July 3, 2025 • 47 mins
Hebrews 13:3 commands the Church to remember those in prison. How can we do that? Guest host Roy Patterson will talk with chaplain Corey Buchanan. He leads a prison outreach that walks with incarcerated individuals, those who’ve been released, and their families to show the power of Christ's redemption to change lives. Learn how the gospel is making an impact in prisons and how you could help in your community—on the next Equipped.
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Episode Transcript
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S1 (00:19):
Well. Hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of
equip with Chris Brooks! I'm so thrilled that you've joined
us today. Do me a favor strap on your seat
belt as we navigate through the contours of culture, as
always with the lens of the biblical worldview on. But
before we do that, let me remind you, this is
the day that the Lord has made. He is giving
(00:40):
it as a gift so that you and I can
rejoice and be glad in it. So let's do just that.
Let's follow the words of the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice
in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Today
I want you to help me welcome my good friend
Roy Patterson to the host seat. Roy is a man
of God who has ministered through radio and the pastorate
(01:01):
for decades. He's the host and originator of the Urban
Praise streaming channel, and also host Celebration of Praise and
Music for Sunday here on Moody Radio. Roy, thank you
for leading this edition of equip.
S2 (01:16):
What a joy it is to be here today. I
thank God for Chris Brooks and the warmth, the kindness,
the intellect that he brings. The gravitas of that man
is absolutely amazing. I'm thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to be here.
And I'm thrilled that you're here as well. Listening down south, north, west,
(01:37):
wherever you might be. Thanks for joining equipped. I really
do appreciate it. Well, when I was a student at
Moody Bible Institute, we had opportunities to go out and minister,
whether that was on the streets, at churches, clubs, etc.
my assignment, oddly enough, was Cook County Jail, one of
the most famous jails in the country. And I'll never
(01:58):
forget the door slamming behind me and the terror that
filled my soul. I preached through the bars. The guys
looked at me, some of them laughed at me, and
for some odd reason I wanted to go back. And
I kept going back and I kept getting stronger and
I kept presenting the gospel. And before I knew it,
I had preached there three years in a row. That
(02:21):
was my assignment. Today I want to talk about prison ministry,
and we've got a guy here that loves Jesus, who
loves the guys and gals that are behind bars, and
you're going to enjoy what Corey Buchanan has to offer.
Corey is a pastor. He's the executive director of Chicagoland
Prison Outreach, and I'm just thrilled that he's here with
(02:44):
us today. Corey, how are you, bro?
S3 (02:45):
I'm doing well. Roy, I'm so glad to be here
with you and on this show. It's exciting.
S2 (02:51):
Yeah, I'm excited to have you, I really am. All right,
so how did you get involved in prison ministry? What's
what's the thing that that sort of set your soul
on fire concerning ministry?
S3 (03:02):
Well, I'm not only the president, but I was also
a client.
S2 (03:06):
Yes, sir.
S3 (03:08):
So as a young man, at the age of 17,
I was arrested for attempted murder, and I had those
doors slammed behind me, as you just mentioned. Yeah. Frightened.
Didn't know what life would have for me. And there
I was, incarcerated. And after about my first year in,
I encountered Chicagoland Prison Outreach. They were running a discipleship
(03:32):
living unit inside the jail. And I went to that
living unit not because I chose to, but God was
doing what God does. Yeah. And by his providence, I
ended up there and was blown away by the gospel. Uh,
chaplains that were coming in. God got a hold of
my heart, and I found myself in a cell one day,
surrendering my life to the Lord, saying, God. Hey, listen.
(03:54):
Whatever you want to do with my life, you can
do it. I did have one caveat, though.
S2 (03:59):
What's that? What's that?
S3 (03:59):
I said, just do it slowly. And God. God changed.
He changed my heart and my life had to catch up. And,
you know, later on, I denounced the gangs and all
those other things, and God gave me a deep passion
for his word.
S2 (04:14):
Mhm. Hey, I'm going to give you guys a chance
to call and talk to Cory in just a few minutes.
The number is 87754836758775483675. Maybe, just maybe, you know what
it is to be behind bars. Or you've got a
family member and you can testify of God's goodness or
grace and grace. You can also say, I'm struggling because
(04:38):
this has been a hard time not only for that
person behind bars, but for me. I'm his wife or
the husband. I'm the child. I'm I'm the parent. Whatever
the case might be, today is a good day to
share your story briefly and to also ask a question
of of Chaplain Cory, you're going to be blessed by
(04:59):
today's program. You really, really are. All right, so, um,
Chicagoland prison outreach. What does the ministry consist of?
S3 (05:07):
Well, Roy, we are a holistic ministry. Our commitment is
to show love to offenders and their families. Yeah, and
we kind of have these three areas that we focus
in on. One is chaplaincy. We provide chaplains to jails,
prisons and detention centers. Our chaplains provide a very real
presence inside of institutions, providing counseling, Bible studies, worship services, um,
(05:32):
and ministry, even to the offices. The second area that
we do is career and life development, where we walk
alongside of men and women and boys and girls after
they've been released from prison, and they're trying to figure
their way out. How do I reintegrate back into society
in the world? We do that through mentorship, and then
we have some vocational training where we provide free vocational
(05:56):
trades training to these individuals who've been released. We teach carpentry, electrical,
welding and sometimes some other vocational programs as well. Then
we do compassionate care When we come alongside of families,
families are devastated when their loved one is incarcerated. And
so we can come alongside of these families and provide
(06:17):
compassionate products. But more than anything, relationships, real, authentic relationships
to come alongside of these families in this dark, difficult time.
And so we see ourselves as really a holistic ministry
that focuses a lot on discipleship. Everything we do, we
want to build relationships that will help point people to
(06:38):
to Jesus Christ, that they may be conformed into the
image and likeness of him. Mm.
S2 (06:44):
Wow. That's that's compelling man. All right. So when I
think of Peter, when I think of Jeremiah, when I
think of James, when I think of John, even when
I think of Jesus, I have to think of the
fact that all of them were thrown in in jail.
And the fact that Jesus said, when I was in prison,
you visited me. So the emphasis there in the word
(07:05):
is toward ministry when you hear those names and those
words of Jesus, what comes to your mind?
S3 (07:11):
Roy, we got a t shirt that we use. We say,
all of my heroes went to prison. When I think
about Joseph, right. Even Joseph.
S2 (07:22):
Yeah, man. That's right.
S3 (07:23):
Joseph was a dreamer.
S2 (07:24):
Yeah.
S3 (07:25):
Who went to prison and later became a leader?
S2 (07:29):
Mm.
S3 (07:29):
And there are some people who are incarcerated who have
some incredible potential, but one, they don't think they deserve
mercy or grace.
S2 (07:37):
Right?
S3 (07:38):
And we get an opportunity to say that there's a
God who loves you. And he has a lot of mercy.
He has a lot of grace for whatever you've done.
And we're able to see people through the Word of
God be raised up, and they become leaders in prison.
And then when even when they're released from prison. And so,
as you said, we see prison all throughout the scriptures,
(07:59):
from Genesis to Revelation.
S2 (08:01):
Mhm. All right. So there's a big word recidivism. Um,
talk about that word and how your ministry, uh, combats that.
S3 (08:12):
Well, one, when individuals are incarcerated, they are if they
if they're involved in any kind of faith based programs,
they are less likely to return back to prison.
S2 (08:24):
I like.
S3 (08:25):
That. Um, so for us, we're providing not only one
on one opportunities, but we have opportunities where we have
a living unit inside of institutions where we can provide
daily discipleship. And individuals are not just in the program
from 9 to 4. They're in the program where they're
(08:46):
like these Christian community standards that they're living, and they
build this community with inside the jail or the prison,
and they're holding each other accountable. They're praying for each other.
They're loving each other. Um, they're sharing the Word of
God with each other. And then we load it with
chaplains and volunteers who are coming to bring the Word
(09:07):
of God. And that's what was helpful for me in
my own life. You remember, um, a dear brother who
used to come in on one of these living units.
Garland Singleton. Oh, yeah. Right. Yeah. A name from the past. Yeah.
But he was a brother amongst many others who would
come in to to bring the word of God and
to help us. And so you look to build this
community and this relationship on the inside.
S2 (09:28):
Mm. Alcoholics anonymous says, um, you need to change people,
places and things. Otherwise, you're going to relapse, or there
will be recidivism. You'll you'll fall back again. What I've seen,
and I know some people who've been through that program. Um,
when they do have new friends and they do have
new opportunities and they have new grounding found in this
(09:51):
old gospel. Their lives are absolutely changed. Have you had any, uh,
guys that have gone through and said, I didn't think
it could be. I didn't think I could change, but
look what Jesus has done. You got any stories for us?
S3 (10:05):
I got one story, one young man, I met him.
He was 19 years old. He was infatuated with the
street life and with gangs, guns and drugs. And he
didn't really think the gospel had any impact on his life.
And I remember talking with him and sharing the gospel,
and he said, I'm gonna give it a try. He
(10:27):
surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
been amazing. I've been walking with him for about 18 years.
S2 (10:34):
Wow.
S3 (10:34):
It's amazing to see the ways God is using him. Uh,
he he's a business leader, and he now is one
of the individuals who hires, um, men and women who,
when they come out of prison, I can send them
to him and he'll hire them. But God has absolutely
changed his life. And he started off. I'm not really
sure that God can really change my heart because I'm
(10:55):
so deep in it. But he tried Jesus and found
himself in the Word of God. And and I was
able to disciple him over the years.
