: young people as pillars among their peers
- 39:06Courtney Stewart: why returning citizens want to give back
- 56:00Q&A: Whitney Louchheim on building trust with youth
Small Group Sharing: Turning Conference Ideas into Action
“You can’t peck open the shell for someone else.”
shared in a small group report
At the close of the conference, attendees in the room and on Zoom met in small groups, then reported back: which ideas they are taking home, what stands in the way, and what more can be done for people coming home and the churches that support them.
Jump to
Welcomes and music
Each day opened with music and a welcome. On Saturday, Dr. Karen Wilson-Ama’Echefu also told the story of a man who comes home after 20 years in prison and remembers his father’s advice: hide anger until tomorrow.
Opening Welcome: Partnering in the Path to FreedomGabriel Serafini and David Fowler · 11 min
Saturday Welcome: God’s Love Flows Through UsGabriel Serafini and David Fowler · 7 min
Hide Anger Until Tomorrow: A Story and Songs from Dr. KDr. Karen Wilson-Ama’Echefu · 11 min
This Little Light of MineDr. Karen Wilson-Ama’Echefu · 3 min
Goodness of GodMatthew Hammond, Liz Hammond and Davya Flaharty · 4 min
Abide with Me (Hymn 7)Matthew and Liz Hammond · 2 min
Holy, Holy, HolyMatthew and Liz Hammond · 2 min
No God Beside MeMatthew and Liz Hammond · 4 min
I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use MeMatthew and Liz Hammond · 3 min
Lift Me Up (I Surrender to Love)Matthew and Liz Hammond · 3 min
More music from Matthew Hammond and Davya Flaharty is at Love Only Grows, and more from Dr. K at drk-echefu.life.
Get involved
Volunteer
Join an Angel Team or write to someone inside.
Ready for Reentry
Tell someone inside about our free course on prison tablets.
Monthly Zoom calls
Interviews with returning citizens and reentry leaders.
Donate
Help more people come home to a community.
Thank you to First Church of Christ, Scientist, Washington, D.C., for hosting us, and to every speaker, musician, volunteer, and sponsor who made the conference possible. The full list of sponsors is on the 2025 conference page. Looking for the year before? Watch the 2024 conference replays.
