It was just a few months before Chuck went home to Jesus. We were sitting in his home in Naples, Florida, and he was “schooling” me, as he did several times in the nine months he and I were together at Prison Fellowship. On this particular afternoon, he was flipping through his ever-present yellow legal pad, talking about his special passion for ministry in the federal prison system. Chuck served seven months in the federal system, and it was there God touched his heart and lit the fire of future ministry.
Chuck went on to talk about how we needed to find a way to convey the message of restoration and redemption to the Department of Justice because, he believed, “if they could just see the change that takes place in a prison when the inmates come to Jesus and live out their faith, they will want us in every prison in the country!” I can still hear the passion transparently displayed in his voice and see it on his face.
In 2014, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the Chuck Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. This Task Force, a nine-member, bipartisan commission, will make recommendations to shape the federal prison system into a more effective, redemptive institution. I have been asked to serve on the Task Force to represent Prison Fellowship Ministries, Chuck’s point of view, and prisoners and their families across the country. Though Chuck has gone home, God is giving him his heart’s desire. We now have a profound opportunity to influence the future of federal corrections!