S2 (11:03):
I'm fascinated by an old song that says, um, somebody
told me about the joy that they had, and I
didn't think it could be till it happened to me.
And I'm so glad that Jesus Christ can change anybody.
I know that we talk about the House of correction
and what it's supposed to do, but Jesus Christ can
change us from the inside out. And all of us
(11:28):
know what it is to be bound by something. But
this Savior that we have is absolutely a heart fixer,
a mind regulator. Hey, I'm talking to Chaplain Cory Buchanan today.
I want to give you an opportunity to talk to him.
The number is 87754836758775483675. I'm Roy Patterson. You are listening
(11:50):
to equipped.
S1 (12:01):
Do you wrestle with sexual shame or unmet longings? Do
you wonder if God cares about your wounds and desires?
Would you love a more intimate, honest relationship with him?
Then you need to read Surrender Sexuality by Doctor Julie Slattery.
She'll help you take your deepest needs to a loving
Savior who meets you without shame or condemnation. Ask for
(12:24):
your copy of Surrender Sexuality when you support equip this month.
Simply call (888)Â 644-4144 or visit equip radio.org.
S2 (12:46):
Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks I'm Roy Patterson
sitting in today. Our good friend Chaplain Corey Buchanan is
with us. We're talking about prison ministry and how God
is using Corey and chaplains throughout the state and beyond
to affect lives through the glory and honor of God. Let's.
Let's face it, America has the biggest prison population, and
(13:09):
eventually most of those folks will get out. What will
we do? How can we minister? How can we see change?
I believe it's possible. And, Chaplain Corey, I've seen you
do some tremendous things, not only with those that are incarcerated,
but with families as well. How does how does prison,
how does jail affect the family?
S3 (13:30):
Well, it reflects it reflects it in in radical ways.
I mean, it blows up the family when you think
of this loved one that's now incarcerated, whether they are
a teenager or an adult, they have now been divided
and separated from their family. And when you think about
a mom, a grandma, she's devastated, you know, emotionally erect,
(13:54):
not really sure exactly what is happening with their loved one.
And often these families feel lonely, destitute, and they're just
unsure what to do with themselves. Roy, I was sitting
with a group of family members who have a loved
one that's incarcerated, and I had one table ladies and
one lady said, you know, I cannot talk with my
(14:18):
family about my husband who's incarcerated. They're upset with me.
I can't talk to his family because they believe I'm
the problem. Oh, my. And she says, I just find
myself in the room talking to myself. Mhm. And I
said that very easily, but she said it with tears
in her eyes. Of course, with this great pain of
(14:38):
just feeling like she's all by herself. And that's just
one way it rocks the family. The second way is children.
I mean, children are three times more likely to be
incarcerated if their parent is incarcerated. Mhm. So it almost
begins to be this automatic pipeline Line to continue to
fill jails and prisons.
S2 (14:58):
It's like a systemic generational thing that happens. I saw
a movie, I don't know, maybe ten years ago, Michael
B Jordan and Octavia Spencer, and there's a there's a
jail scene where mom comes to visit, and Octavia is
the mom in this case. And and, um, Michael B
Jordan wasn't Michael B Jordan back then, but oh my goodness.
(15:21):
Just the tension, just the heartache, the hopelessness that was
captured in in that scene. Um, I know for people
it's not just emotional, it's economics as well, certainly spiritual,
but let's let's deal with the economics. I've got to
go from, let's say Chicago to Pontiac or wherever. The
(15:43):
other thing is that how does how does it affect finance?
S3 (15:48):
Well, just one practical way. That's, um, one couple. The
husband was incarcerated, had a really good job. Wife didn't
have to work. He was incarcerated. She was left to
take care of everything at home. Found herself homeless, living
out of her car with her teenage daughter. And they're
(16:10):
scrambling to find ways for her daughter to get ready
to go to school every day while they're living out
of a car. And this wife doesn't know what to
do because her husband took care of everything, and now
he's incarcerated and she's lost and trying to find her way.
Even just that, when you think of economically now this,
(16:31):
this wife, this mother has to figure out how to
find a job, how to get to work, how to
figure out all of these other dynamics that our husband
wants to take care of. Now, now the burden lies
on her. And we've been thankful. Thankful that we've been
able to come alongside of her and to provide some
care and support. Um, but that's pretty that's pretty devastating.
S2 (16:53):
It is devastating. How do you combat the mentality that
sometimes happens? Unfortunately, sometimes happens where people will say, well,
that's what they get. You know, if they weren't married
to this person, if they weren't related to this person,
if they weren't born into his family, they wouldn't be
going through all this. So this is what they get.
S3 (17:15):
Every situation is different.
S2 (17:17):
Yeah.
S3 (17:18):
You you have I just served I was working with
one gentleman. He was in Cook County Jail for seven years. Okay.
And was declared not guilty.
S2 (17:28):
Oh, my.
S3 (17:29):
Judge was furious once they found out the ramifications of
why he was sitting incarcerated and why he was charged,
what he was charged with. So every situation is different. Yeah. Um,
I don't think for us it's difficult for us to
be the judge in that. Yeah. And and as an organization,
we don't try to be. We just look at what
is the reality now and how can we bring the
(17:51):
light of the gospel to this situation for for this,
for this family. Clearly, there may be some mistakes. Sure.
And there may be some regrets, but that's that's the
beauty of the gospel, is that we can come to
an individual who is inside and say, there's grace and
there's mercy, and this is what this may look like,
and we can come alongside of a family who's going
(18:13):
through a tough season, and they can look and say, boy, um,
Romans 828 right now they're able to see how God
is causing all things to work together for the good
of those who love him and are called according to
his purpose. Um, so, so I think I think in
the midst of all of that, we just see, hey,
how can the gospel be at work, even in people's
(18:35):
brokenness and even in their bad decisions?
S2 (18:37):
Um hmm. Um, I remember preaching at Cook County Jail.
I was probably 19, 20 years old. I'm really just
this kid from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. And, um,
I remember guys telling me that they experienced life change
and this is what I'll never forget. I remember person
after person saying I was a mess. I was tore
(19:00):
up from the floor up. I just was going the
wrong direction. And God arrested me, had me thrown in
jail so he could get my attention. Do you hear
stories like that?
S3 (19:12):
Here's the saying I wasn't arrested, I was rescued. And
it's true, Roy. I mean, that's my own story. I mean,
I was personally going down this path of destruction 100
miles an hour and couldn't be stopped. I mean, I
felt like when I look back, God was trying to
send me all these different kinds of warnings. And one
of the best things that happened to me was that
(19:32):
I got arrested. Second best thing was that I ended
up in Kpo's program, and the light of the gospel
invaded my life. Um, and I haven't been the same since.
And so God used this to rescue me, but he
also uses it to rescue these families as well.
S2 (19:50):
Okay, okay. I heard this radical thing. So tell me,
am I insane? Because I could be. Others have called
me that. Um. I've heard people say I prayed for
my child to be saved because they were headed down
the wrong path. And the Lord answered my prayer. Not
by shining a light down from heaven and just, oh,
(20:11):
something happens in their bedroom or while they're sitting in church.
But they they get those bracelets on, they get cuffed
and stuffed in the car, and then they go to jail. Um,
you think sometimes that's how God answers prayer?
S3 (20:24):
I think so. And, you know, you've been with me
down in the facility, and I think some of these
families would be amazed. And this doesn't happen everywhere, but
in God's providence, where it does, where you see a
group of 48 men singing amazing Grace, or how great
is thy God? Yes. And and you begin to see
God working on them. This is why the Lord tells
(20:48):
us you visited me when I was in prison is
because it's in that moment that we can visit people
while they are in this dark place, and we can
bring the light of the gospel to them. And it's
an incredible how it's received. And then the second thing
is that they have a lot of time on their hands. Yeah, right.
If we could get them a Bible. Yeah. And they
(21:08):
can actually read the Bible and study the Bible. We
believe that when God's Word goes forth, it will not
return unto him void, but it will accomplish what he
sent it out to do.
S2 (21:18):
I believe that I really, really do. Hey, um, people
want to reach out to you. How can they do that?
S3 (21:24):
You can go to our website. Um.
S2 (21:29):
Okay. One more time. Say that again.
S3 (21:31):
WW ministries.
S2 (21:35):
I love it. Hey, you want to talk to Chaplain
Cory Buchanan? Right now, all you have to do is
call (877)Â 548-3675. That's 3675. Let's go back to families for
a second. Um, when it comes to lives that you've touched,
that have become involved in Chicagoland prison outreach. You got
(21:57):
any stories about families that have sort of come back together?
S3 (22:02):
I had a couple in my office yesterday. They were
looking for some help to establish a nonprofit organization. Our
organization met this couple back in right before the the
start of Chicagoland Prison Outreach. The husband was incarcerated, shared
(22:23):
the gospel with him, gave his life to Jesus Christ.
At the same time while he was on his way
to prison. His wife and they were newly married. Gave
her life to Jesus Christ.
S2 (22:33):
Wow.
S3 (22:34):
And before he went to prison, he asked our founder,
Dan Swetz, if he would make a connection with his wife.
Dan did. He made a connection with the wife, and
we actually been able to walk alongside his family for
over 30 years to provide care for them. This gentleman
was released five years ago. Um, and now they are
(22:56):
back together.
S2 (22:57):
What?
S3 (22:57):
They're doing ministry together in a local church, and now
they're working on starting a nonprofit organization, um, to be
able to serve families and other individuals that's coming home
from jail, in prison.
