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A YELLOW BUS, A PAINTBRUSH, AND A NEW LEAF
Woody experienced holistic change during two decades behind bars.
By Stacia Ray
If someone had told Woody when he was first incarcerated that the very artwork he created on the inside would one day finance his wedding on the outside—a wedding officiated by the pastor he would meet while incarcerated—he wouldn’t have believed it.
But Woody’s wild story is not only true. It’s part of his testimony.
ORIGINS OF TRANSFORMATION
Woody, the youngest of three children, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his mother and stepfather—both functioning alcoholics who worked a lot, leaving Woody and his siblings home alone to fend for themselves. Woody was often lonely and bored, which grew to a struggle with his self-worth and identity. As a preteen, Woody saw the kids around him using drugs and alcohol as a way to escape. He soon found solace in his peers’ company—and their activities.
“I got into drugs at an early age because it was what everyone was doing, so I didn’t want to be left out,” Woody says. “I was afraid people wouldn’t accept me, so I just followed suit.”
His mom was Catholic and went to Mass often. Woody didn’t attend church with her, but he specifically recalls attending once without her.
“Around my neighborhood, they used to have a Sunday school bus that would come and pick up kids all the time,” Woody remembers. “One weekend, I had asked Mom, ‘Can I go to church this weekend?’ And she was like, ‘Absolutely!’ So I got on the big yellow bus, and they took us to church.”
SEEDS PLANTED
Woody has fond memories of that day—singing, having fun, and listening to the Word. But Woody’s first church visit would be his last, at least for a long time, as he placed God on the back burner for many years.
During Woody’s teens and early 20s, his drug use increased, and he became involved in criminal activity. He felt invincible—until he got caught. He was arrested for several serious crimes. When a judge sentenced him to more than two decades for second-degree murder and grand theft auto, Woody’s faith wasn’t a top priority.
“I won’t necessarily say I forgot about God, but I didn’t put Him first,” Woody says. “I look back at it now, and even though I may have forsaken Him, He was always there watching me and guiding me through.”
After entering prison, Woody wanted to reconnect with the God he had first learned about years earlier, but he was resistant to change. Then his mother became gravely ill, and the reality hit Woody that she might pass away before he even had a chance to make her proud.
“That was my turning point,” Woody says. “[During a phone call], I promised my mom on her deathbed that I would become the man that she always envisioned me to be.”
Shortly after his mom passed away, Woody heard some friends raving about the Prison Fellowship Academy®—and even got a one-on-one pep talk from the then-director of the Academy. Woody decided to take a leap of faith. He packed up his things and moved to the unit that housed Academy participants.
He is so thankful he made that move and joined the Academy.
“It really opened my eyes up to who I am as a person and what role that I should play when serving God,” Woody says. “Prison Fellowship taught [me to] be a better person through and through—and more importantly, it got me closer to God.”
ART FOR A BIGGER PURPOSE
In addition to helping Woody discover how to serve God, the Academy also opened his eyes to another reality: his passion for art. As a kid, Woody enjoyed drawing, but he had never touched a paintbrush before going to prison. While incarcerated, he discovered he was an excellent painter. He gravitated toward impressionism and artists like Vincent Van Gogh.
The Academy had an art program in which participants would paint for guests. Woody became the director of that program.
“It gave me an outlet to channel my energy,” Woody says. “Giving away a painting to someone and seeing their eyes when they get the painting … was so wonderful and beautiful.”
Woody ended up creating many pieces, some of which he gifted to staff who meant a lot to him, and some of which served an even greater purpose.
“The prison art that I had brought home, I sold every single piece of it, and I funded my own wedding of over $6,000,” explains Woody.
And the in-prison connection to his wedding didn’t stop there: Woody asked one of the mentors who visited the prison, Pastor Jack Rose, to officiate.
“He was a very influential person and still is to this day in my life,” Woody says.
After two decades in prison, Woody was released in December 2022. Rejoining the community and finding work with a criminal record was challenging.
“I served 22 straight years in prison. It was a culture shock when I got out,” reflects Woody.
Woody also struggled with reconciliation in some of his relationships. But he was grateful for the tools he learned through his time in the Academy.
“Prison Fellowship [Academy] taught [me to] be a better person through and through—and more importantly, it got me closer to God.”
—Woody
TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF
“I’ve burned a lot of bridges in my life,” he says. “So, coming out of prison after doing Prison Fellowship, I knew I had a chance to regain relationships that I had tarnished, relationships that I have severed, meaningful relationships that I was the problem in.”
Woody has created many meaningful relationships since his release. Arguably the most important one? His wife. Woody is happily married to a wonderful Christian woman named Maria whom he met through online dating after his release.
“[In prison], I just prayed every day that when I do get home, that God would bring me a wife,” Woody shares, “and He did.”
Maria and her three children have become Woody’s world. Their youngest child is 12, and Woody, who had no children before this, is grateful to be a dad.
In addition to his personal life, Woody’s work life has also been going strong. He’s the sole maintenance staff person at a campground, working for fellow Christians who believe anyone can change—a sentiment he shares wholeheartedly.
“Don’t worry about what you did yesterday,” Woody says. “Focus on what’s in front of you today. … If I can change, I know anybody can.”
THE JOY OF SERVICE
In addition to this maintenance job, Woody also mentors young boys ages 14 to 24 who are in the system on charges of violent behavior.
“We have a diversion program (an alternative to traditional court),” Woody says, adding that a fellow Prison Fellowship Academy graduate serves as co-mentor with him.
Woody and his wife are also active in Prison Fellowship Angel Tree® through their Virginia church, First Church Ministries. The couple enjoys shopping for gifts for Angel Tree children, delivering the presents, and bringing joy to so many homes. It’s a blessing to help serve and uplift these families.
“I’m giving back and being on that side,” Woody says. “So it’s rewarding for me.”
He also created a proposal to start a jail ministry, which he plans to present to his pastor. Woody knows his personal story helps him to relate to people behind bars. And he knows God is the key to true transformation.
“God changed my heart—I don’t want to say I had a calloused heart, but sometimes I reflect back to my old life, and without God in it, I didn’t have a purpose. I didn’t have any type of outlook on positive things in life,” Woody says. “But with God in your life, anything is possible.”
“Don’t worry about what you did yesterday. Focus on what’s in front of you today. … If I can change, I know anybody can.”
—Woody