Prison Fellowship

  • DONATE
    • One-Time
    • Monthly
    • Angel Tree
    • Other Ways to Give
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe
    • Angel Tree Christmas
    • Start a Fundraiser
    • Pray With Us
    • Justice Action Center
    • Share on Social
  • STORIES
    • Stories
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • The Restoration Series [Videos]
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Why Help Prisoners?
    • What We Do
    • In-Prison
      • Prison Fellowship Academy
      • In-Prison Programs
      • Hope Events
      • Inside Journal
      • Women’s Ministry
      • Create: New Beginnings
    • Angel Tree
      • Register your church or group for Angel Tree
      • Prison Fellowship Angel Tree
      • Angel Tree Christmas
      • Angel Tree Camping
      • Angel Tree Sports Camps
    • Justice Reform
      • Justice Reform
      • Second Chance Month
      • Sign the Justice Declaration
      • Get a Copy of Outrageous Justice
    • Warden Exchange
    • Church Partners
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Preparing Prisoners for Reentry
  • RESOURCES
    • Subscribe to Our Email
    • Support for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Resources for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Coping with Incarceration
      • Resources for Prisoners
      • Resources for Children of Prisoners
      • Supporting Successful Prisoner Reentry
    • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • In-Prison Ministry
      • Reentry Ministry
      • Family Ministry
      • Justice Reform
      • Mentoring Ministry
    • Resources for Angel Tree Coordinators
    • Resources for Chaplains
    • Resources for D.O.C.
    • Justice Reform Resources
    • Share on Social
    • For Media Outlets
  • ABOUT US
    • Leadership
    • Chuck Colson
      • About Chuck Colson
      • The Charles Colson Hope Awards
    • Our Beliefs
    • Financials
      • Financials
      • 2022 Annual Report
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
    • In The News

The ‘Heaven of Penitentiaries’: How James Found a Life of Peace and Purpose in Prison

September 19, 2018 by Emily Harris Greene

Over the years, James has watched God transform a tough prison into a peaceful refuge.

When James Fuller wakes up every morning in his cell at the Carol S. Vance Unit in Texas, the first thing he does is open his Bible. "I'm drawn to it now," James says.

James has served 29 years behind bars in correctional facilities across the state of Texas. Carol Vance was his first prison, and after many years he was transferred back. The Carol Vance he remembers is not the Carol Vance he experiences today.

He recalls how it used to be miserable, tough, and violent. "I [once] fought an individual probably every day for three straight weeks over whether or not I could sit on the bench," James says. "It was pretty bad back then."

And then Prison Fellowship® arrived.

Prison Fellowship brought a sense of peace with them.

LEADING A LIFE OF PEACE AND PURPOSE

James knew from the start that there was something different about the people from Prison Fellowship. "As these people were coming in, the violence—the type of prison life that we were living back then—changed," he says. They "brought a sense of peace, a sense of calm with them."

James had never experienced anything like that before, and he saw an immediate change in the facility's culture. Now, almost 30 years later, the Prison Fellowship Academy™ at Carol Vance is thriving.

Located in select prisons across the country, the Academy is an intensive, biblically based program that takes incarcerated men and women through a holistic life transformation process. Participants are guided by Prison Fellowship staff and volunteers to lead lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison.

"[The] Prison Fellowship Academy is going to give you the tools that you need to be a productive citizen," James says. "Whether you're a Christian, whether you're a Muslim, whether you don't believe at all. … [And] if you take these same tools and apply them in everyday life, it's going to work for you."

HERE FOR A REASON

Every night before he goes to sleep, James takes a moment to meditate on his day. He reflects on his early morning devotions, the Academy classes he's attended, and the other events of his day. He asks himself,

Did I do the best I could have [done] today? Did I fulfill everything that the Lord has set before me?

"When I gave my life to Christ, [my old life] was over from then on," he says. "He's had a hand in my life ever since."

Like Carol Vance, James has changed because Prison Fellowship brought and continues to bring the Good News of Jesus behind the prison walls. "I know I'm here for a reason. It's like a sponge to me, this place—I can't get enough of it."

"This is like the heaven of penitentiaries right here."

Story Disclaimer
Prison Fellowship is founded on the conviction that all people are created in God's image and that no life is beyond God's reach. To that end, we often share stories of lives that have been impacted by our work in prisons around the country. Prison Fellowship does not condone – or require full disclosure of - the crimes committed by those enrolled in our programs, and we take the repercussions of those crimes seriously. It is our sincere goal to present our content in a way that is sensitive to all concerned parties, while presenting examples of men and women who once broke the law, and are now being transformed and mobilized to serve their neighbors. If you have concerns about the content we share, please feel free to contact us directly.

WE CAN END RECIDIVISM

You can be a part of the Prison Fellowship Academy today and help end the cycle of incarceration! Academies are present in 26 states, with plans to expand to all 50 states by 2026. When you give monthly to the Academy, 100 percent will go toward changing lives. Let's give hope to prisoners as they prepare to re-enter their communities as redeemed individuals.

SUPPORT THE ACADEMY TODAY!

LEARN MORE


OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE

FINDING FREEDOM: WILLIAM JONES CELEBRATES HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON
"It's time! This is my season! God told me this would happen if I trusted Him, and I trust Him. I’m going home!"

HOW DARRYL WENT FROM PRISONER TO DIRECTOR
When Darryl Brooks first entered the Prison Fellowship Academy at the Carol Vance Unit in Texas, he wore the standard DOC-issued white scrubs. Today, he wears khakis and a dress shirt, the appropriate attire for the director of the program.

Filed Under: Prison & Prisoners, Prison Fellowship Academy, Prison Fellowship News & Updates, Video Tagged With: Carol S. Vance Unit, Texas

SELECT A TOPIC

  • Advocacy & Reentry
  • Angel Tree
  • Families of Prisoners
  • Feature Stories
  • From the CEO
  • Hope Events
  • Inside Journal
  • Press Releases
  • Prison & Prisoners
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Prison Fellowship International
  • Prison Fellowship News & Updates
  • Reentry
  • Second Chance Month
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Warden Exchange

MOST POPULAR

Prison Fellowship Responds to Inaction on Crack Cocaine Sentencing at Close of the 117th Congress

December 20, 2022

Criminal Justice Reform Achievements

December 16, 2022

Prison Fellowship Applauds Congressional Lawmakers for Passage of Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act

December 15, 2022

LATEST VIDEOS

WATCH ALL VIDEOS

JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
LINKEDIN
PF®
PFM®

RECOMMENDED LINKS

  • Ways to Donate
  • Inspirational Stories
  • Angel Tree Program
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Justice Reform

RESOURCES

  • For Families & Friends of Prisoners
  • For Churches & Angel Tree Volunteers
  • For Media Outlets
  • Warden Exchange

JOIN RESTORATION PARTNERS AND WITNESS GOD RESTORE LIVES

Restoration Partners give monthly to bring life-changing prison ministry programs to incarcerated men and women across the country.

 

JOIN NOW
  • CONTACT US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • PRIVACY
  • FINANCIALS
© 2023 PRISON FELLOWSHIP®

Angel Tree®, Angel Tree Camping®, Angel Tree Sports ClinicTM, Angel Tree Sports CampsTM, and Warden Exchange® are programs of Prison Fellowship®.