S2 (23:11):
It seems like the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few. And so I'm really grateful for the work
that you're doing. We've got some people who are calling.
I want to try to get one call in before
we take our break. Uh, let's go to line two
with Rose. Hey, Rose, what do you want to say
to Chaplain Corey? Okay. Well, Rose, um, I want you
(23:36):
to call back. Oh, have we got her now? Okay. Um,
tell you what, let's let me let me just just
ask you one more thing, and then I'm going to
come back to this other call in just in just
a minute. When it comes to families, I've talked about
those who are incarcerated having their eyes open. What about families?
Has that happened with them as well? Like, hey, you
(23:56):
know what? God did something through this tragic circumstance.
S3 (24:01):
Oh, absolutely. That one lady that stands out to me.
We had a team of volunteers visiting her for about
6 to 8 months, and they were visiting her. They
were bringing her different compassionate gifts for the first six months.
She stonewalled them, not really interested in what they had
to say and who they were, sure. But some of
(24:23):
those last two months, God began to break the break
her heart and break shackles. And this woman came to
trust the Lord. And she started joining, joining those group
of volunteers in church. And so we actually see that
quite a bit where through our compassionate care ministry, that
a lot of the families that we minister to. They
(24:44):
end up becoming either volunteers with us or they either
begin to join the church. One of the churches is volunteering.
S2 (24:50):
Mhm. I'm really, really impressed with it simply because it's
not just about someone raising their hand and saying, Lord Jesus,
I know I'm a sinner. I know you died for
my sins. I'm sorry for my sins. Come into my life.
Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart,
Lord Jesus, but lives actually transformed after they say that
prayer or a prayer like that. Um, I'm fascinated by
(25:15):
this ministry. And what I want to do is when
we get into this second half hour and we're going
to take some calls, I want to go deeper into
what we can do as the body of Christ, to
minister effectively to those who are behind bars and those
who are coming out. Hey, I'm Roy Patterson, I'm sitting
in for Chris Brooks. You're listening to equip. Thanks so
(25:37):
much for being with us. Love to hear from you.
Give me a call at (877)Â 548-3675. That's (877)Â 548-3675. Maybe you
got a story about incarceration, whether it's you or was
a loved one. And I'd love to hear what you
(25:57):
have to share about it. Also, would love to hear
how God has been moving in your life. Number again
is (877)Â 548-3675. Give us a call right here on equipped.
(26:18):
Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks I'm Roy Patterson
sitting in today. Got a wonderful guest. Wonderful topic. Can't
wait for you to give me a call at (877)Â 548-3675.
That's (877)Â 548-3675. Rihanna is standing by to answer the call
(26:40):
and get it to me so we can get it
to Chaplain Corey. Hey, did you know that the enemy
loves to take our sexual struggles and build strongholds that
separate us from God? We start believing we can't go
to church anymore. That God couldn't possibly love us. Well,
Surrendered Sexuality by Julie Slattery breaks down those barriers and
(27:03):
shows you the path to freedom without shame and into
the welcoming arms of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We'll send you a copy with our thanks when you
support equipped this month. Give this number a call. (888)Â 644-4144.
That's 888644 4144. Or visit equipped radio. Our guest today
(27:29):
is Chaplain Cory Buchanan. He is the president of Chicagoland
Prison Outreach. He's the executive director of that ministry. I'm
so grateful for him. He's a longtime time friend and man.
I'm so grateful that you're here with us today. Yes, sir.
You're welcome. We're going to go to the phone line
right now. We've got Rose on line two. Rose, please
give your question or comment to Chaplain Cory Buchanan.
S4 (27:53):
Okay. Good afternoon. Thanks for taking my call. I am
very excited for this program because I am a grandmother,
also adopted mother of a grandson who is incarcerated. And
since his incarceration, uh, it's been about a year now. Um,
(28:13):
I have been. So my life has been so changed
through this, and I'm. I am a born again Christian,
and I have confided continuously in God, uh, concerning my
grandson's life. And while he's in prison, and he has, uh, truly, um,
assured me of transformation from my grandson's life, uh, I
(28:37):
feel that this is one of the best times for
him to be saved. And, um, I'm just excited, you know,
and to hear a program that is also reaching out
to the prisoners, something that I've been very interested in
over the past years, um, being a part of a
ministry such as the ministry that that you you have.
S2 (29:00):
So appreciate it.
S4 (29:01):
This is most of what I wanted to say.
S2 (29:03):
Oh. It's good. I'm glad that you called in. Hey,
chaplain Corey, why don't you make a comment on what
Rose has shared?
S3 (29:09):
Yeah, I think of maybe others who who are like Rose.
And I always say that when you when you can pray,
if your loved one is incarcerated, pray that God would
send godly people in their direction. Yeah. That he was
surrounded with godly people. There are chaplains and other volunteers
who come inside of institutions, but there are also other
(29:32):
inmates and detainees who who've been exposed to the gospel
and who are reading and studying the scriptures. And so
you want to pray that that your loved one would
find themselves in, around that kind of a circle and community,
even on the inside. And then secondly, I would say,
if you have opportunity to send them Bibles and other
spiritual material, they they pay a lot of attention to that. Um,
(29:55):
and it's at this point that they're probably listening to
what you have said.
S2 (29:59):
Right.
S3 (30:00):
And to maybe what you're saying now. And so this
is a great time for families to be a well to,
to the loved one that's incarcerated and let them continue
to draw from their spiritual well of your life.
S2 (30:11):
That's good advice, I appreciate it. Let's go to line
one with Katie. Katie is calling from Springfield, Illinois. Go ahead. Katie.
S4 (30:19):
Hello.
S5 (30:20):
Thank you for taking my call. I really appreciate it. Sure.
I just wanted to let you know, as a person
that was formerly incarcerated, um, that people like you that
come into the prisons and come into the jails really
help get me through. I mean, I always look forward
to the day when we call them. The church ladies
would show up, and, um, it always brought us hope.
(30:42):
And without hope, those places are even more miserable than
they already are. I was five months pregnant when I
was sent to prison, and, um, it was a very
difficult time, but my faith definitely got me through.
S2 (30:56):
Mm. Well, Katie, thanks so much for calling, chaplain.
S3 (30:58):
Yeah. Katie, I'm so excited that the Lord has brought
you through. And he's, um, deposited his word in you.
And just continue to pray. You continue to keep on
and allow God to use you. You know, you have
experience that, um, so many others could benefit from both
ladies who were incarcerated, um, as well as families too,
(31:19):
who have a loved one that's incarcerated.
S2 (31:21):
Um, helpful. Very, very helpful. Katie, thanks so much for calling.
Let's go to line three with Jeanette from, uh, Dewey, Illinois.
Go ahead. Jeanette.
S6 (31:32):
Uh, great. Well. Hi, Roy. Hi.
S3 (31:35):
Hi.
S6 (31:35):
Hi. Thank you for taking my call. It's not ironic,
but I just talked to a friend of mine who's
in prison. Uh, state. State prison. And, um, told us
that he's going to be released in about a year,
which is a big answer to prayer. Um, he was
super plugged into our church, um, at the time that
he was incarcerated. And, um, he'll be away for now.
(31:58):
Two and a half years total. And I guess my
question is, just how can the church prepare for him
to return back into fellowship with us? And, um, and
then what kind of needs will he need to have met, um,
when he is released? And then if there are any
resources in the Champaign County area that you might be
(32:19):
able to recommend, we would just love to start preparing
now for his return.
S3 (32:25):
Well, I think one you can begin to search to
look and see what resources are in the Champaign area.
And and there are resources there. I've had a few
individuals from that community and they've shared some resources, but
you can probably find some of those resources out, you know,
clearly through Google. So I think that would be helpful.
I think secondly, for the church, I think for the
(32:48):
church to understand that he needs people who will be
present in his life. Um, sometimes it's not always given
presents or given gifts, but it's the time and attention
as someone who who can be there to pray with
him and to read the Word of God with him
and to to do leisure activities. Uh, those those things
(33:11):
mean quite a bit. So you need someone who will
be willing to be a discipler for this individual once
they're released. I often think that the heart issue is
the hardest issue, and sometimes we can think about all
of the practical things, but we want to look at
the heart issue and making sure that his heart is
(33:34):
steadfast on the Lord Jesus. And I tend to think
that Jesus takes care of all of the rest.
S2 (33:40):
Mm. All right. Thanks so much for the call. Appreciate it. Jeanette. Now, chaplain,
when it comes to the church, I remember pastoring New
Life Baptist Church in Chicago Heights, and we had some
folks who were formerly incarcerated there and loved them, cared
for them. And it was a wonderful thing. But some
places it's not very welcoming. People are scared. And I
(34:02):
get it. They're scared. They feel like this person should
go someplace else and that the church should hold certain standards,
you know? ET cetera. ET cetera. ET cetera. What what
do you say to the folks that that are afraid?
And I'm not belittling that. I'm not. But what do
you what do you say to those folks?
S3 (34:22):
I think that we have to want trust God. Okay.
Jesus came to this dark world to be the light.
And then he tells us, he says, you are the
salt of the earth. Yeah, like we're supposed to make
people's lives better and not bitter, right? And when people's
lives are dark, when we show up, they should be
(34:43):
the light that there is some wisdom we need to have. Um,
but there are also risks that we take as it
relates to ministry. So I think even as someone asked
the question, you know, what is the best way to prepare?
I think we can be thinking along those lines. Yeah,
we can find individuals whom God has raised up in
this space to get counsel and to get advice. But
(35:06):
I also don't think it's one of those things that
the Lord would have us run from. I believe the
Lord would have us to run to it wisely by
getting wise counsel and then trusting, trusting the Lord in
that space.
S2 (35:19):
Talk about the components, the ingredients of a healthy ministry
to those who are coming back to community after being incarcerated.
Are there certain things that people should put in place?
S3 (35:32):
I'll probably lean back to discipleship. I think having a
healthy understanding of discipleship and realizing, just as we think
with children, it takes a village. It also takes a
village for individual coming home from jail and or prison.
So that needs to be a community of individuals who
will be willing to wrap their loving arms around someone.
(35:55):
And that community could be that could be 1 or
2 people in the church, but that can also be
other people outside of the church who can become a
part of this community to help support this brother or
this sister who's being released. And so we realize that
there are all of these various needs that they have.
I would always venture to heart issue would be the first, um,
(36:18):
the first primary need. And then secondly, we will look
at all of the practical needs that they will have.
And so I think if we have a mindset of discipleship,
which for us we believe that starts with saying, hey,
I want to build an authentic relationship with somebody like
a real, authentic relationship. And then from there, you know,
(36:39):
we can share the gospel. We can also match them
with practical needs.
S2 (36:43):
That's helpful. That's very, very helpful. It's a lot of
intentionality that goes into it as opposed to, okay, you
got out. Glad to see you through your party. Had
some cake and some punch and okay, we'll see you
next Sunday, right? Yeah. It's got to be more than that.
It's got to be more than that. Um, dealing with
those people, those places, those things, the felt needs, etc.,
(37:05):
all the stuff that you just mentioned, uh, I appreciate that.
We'll dig into that a little bit more. And hey,
I'd love to hear from you guys. Give us a
call at 87754836758775483675. I'm Roy Patterson here with Chaplain Cory
Buchanan sitting in for Chris Brooks. you are listening to equipped.
S1 (37:36):
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more than ever. That's our mission here at Equip to
provide biblical wisdom for life's toughest questions. When you step
in as an equipper, you're not just giving your monthly
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(37:58):
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S2 (38:17):
Welcome back to equip with Chris Brooks. I thank God
for Chris and Jody. Their whole family. We're continuing to
pray for him. Um, yeah. His daughter has been ill,
and he's doing the right thing, devoting himself to making
sure his family is okay. Continue to keep Chris and
the family in your prayers. Will you do that? All right.
(38:38):
Today we've got Chaplain Cory Buchanan with us. We're going
to go to the phones. We've got John calling from Evanston, Illinois. John,
please go ahead.
S7 (38:48):
Every time I share this testimony, I get choked up.
So you have to bear with me. I met my
wife in prison. He was a he was a prison
school teacher. Who told me that God could change my life?
S2 (39:12):
Okay.
S7 (39:13):
But after almost 20 years in prison, I didn't believe it.
For three days we went back and forth, her telling
me scripture. I didn't know scripture and three days later
I accepted Christ. We've been married for 45 years, and.
(39:36):
Christ has brought us through. You know, 45 years is
not easy to do these days.
S2 (39:42):
No, that's a long time, man.
S7 (39:44):
We have three kids, the grandkids. But when my wife
called me and told me your program was on, I
had to call.
S2 (39:53):
Wow, what a testimony. That's an amazing, amazing testimony. All right.
I'm ready to throw it to Chaplain Cory. Did you
have a question or something you want to add to
that wonderful testimony?
S7 (40:03):
No, but I'm going to hand you to my wife, Mary.
S2 (40:09):
Mary, what do you want to say, Mary?
S8 (40:12):
I want to say we did not have a romantic
relationship when we were in prison. When I was in
prison there. It was just brother, sister in Christ after
he became a Christian, I was there about we were
at the same prison about two years. Then I moved
up to Evanston, Illinois. But it was always brother and
sister in Christ for seven years. We did, um, he
(40:34):
did come up to the church that I was a
part of, and they there was a small group that
took him under his wing. And when the Lord opened
up a romantic relationship, um, uh, it was under the
under the wing of the church elders and counselors. We
sought their counsel and affirmation for, um, for our marriage. So, um,
(40:55):
that's an important thing, because, you know, they when when
a person goes to work inside a prison, they always
tell you, don't become emotionally involved with inmates.
S2 (41:05):
That's right.
S8 (41:05):
You know, and it's very wise counsel because you have
to be very careful. Um, so I took that to heart,
you know, and, um, I, you know, I did point
John to Christ, but it was just brother and sister
in Christ. And he was very honorable in terms of
realizing that I had to be there for everybody. I
was the only I was the only person who was
(41:26):
an employee plus a chaplain volunteer.
S2 (41:29):
That's wonderful. I appreciate it. John and Mary, that's, uh,
that's an incredible testimony. Uh, you have any comments, sir?
S3 (41:38):
Yeah. Amazing testimony, amazing story. Uh, thanks for sharing it. Uh,
I also love to say that we also have a
vocational center up in Evanston. We opened, uh, a few
years ago, um, by the, um, wooing of one of
our alumni who came through our program. Okay.
S2 (41:56):
Mm. Okay. Appreciate John and Mary. Uh, keep doing what
you're doing. 45 years. Congratulations. Let's go to Theresa in Indianapolis, Indiana. Theresa,
please go ahead.
S9 (42:07):
Hey. Excuse me. Praise God. I'm sorry I got all
choked up about that wonderful testimony. Amen. And I just
want to say, praise God for doing it God's way.
Because God always has a better plan. And when we
do it, his will. It always works out. So I
thank God for that. But my question is in regarding to.
I have a 13 year old grandson who is 13,
who seems to be getting into a lot, just just busy.
(42:30):
And recently he and a friend actually went into a
a vacant apartment and started like turning on the gas
stove and lighting paper and and sitting the fire out.
And of course, someone called and he's on house arrest
right now. And the judge, he hasn't been to court yet,
but the judge is trying to charge him with a
(42:52):
felony instead of a misdemeanor, because this is the first time.
My question is, um, he's he's a single. He's a
my my daughter's a single mom. The dad isn't a
very active part in his life because he lives in
another state. I live in another state. What do you
do to help a child who. You don't want to
(43:13):
end up being a statistic, but you don't know what
to do in regards to church. Put them in a
group I don't know. So that's my question.
S3 (43:23):
Well, my first answer is prayer. I'm sure I know
you've been praying, but prayer is not a cop out.
I mean, prayer really works and it's amazing the way
God uses our prayers. So one, I would definitely invite
a time of prayer. I think secondly, people I mean,
there are resources. Um, it would take some work and
(43:44):
being able to look and to investigate what kind of
resources are out there that could be opportunities for him
to be a part of groups or programs. And typically
what we've seen is that while a person is on
house arrest, this is a really great time to get
them in a program that will help them to address
maybe some of their past mistakes and decisions, to look
(44:07):
at some of their heart issues while also setting them
on a trajectory of life change and difference. So I
start doing the research to figure out what other programs
and agencies are in your area that could that could
be a support to you and to your son.
S2 (44:25):
Teresa, thanks so much for calling. We appreciate you. Hey,
let's go to Sarasota, Florida with Rose. Rose, please go ahead.
S10 (44:34):
Hello, gentlemen. Thank you so much. Uh, hello. Um, first
of all, I wanted to thank the chaplain for what
he's doing all these years. Um, I have been privileged
to serve at the Sarasota County Jail for 26 years now,
and I give the girls Bible studies. I only do
the women. I don't do the men. Um, I have
two children that were struggling with drug addiction. My daughter
(44:58):
started when she was 14 years old. She's been incarcerated
probably 15 times. I think this last time, the Lord
got Ahold of her and she got an infection on
her heart. She had open heart surgery, brain surgery, stroke,
and she is now clean. Thank you Jesus, and living
with us and doing well. But I just wanted to
thank you because when you said it takes a village. Brother,
(45:19):
you are so right. These women and men, when they
come out, they need our support. And I'm talking people
in the church without judgment and just really just coming
in and being that discipling them is spot on. That's
what they need. The teaching of the Word of God
and living it out and seeing the example with, you know,
the people, the men and women that are willing to
(45:40):
do that. But I just wanted to say thank you
and give hope to those parents and grandparents out there
that have kids that you know are using drugs or
have been in trouble. You know, God is good and
God speaks through the saints and the prisons and the jails.
S3 (45:56):
Yeah. Amen. I agree with you clearly on on the
discipleship front. Uh, it it goes a long way. I
often find out that, um, people who struggle with rebellion
find themselves in a rebellious community, and that rebellious community
is always there. They're always there to do something sinister
with them. So if we, the church, can make sure
(46:18):
that we are present and accounted for in people's lives
when they're struggling, we'd be surprised at how we'll see
a great turnaround.
S2 (46:25):
Chaplain Cary, if people want to reach out to you,
how can they do it?
S3 (46:29):
Look us up on our website. Cpso ministries. Org. You
can look us up on socials. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok,
all of that.
S2 (46:39):
Y'all are everywhere.
S3 (46:40):
We're everywhere.
S2 (46:42):
I appreciate you stopping by today. It's so many people
that have called. I wish we could have gotten to
all the phone lines, but I'm so grateful for the
advice that you shared and you will continue to be
in our prayers. Thank you sir. Thank you for the
great work that you're doing. M Roy Patterson I'm sitting
in for Chris Brooks. Thank you so much for being
a part of the program today. Equipped with Chris Brooks
(47:03):
is a production of the Moody Radio Network under the
umbrella of the Moody Bible Institute. God bless.
Well. Hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of
equip with Chris Brooks! I'm so thrilled that you've joined
us today. Do me a favor strap on your seat
belt as we navigate through the contours of culture, as
always with the lens of the biblical worldview on. But
before we do that, let me remind you, this is
the day that the Lord has made. He is giving
(00:40):
it as a gift so that you and I can
rejoice and be glad in it. So let's do just that.
Let's follow the words of the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice
in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Today
I want you to help me welcome my good friend
Roy Patterson to the host seat. Roy is a man
of God who has ministered through radio and the pastorate
(01:01):
for decades. He's the host and originator of the Urban
Praise streaming channel, and also host Celebration of Praise and
Music for Sunday here on Moody Radio. Roy, thank you
for leading this edition of equip.
S2 (01:16):
What a joy it is to be here today. I
thank God for Chris Brooks and the warmth, the kindness,
the intellect that he brings. The gravitas of that man
is absolutely amazing. I'm thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to be here.
And I'm thrilled that you're here as well. Listening down south, north, west,
(01:37):
wherever you might be. Thanks for joining equipped. I really
do appreciate it. Well, when I was a student at
Moody Bible Institute, we had opportunities to go out and minister,
whether that was on the streets, at churches, clubs, etc.
my assignment, oddly enough, was Cook County Jail, one of
the most famous jails in the country. And I'll never
(01:58):
forget the door slamming behind me and the terror that
filled my soul. I preached through the bars. The guys
looked at me, some of them laughed at me, and
for some odd reason I wanted to go back. And
I kept going back and I kept getting stronger and
I kept presenting the gospel. And before I knew it,
I had preached there three years in a row. That
(02:21):
was my assignment. Today I want to talk about prison ministry,
and we've got a guy here that loves Jesus, who
loves the guys and gals that are behind bars, and
you're going to enjoy what Corey Buchanan has to offer.
Corey is a pastor. He's the executive director of Chicagoland
Prison Outreach, and I'm just thrilled that he's here with
(02:44):
us today. Corey, how are you, bro?
S3 (02:45):
I'm doing well. Roy, I'm so glad to be here
with you and on this show. It's exciting.
S2 (02:51):
Yeah, I'm excited to have you, I really am. All right,
so how did you get involved in prison ministry? What's
what's the thing that that sort of set your soul
on fire concerning ministry?
S3 (03:02):
Well, I'm not only the president, but I was also
a client.
S2 (03:06):
Yes, sir.
S3 (03:08):
So as a young man, at the age of 17,
I was arrested for attempted murder, and I had those
doors slammed behind me, as you just mentioned. Yeah. Frightened.
Didn't know what life would have for me. And there
I was, incarcerated. And after about my first year in,
I encountered Chicagoland Prison Outreach. They were running a discipleship
(03:32):
living unit inside the jail. And I went to that
living unit not because I chose to, but God was
doing what God does. Yeah. And by his providence, I
ended up there and was blown away by the gospel. Uh,
chaplains that were coming in. God got a hold of
my heart, and I found myself in a cell one day,
surrendering my life to the Lord, saying, God. Hey, listen.
(03:54):
Whatever you want to do with my life, you can
do it. I did have one caveat, though.
S2 (03:59):
What's that? What's that?
S3 (03:59):
I said, just do it slowly. And God. God changed.
He changed my heart and my life had to catch up. And,
you know, later on, I denounced the gangs and all
those other things, and God gave me a deep passion
for his word.
S2 (04:14):
Mhm. Hey, I'm going to give you guys a chance
to call and talk to Cory in just a few minutes.
The number is 87754836758775483675. Maybe, just maybe, you know what
it is to be behind bars. Or you've got a
family member and you can testify of God's goodness or
grace and grace. You can also say, I'm struggling because
(04:38):
this has been a hard time not only for that
person behind bars, but for me. I'm his wife or
the husband. I'm the child. I'm I'm the parent. Whatever
the case might be, today is a good day to
share your story briefly and to also ask a question
of of Chaplain Cory, you're going to be blessed by
(04:59):
today's program. You really, really are. All right, so, um,
Chicagoland prison outreach. What does the ministry consist of?
S3 (05:07):
Well, Roy, we are a holistic ministry. Our commitment is
to show love to offenders and their families. Yeah, and
we kind of have these three areas that we focus
in on. One is chaplaincy. We provide chaplains to jails,
prisons and detention centers. Our chaplains provide a very real
presence inside of institutions, providing counseling, Bible studies, worship services, um,
(05:32):
and ministry, even to the offices. The second area that
we do is career and life development, where we walk
alongside of men and women and boys and girls after
they've been released from prison, and they're trying to figure
their way out. How do I reintegrate back into society
in the world? We do that through mentorship, and then
we have some vocational training where we provide free vocational
(05:56):
trades training to these individuals who've been released. We teach carpentry, electrical,
welding and sometimes some other vocational programs as well. Then
we do compassionate care When we come alongside of families,
families are devastated when their loved one is incarcerated. And
so we can come alongside of these families and provide
(06:17):
compassionate products. But more than anything, relationships, real, authentic relationships
to come alongside of these families in this dark, difficult time.
And so we see ourselves as really a holistic ministry
that focuses a lot on discipleship. Everything we do, we
want to build relationships that will help point people to
(06:38):
to Jesus Christ, that they may be conformed into the
image and likeness of him. Mm.
S2 (06:44):
Wow. That's that's compelling man. All right. So when I
think of Peter, when I think of Jeremiah, when I
think of James, when I think of John, even when
I think of Jesus, I have to think of the
fact that all of them were thrown in in jail.
And the fact that Jesus said, when I was in prison,
you visited me. So the emphasis there in the word
(07:05):
is toward ministry when you hear those names and those
words of Jesus, what comes to your mind?
S3 (07:11):
Roy, we got a t shirt that we use. We say,
all of my heroes went to prison. When I think
about Joseph, right. Even Joseph.
S2 (07:22):
Yeah, man. That's right.
S3 (07:23):
Joseph was a dreamer.
S2 (07:24):
Yeah.
S3 (07:25):
Who went to prison and later became a leader?
S2 (07:29):
Mm.
S3 (07:29):
And there are some people who are incarcerated who have
some incredible potential, but one, they don't think they deserve
mercy or grace.
S2 (07:37):
Right?
S3 (07:38):
And we get an opportunity to say that there's a
God who loves you. And he has a lot of mercy.
He has a lot of grace for whatever you've done.
And we're able to see people through the Word of
God be raised up, and they become leaders in prison.
And then when even when they're released from prison. And so,
as you said, we see prison all throughout the scriptures,
(07:59):
from Genesis to Revelation.
S2 (08:01):
Mhm. All right. So there's a big word recidivism. Um,
talk about that word and how your ministry, uh, combats that.
S3 (08:12):
Well, one, when individuals are incarcerated, they are if they
if they're involved in any kind of faith based programs,
they are less likely to return back to prison.
S2 (08:24):
I like.
S3 (08:25):
That. Um, so for us, we're providing not only one
on one opportunities, but we have opportunities where we have
a living unit inside of institutions where we can provide
daily discipleship. And individuals are not just in the program
from 9 to 4. They're in the program where they're
(08:46):
like these Christian community standards that they're living, and they
build this community with inside the jail or the prison,
and they're holding each other accountable. They're praying for each other.
They're loving each other. Um, they're sharing the Word of
God with each other. And then we load it with
chaplains and volunteers who are coming to bring the Word
(09:07):
of God. And that's what was helpful for me in
my own life. You remember, um, a dear brother who
used to come in on one of these living units.
Garland Singleton. Oh, yeah. Right. Yeah. A name from the past. Yeah.
But he was a brother amongst many others who would
come in to to bring the word of God and
to help us. And so you look to build this
community and this relationship on the inside.
S2 (09:28):
Mm. Alcoholics anonymous says, um, you need to change people,
places and things. Otherwise, you're going to relapse, or there
will be recidivism. You'll you'll fall back again. What I've seen,
and I know some people who've been through that program. Um,
when they do have new friends and they do have
new opportunities and they have new grounding found in this
(09:51):
old gospel. Their lives are absolutely changed. Have you had any, uh,
guys that have gone through and said, I didn't think
it could be. I didn't think I could change, but
look what Jesus has done. You got any stories for us?
S3 (10:05):
I got one story, one young man, I met him.
He was 19 years old. He was infatuated with the
street life and with gangs, guns and drugs. And he
didn't really think the gospel had any impact on his life.
And I remember talking with him and sharing the gospel,
and he said, I'm gonna give it a try. He
(10:27):
surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
been amazing. I've been walking with him for about 18 years.
S2 (10:34):
Wow.
S3 (10:34):
It's amazing to see the ways God is using him. Uh,
he he's a business leader, and he now is one
of the individuals who hires, um, men and women who,
when they come out of prison, I can send them
to him and he'll hire them. But God has absolutely
changed his life. And he started off. I'm not really
sure that God can really change my heart because I'm
(10:55):
so deep in it. But he tried Jesus and found
himself in the Word of God. And and I was
able to disciple him over the years.
S2 (11:03):
I'm fascinated by an old song that says, um, somebody
told me about the joy that they had, and I
didn't think it could be till it happened to me.
And I'm so glad that Jesus Christ can change anybody.
I know that we talk about the House of correction
and what it's supposed to do, but Jesus Christ can
change us from the inside out. And all of us
(11:28):
know what it is to be bound by something. But
this Savior that we have is absolutely a heart fixer,
a mind regulator. Hey, I'm talking to Chaplain Cory Buchanan today.
I want to give you an opportunity to talk to him.
The number is 87754836758775483675. I'm Roy Patterson. You are listening
(11:50):
to equipped.
S1 (12:01):
Do you wrestle with sexual shame or unmet longings? Do
you wonder if God cares about your wounds and desires?
Would you love a more intimate, honest relationship with him?
Then you need to read Surrender Sexuality by Doctor Julie Slattery.
She'll help you take your deepest needs to a loving
Savior who meets you without shame or condemnation. Ask for
(12:24):
your copy of Surrender Sexuality when you support equip this month.
Simply call (888)Â 644-4144 or visit equip radio.org.
S2 (12:46):
Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks I'm Roy Patterson
sitting in today. Our good friend Chaplain Corey Buchanan is
with us. We're talking about prison ministry and how God
is using Corey and chaplains throughout the state and beyond
to affect lives through the glory and honor of God. Let's.
Let's face it, America has the biggest prison population, and
(13:09):
eventually most of those folks will get out. What will
we do? How can we minister? How can we see change?
I believe it's possible. And, Chaplain Corey, I've seen you
do some tremendous things, not only with those that are incarcerated,
but with families as well. How does how does prison,
how does jail affect the family?
S3 (13:30):
Well, it reflects it reflects it in in radical ways.
I mean, it blows up the family when you think
of this loved one that's now incarcerated, whether they are
a teenager or an adult, they have now been divided
and separated from their family. And when you think about
a mom, a grandma, she's devastated, you know, emotionally erect,
(13:54):
not really sure exactly what is happening with their loved one.
And often these families feel lonely, destitute, and they're just
unsure what to do with themselves. Roy, I was sitting
with a group of family members who have a loved
one that's incarcerated, and I had one table ladies and
one lady said, you know, I cannot talk with my
(14:18):
family about my husband who's incarcerated. They're upset with me.
I can't talk to his family because they believe I'm
the problem. Oh, my. And she says, I just find
myself in the room talking to myself. Mhm. And I
said that very easily, but she said it with tears
in her eyes. Of course, with this great pain of
(14:38):
just feeling like she's all by herself. And that's just
one way it rocks the family. The second way is children.
I mean, children are three times more likely to be
incarcerated if their parent is incarcerated. Mhm. So it almost
begins to be this automatic pipeline Line to continue to
fill jails and prisons.
S2 (14:58):
It's like a systemic generational thing that happens. I saw
a movie, I don't know, maybe ten years ago, Michael
B Jordan and Octavia Spencer, and there's a there's a
jail scene where mom comes to visit, and Octavia is
the mom in this case. And and, um, Michael B
Jordan wasn't Michael B Jordan back then, but oh my goodness.
(15:21):
Just the tension, just the heartache, the hopelessness that was
captured in in that scene. Um, I know for people
it's not just emotional, it's economics as well, certainly spiritual,
but let's let's deal with the economics. I've got to
go from, let's say Chicago to Pontiac or wherever. The
(15:43):
other thing is that how does how does it affect finance?
S3 (15:48):
Well, just one practical way. That's, um, one couple. The
husband was incarcerated, had a really good job. Wife didn't
have to work. He was incarcerated. She was left to
take care of everything at home. Found herself homeless, living
out of her car with her teenage daughter. And they're
(16:10):
scrambling to find ways for her daughter to get ready
to go to school every day while they're living out
of a car. And this wife doesn't know what to
do because her husband took care of everything, and now
he's incarcerated and she's lost and trying to find her way.
Even just that, when you think of economically now this,
(16:31):
this wife, this mother has to figure out how to
find a job, how to get to work, how to
figure out all of these other dynamics that our husband
wants to take care of. Now, now the burden lies
on her. And we've been thankful. Thankful that we've been
able to come alongside of her and to provide some
care and support. Um, but that's pretty that's pretty devastating.
S2 (16:53):
It is devastating. How do you combat the mentality that
sometimes happens? Unfortunately, sometimes happens where people will say, well,
that's what they get. You know, if they weren't married
to this person, if they weren't related to this person,
if they weren't born into his family, they wouldn't be
going through all this. So this is what they get.
S3 (17:15):
Every situation is different.
S2 (17:17):
Yeah.
S3 (17:18):
You you have I just served I was working with
one gentleman. He was in Cook County Jail for seven years. Okay.
And was declared not guilty.
S2 (17:28):
Oh, my.
S3 (17:29):
Judge was furious once they found out the ramifications of
why he was sitting incarcerated and why he was charged,
what he was charged with. So every situation is different. Yeah. Um,
I don't think for us it's difficult for us to
be the judge in that. Yeah. And and as an organization,
we don't try to be. We just look at what
is the reality now and how can we bring the
(17:51):
light of the gospel to this situation for for this,
for this family. Clearly, there may be some mistakes. Sure.
And there may be some regrets, but that's that's the
beauty of the gospel, is that we can come to
an individual who is inside and say, there's grace and
there's mercy, and this is what this may look like,
and we can come alongside of a family who's going
(18:13):
through a tough season, and they can look and say, boy, um,
Romans 828 right now they're able to see how God
is causing all things to work together for the good
of those who love him and are called according to
his purpose. Um, so, so I think I think in
the midst of all of that, we just see, hey,
how can the gospel be at work, even in people's
(18:35):
brokenness and even in their bad decisions?
S2 (18:37):
Um hmm. Um, I remember preaching at Cook County Jail.
I was probably 19, 20 years old. I'm really just
this kid from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. And, um,
I remember guys telling me that they experienced life change
and this is what I'll never forget. I remember person
after person saying I was a mess. I was tore
(19:00):
up from the floor up. I just was going the
wrong direction. And God arrested me, had me thrown in
jail so he could get my attention. Do you hear
stories like that?
S3 (19:12):
Here's the saying I wasn't arrested, I was rescued. And
it's true, Roy. I mean, that's my own story. I mean,
I was personally going down this path of destruction 100
miles an hour and couldn't be stopped. I mean, I
felt like when I look back, God was trying to
send me all these different kinds of warnings. And one
of the best things that happened to me was that
(19:32):
I got arrested. Second best thing was that I ended
up in Kpo's program, and the light of the gospel
invaded my life. Um, and I haven't been the same since.
And so God used this to rescue me, but he
also uses it to rescue these families as well.
S2 (19:50):
Okay, okay. I heard this radical thing. So tell me,
am I insane? Because I could be. Others have called
me that. Um. I've heard people say I prayed for
my child to be saved because they were headed down
the wrong path. And the Lord answered my prayer. Not
by shining a light down from heaven and just, oh,
(20:11):
something happens in their bedroom or while they're sitting in church.
But they they get those bracelets on, they get cuffed
and stuffed in the car, and then they go to jail. Um,
you think sometimes that's how God answers prayer?
S3 (20:24):
I think so. And, you know, you've been with me
down in the facility, and I think some of these
families would be amazed. And this doesn't happen everywhere, but
in God's providence, where it does, where you see a
group of 48 men singing amazing Grace, or how great
is thy God? Yes. And and you begin to see
God working on them. This is why the Lord tells
(20:48):
us you visited me when I was in prison is
because it's in that moment that we can visit people
while they are in this dark place, and we can
bring the light of the gospel to them. And it's
an incredible how it's received. And then the second thing
is that they have a lot of time on their hands. Yeah, right.
If we could get them a Bible. Yeah. And they
(21:08):
can actually read the Bible and study the Bible. We
believe that when God's Word goes forth, it will not
return unto him void, but it will accomplish what he
sent it out to do.
S2 (21:18):
I believe that I really, really do. Hey, um, people
want to reach out to you. How can they do that?
S3 (21:24):
You can go to our website. Um.
S2 (21:29):
Okay. One more time. Say that again.
S3 (21:31):
WW ministries.
S2 (21:35):
I love it. Hey, you want to talk to Chaplain
Cory Buchanan? Right now, all you have to do is
call (877)Â 548-3675. That's 3675. Let's go back to families for
a second. Um, when it comes to lives that you've touched,
that have become involved in Chicagoland prison outreach. You got
(21:57):
any stories about families that have sort of come back together?
S3 (22:02):
I had a couple in my office yesterday. They were
looking for some help to establish a nonprofit organization. Our
organization met this couple back in right before the the
start of Chicagoland Prison Outreach. The husband was incarcerated, shared
(22:23):
the gospel with him, gave his life to Jesus Christ.
At the same time while he was on his way
to prison. His wife and they were newly married. Gave
her life to Jesus Christ.
S2 (22:33):
Wow.
S3 (22:34):
And before he went to prison, he asked our founder,
Dan Swetz, if he would make a connection with his wife.
Dan did. He made a connection with the wife, and
we actually been able to walk alongside his family for
over 30 years to provide care for them. This gentleman
was released five years ago. Um, and now they are
(22:56):
back together.
S2 (22:57):
What?
S3 (22:57):
They're doing ministry together in a local church, and now
they're working on starting a nonprofit organization, um, to be
able to serve families and other individuals that's coming home
from jail, in prison.
S2 (23:11):
It seems like the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few. And so I'm really grateful for the work
that you're doing. We've got some people who are calling.
I want to try to get one call in before
we take our break. Uh, let's go to line two
with Rose. Hey, Rose, what do you want to say
to Chaplain Corey? Okay. Well, Rose, um, I want you
(23:36):
to call back. Oh, have we got her now? Okay. Um,
tell you what, let's let me let me just just
ask you one more thing, and then I'm going to
come back to this other call in just in just
a minute. When it comes to families, I've talked about
those who are incarcerated having their eyes open. What about families?
Has that happened with them as well? Like, hey, you
(23:56):
know what? God did something through this tragic circumstance.
S3 (24:01):
Oh, absolutely. That one lady that stands out to me.
We had a team of volunteers visiting her for about
6 to 8 months, and they were visiting her. They
were bringing her different compassionate gifts for the first six months.
She stonewalled them, not really interested in what they had
to say and who they were, sure. But some of
(24:23):
those last two months, God began to break the break
her heart and break shackles. And this woman came to
trust the Lord. And she started joining, joining those group
of volunteers in church. And so we actually see that
quite a bit where through our compassionate care ministry, that
a lot of the families that we minister to. They
(24:44):
end up becoming either volunteers with us or they either
begin to join the church. One of the churches is volunteering.
S2 (24:50):
Mhm. I'm really, really impressed with it simply because it's
not just about someone raising their hand and saying, Lord Jesus,
I know I'm a sinner. I know you died for
my sins. I'm sorry for my sins. Come into my life.
Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart,
Lord Jesus, but lives actually transformed after they say that
prayer or a prayer like that. Um, I'm fascinated by
(25:15):
this ministry. And what I want to do is when
we get into this second half hour and we're going
to take some calls, I want to go deeper into
what we can do as the body of Christ, to
minister effectively to those who are behind bars and those
who are coming out. Hey, I'm Roy Patterson, I'm sitting
in for Chris Brooks. You're listening to equip. Thanks so
(25:37):
much for being with us. Love to hear from you.
Give me a call at (877)Â 548-3675. That's (877)Â 548-3675. Maybe you
got a story about incarceration, whether it's you or was
a loved one. And I'd love to hear what you
(25:57):
have to share about it. Also, would love to hear
how God has been moving in your life. Number again
is (877)Â 548-3675. Give us a call right here on equipped.
(26:18):
Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks I'm Roy Patterson
sitting in today. Got a wonderful guest. Wonderful topic. Can't
wait for you to give me a call at (877)Â 548-3675.
That's (877)Â 548-3675. Rihanna is standing by to answer the call
(26:40):
and get it to me so we can get it
to Chaplain Corey. Hey, did you know that the enemy
loves to take our sexual struggles and build strongholds that
separate us from God? We start believing we can't go
to church anymore. That God couldn't possibly love us. Well,
Surrendered Sexuality by Julie Slattery breaks down those barriers and
(27:03):
shows you the path to freedom without shame and into
the welcoming arms of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We'll send you a copy with our thanks when you
support equipped this month. Give this number a call. (888)Â 644-4144.
That's 888644 4144. Or visit equipped radio. Our guest today
(27:29):
is Chaplain Cory Buchanan. He is the president of Chicagoland
Prison Outreach. He's the executive director of that ministry. I'm
so grateful for him. He's a longtime time friend and man.
I'm so grateful that you're here with us today. Yes, sir.
You're welcome. We're going to go to the phone line
right now. We've got Rose on line two. Rose, please
give your question or comment to Chaplain Cory Buchanan.
S4 (27:53):
Okay. Good afternoon. Thanks for taking my call. I am
very excited for this program because I am a grandmother,
also adopted mother of a grandson who is incarcerated. And
since his incarceration, uh, it's been about a year now. Um,
(28:13):
I have been. So my life has been so changed
through this, and I'm. I am a born again Christian,
and I have confided continuously in God, uh, concerning my
grandson's life. And while he's in prison, and he has, uh, truly, um,
assured me of transformation from my grandson's life, uh, I
(28:37):
feel that this is one of the best times for
him to be saved. And, um, I'm just excited, you know,
and to hear a program that is also reaching out
to the prisoners, something that I've been very interested in
over the past years, um, being a part of a
ministry such as the ministry that that you you have.
S2 (29:00):
So appreciate it.
S4 (29:01):
This is most of what I wanted to say.
S2 (29:03):
Oh. It's good. I'm glad that you called in. Hey,
chaplain Corey, why don't you make a comment on what
Rose has shared?
S3 (29:09):
Yeah, I think of maybe others who who are like Rose.
And I always say that when you when you can pray,
if your loved one is incarcerated, pray that God would
send godly people in their direction. Yeah. That he was
surrounded with godly people. There are chaplains and other volunteers
who come inside of institutions, but there are also other
(29:32):
inmates and detainees who who've been exposed to the gospel
and who are reading and studying the scriptures. And so
you want to pray that that your loved one would
find themselves in, around that kind of a circle and community,
even on the inside. And then secondly, I would say,
if you have opportunity to send them Bibles and other
spiritual material, they they pay a lot of attention to that. Um,
(29:55):
and it's at this point that they're probably listening to
what you have said.
S2 (29:59):
Right.
S3 (30:00):
And to maybe what you're saying now. And so this
is a great time for families to be a well to,
to the loved one that's incarcerated and let them continue
to draw from their spiritual well of your life.
S2 (30:11):
That's good advice, I appreciate it. Let's go to line
one with Katie. Katie is calling from Springfield, Illinois. Go ahead. Katie.
S4 (30:19):
Hello.
S5 (30:20):
Thank you for taking my call. I really appreciate it. Sure.
I just wanted to let you know, as a person
that was formerly incarcerated, um, that people like you that
come into the prisons and come into the jails really
help get me through. I mean, I always look forward
to the day when we call them. The church ladies
would show up, and, um, it always brought us hope.
(30:42):
And without hope, those places are even more miserable than
they already are. I was five months pregnant when I
was sent to prison, and, um, it was a very
difficult time, but my faith definitely got me through.
S2 (30:56):
Mm. Well, Katie, thanks so much for calling, chaplain.
S3 (30:58):
Yeah. Katie, I'm so excited that the Lord has brought
you through. And he's, um, deposited his word in you.
And just continue to pray. You continue to keep on
and allow God to use you. You know, you have
experience that, um, so many others could benefit from both
ladies who were incarcerated, um, as well as families too,
(31:19):
who have a loved one that's incarcerated.
S2 (31:21):
Um, helpful. Very, very helpful. Katie, thanks so much for calling.
Let's go to line three with Jeanette from, uh, Dewey, Illinois.
Go ahead. Jeanette.
S6 (31:32):
Uh, great. Well. Hi, Roy. Hi.
S3 (31:35):
Hi.
S6 (31:35):
Hi. Thank you for taking my call. It's not ironic,
but I just talked to a friend of mine who's
in prison. Uh, state. State prison. And, um, told us
that he's going to be released in about a year,
which is a big answer to prayer. Um, he was
super plugged into our church, um, at the time that
he was incarcerated. And, um, he'll be away for now.
(31:58):
Two and a half years total. And I guess my
question is, just how can the church prepare for him
to return back into fellowship with us? And, um, and
then what kind of needs will he need to have met, um,
when he is released? And then if there are any
resources in the Champaign County area that you might be
(32:19):
able to recommend, we would just love to start preparing
now for his return.
S3 (32:25):
Well, I think one you can begin to search to
look and see what resources are in the Champaign area.
And and there are resources there. I've had a few
individuals from that community and they've shared some resources, but
you can probably find some of those resources out, you know,
clearly through Google. So I think that would be helpful.
I think secondly, for the church, I think for the
(32:48):
church to understand that he needs people who will be
present in his life. Um, sometimes it's not always given
presents or given gifts, but it's the time and attention
as someone who who can be there to pray with
him and to read the Word of God with him
and to to do leisure activities. Uh, those those things
(33:11):
mean quite a bit. So you need someone who will
be willing to be a discipler for this individual once
they're released. I often think that the heart issue is
the hardest issue, and sometimes we can think about all
of the practical things, but we want to look at
the heart issue and making sure that his heart is
(33:34):
steadfast on the Lord Jesus. And I tend to think
that Jesus takes care of all of the rest.
S2 (33:40):
Mm. All right. Thanks so much for the call. Appreciate it. Jeanette. Now, chaplain,
when it comes to the church, I remember pastoring New
Life Baptist Church in Chicago Heights, and we had some
folks who were formerly incarcerated there and loved them, cared
for them. And it was a wonderful thing. But some
places it's not very welcoming. People are scared. And I
(34:02):
get it. They're scared. They feel like this person should
go someplace else and that the church should hold certain standards,
you know? ET cetera. ET cetera. ET cetera. What what
do you say to the folks that that are afraid?
And I'm not belittling that. I'm not. But what do
you what do you say to those folks?
S3 (34:22):
I think that we have to want trust God. Okay.
Jesus came to this dark world to be the light.
And then he tells us, he says, you are the
salt of the earth. Yeah, like we're supposed to make
people's lives better and not bitter, right? And when people's
lives are dark, when we show up, they should be
(34:43):
the light that there is some wisdom we need to have. Um,
but there are also risks that we take as it
relates to ministry. So I think even as someone asked
the question, you know, what is the best way to prepare?
I think we can be thinking along those lines. Yeah,
we can find individuals whom God has raised up in
this space to get counsel and to get advice. But
(35:06):
I also don't think it's one of those things that
the Lord would have us run from. I believe the
Lord would have us to run to it wisely by
getting wise counsel and then trusting, trusting the Lord in
that space.
S2 (35:19):
Talk about the components, the ingredients of a healthy ministry
to those who are coming back to community after being incarcerated.
Are there certain things that people should put in place?
S3 (35:32):
I'll probably lean back to discipleship. I think having a
healthy understanding of discipleship and realizing, just as we think
with children, it takes a village. It also takes a
village for individual coming home from jail and or prison.
So that needs to be a community of individuals who
will be willing to wrap their loving arms around someone.
(35:55):
And that community could be that could be 1 or
2 people in the church, but that can also be
other people outside of the church who can become a
part of this community to help support this brother or
this sister who's being released. And so we realize that
there are all of these various needs that they have.
I would always venture to heart issue would be the first, um,
(36:18):
the first primary need. And then secondly, we will look
at all of the practical needs that they will have.
And so I think if we have a mindset of discipleship,
which for us we believe that starts with saying, hey,
I want to build an authentic relationship with somebody like
a real, authentic relationship. And then from there, you know,
(36:39):
we can share the gospel. We can also match them
with practical needs.
S2 (36:43):
That's helpful. That's very, very helpful. It's a lot of
intentionality that goes into it as opposed to, okay, you
got out. Glad to see you through your party. Had
some cake and some punch and okay, we'll see you
next Sunday, right? Yeah. It's got to be more than that.
It's got to be more than that. Um, dealing with
those people, those places, those things, the felt needs, etc.,
(37:05):
all the stuff that you just mentioned, uh, I appreciate that.
We'll dig into that a little bit more. And hey,
I'd love to hear from you guys. Give us a
call at 87754836758775483675. I'm Roy Patterson here with Chaplain Cory
Buchanan sitting in for Chris Brooks. you are listening to equipped.
S1 (37:36):
In today's rapidly changing culture, Christians need solid biblical guidance
more than ever. That's our mission here at Equip to
provide biblical wisdom for life's toughest questions. When you step
in as an equipper, you're not just giving your monthly
support helps to offer clarity and hope to a confused
and anxious culture, and you'll get exclusive resources and updates
(37:58):
from us all year long. Join our team of monthly
supporters today! Call 888644 4144 or visit equip radio.org.
S2 (38:17):
Welcome back to equip with Chris Brooks. I thank God
for Chris and Jody. Their whole family. We're continuing to
pray for him. Um, yeah. His daughter has been ill,
and he's doing the right thing, devoting himself to making
sure his family is okay. Continue to keep Chris and
the family in your prayers. Will you do that? All right.
(38:38):
Today we've got Chaplain Cory Buchanan with us. We're going
to go to the phones. We've got John calling from Evanston, Illinois. John,
please go ahead.
S7 (38:48):
Every time I share this testimony, I get choked up.
So you have to bear with me. I met my
wife in prison. He was a he was a prison
school teacher. Who told me that God could change my life?
S2 (39:12):
Okay.
S7 (39:13):
But after almost 20 years in prison, I didn't believe it.
For three days we went back and forth, her telling
me scripture. I didn't know scripture and three days later
I accepted Christ. We've been married for 45 years, and.
(39:36):
Christ has brought us through. You know, 45 years is
not easy to do these days.
S2 (39:42):
No, that's a long time, man.
S7 (39:44):
We have three kids, the grandkids. But when my wife
called me and told me your program was on, I
had to call.
S2 (39:53):
Wow, what a testimony. That's an amazing, amazing testimony. All right.
I'm ready to throw it to Chaplain Cory. Did you
have a question or something you want to add to
that wonderful testimony?
S7 (40:03):
No, but I'm going to hand you to my wife, Mary.
S2 (40:09):
Mary, what do you want to say, Mary?
S8 (40:12):
I want to say we did not have a romantic
relationship when we were in prison. When I was in
prison there. It was just brother, sister in Christ after
he became a Christian, I was there about we were
at the same prison about two years. Then I moved
up to Evanston, Illinois. But it was always brother and
sister in Christ for seven years. We did, um, he
(40:34):
did come up to the church that I was a
part of, and they there was a small group that
took him under his wing. And when the Lord opened
up a romantic relationship, um, uh, it was under the
under the wing of the church elders and counselors. We
sought their counsel and affirmation for, um, for our marriage. So, um,
(40:55):
that's an important thing, because, you know, they when when
a person goes to work inside a prison, they always
tell you, don't become emotionally involved with inmates.
S2 (41:05):
That's right.
S8 (41:05):
You know, and it's very wise counsel because you have
to be very careful. Um, so I took that to heart,
you know, and, um, I, you know, I did point
John to Christ, but it was just brother and sister
in Christ. And he was very honorable in terms of
realizing that I had to be there for everybody. I
was the only I was the only person who was
(41:26):
an employee plus a chaplain volunteer.
S2 (41:29):
That's wonderful. I appreciate it. John and Mary, that's, uh,
that's an incredible testimony. Uh, you have any comments, sir?
S3 (41:38):
Yeah. Amazing testimony, amazing story. Uh, thanks for sharing it. Uh,
I also love to say that we also have a
vocational center up in Evanston. We opened, uh, a few
years ago, um, by the, um, wooing of one of
our alumni who came through our program. Okay.
S2 (41:56):
Mm. Okay. Appreciate John and Mary. Uh, keep doing what
you're doing. 45 years. Congratulations. Let's go to Theresa in Indianapolis, Indiana. Theresa,
please go ahead.
S9 (42:07):
Hey. Excuse me. Praise God. I'm sorry I got all
choked up about that wonderful testimony. Amen. And I just
want to say, praise God for doing it God's way.
Because God always has a better plan. And when we
do it, his will. It always works out. So I
thank God for that. But my question is in regarding to.
I have a 13 year old grandson who is 13,
who seems to be getting into a lot, just just busy.
(42:30):
And recently he and a friend actually went into a
a vacant apartment and started like turning on the gas
stove and lighting paper and and sitting the fire out.
And of course, someone called and he's on house arrest
right now. And the judge, he hasn't been to court yet,
but the judge is trying to charge him with a
(42:52):
felony instead of a misdemeanor, because this is the first time.
My question is, um, he's he's a single. He's a
my my daughter's a single mom. The dad isn't a
very active part in his life because he lives in
another state. I live in another state. What do you
do to help a child who. You don't want to
(43:13):
end up being a statistic, but you don't know what
to do in regards to church. Put them in a
group I don't know. So that's my question.
S3 (43:23):
Well, my first answer is prayer. I'm sure I know
you've been praying, but prayer is not a cop out.
I mean, prayer really works and it's amazing the way
God uses our prayers. So one, I would definitely invite
a time of prayer. I think secondly, people I mean,
there are resources. Um, it would take some work and
(43:44):
being able to look and to investigate what kind of
resources are out there that could be opportunities for him
to be a part of groups or programs. And typically
what we've seen is that while a person is on
house arrest, this is a really great time to get
them in a program that will help them to address
maybe some of their past mistakes and decisions, to look
(44:07):
at some of their heart issues while also setting them
on a trajectory of life change and difference. So I
start doing the research to figure out what other programs
and agencies are in your area that could that could
be a support to you and to your son.
S2 (44:25):
Teresa, thanks so much for calling. We appreciate you. Hey,
let's go to Sarasota, Florida with Rose. Rose, please go ahead.
S10 (44:34):
Hello, gentlemen. Thank you so much. Uh, hello. Um, first
of all, I wanted to thank the chaplain for what
he's doing all these years. Um, I have been privileged
to serve at the Sarasota County Jail for 26 years now,
and I give the girls Bible studies. I only do
the women. I don't do the men. Um, I have
two children that were struggling with drug addiction. My daughter
(44:58):
started when she was 14 years old. She's been incarcerated
probably 15 times. I think this last time, the Lord
got Ahold of her and she got an infection on
her heart. She had open heart surgery, brain surgery, stroke,
and she is now clean. Thank you Jesus, and living
with us and doing well. But I just wanted to
thank you because when you said it takes a village. Brother,
(45:19):
you are so right. These women and men, when they
come out, they need our support. And I'm talking people
in the church without judgment and just really just coming
in and being that discipling them is spot on. That's
what they need. The teaching of the Word of God
and living it out and seeing the example with, you know,
the people, the men and women that are willing to
(45:40):
do that. But I just wanted to say thank you
and give hope to those parents and grandparents out there
that have kids that you know are using drugs or
have been in trouble. You know, God is good and
God speaks through the saints and the prisons and the jails.
S3 (45:56):
Yeah. Amen. I agree with you clearly on on the
discipleship front. Uh, it it goes a long way. I
often find out that, um, people who struggle with rebellion
find themselves in a rebellious community, and that rebellious community
is always there. They're always there to do something sinister
with them. So if we, the church, can make sure
(46:18):
that we are present and accounted for in people's lives
when they're struggling, we'd be surprised at how we'll see
a great turnaround.
S2 (46:25):
Chaplain Cary, if people want to reach out to you,
how can they do it?
S3 (46:29):
Look us up on our website. Cpso ministries. Org. You
can look us up on socials. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok,
all of that.
S2 (46:39):
Y'all are everywhere.
S3 (46:40):
We're everywhere.
S2 (46:42):
I appreciate you stopping by today. It's so many people
that have called. I wish we could have gotten to
all the phone lines, but I'm so grateful for the
advice that you shared and you will continue to be
in our prayers. Thank you sir. Thank you for the
great work that you're doing. M Roy Patterson I'm sitting
in for Chris Brooks. Thank you so much for being
a part of the program today. Equipped with Chris Brooks
(47:03):
is a production of the Moody Radio Network under the
umbrella of the Moody Bible Institute. God bless.
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