Prison Ministry

Thursday Evening 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

God has opened the door for us to bring The Summit Church into NCCIW (North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women). We have weekly worship services where we gather as the church to worship God in spirit and truth by bringing in the recorded services from our Brier Creek campus and live preaching by our prison ministry pastor. Our prison pastor leads the worship service and provides pastoral care for the women and oversight for the volunteers. The women sing together and sit under the preaching of God’s word. Though incarcerated, lives are transformed by the Gospel and no longer primarily defined by what they have done to break the law, but by what Jesus Christ has done for them on the cross to set them free as new creations in Christ. Our mission and passion is to reach, equip and send disciple-makers back into the prison each week and upon release, to walk with these women through their multifaceted transition back into society. We urge you to join us in praying for these women, for this ministry and consider joining us and serving on our team.

Monday Evening 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Yokefellow Prison Ministry is an interdenominational, interracial Christian ministry of reconciliation begun in 1969. It is founded on the idea that people’s lives are changed through committed relationships. The ministry is conducted by trained volunteers who lead weekly meetings of small groups inside North Carolina’s correctional institutions. Yokefellows is a ministry of listening, sharing, caring, encouragement and support provided by community volunteers from the “outside” yoked in fellowship with those on the “inside” through the weekly small group meetings. The Summit Church seeks to take advantage of this ministry opportunity to make disciples by speaking the grace, love and truth of the Gospel into the lives of these women who are incarcerated, in the context of meaningful, personal relationships.

Saturdays, Sundays and weekdays

MATCH is a program for the top 50 women’s prison residents that qualify and have children under 18. The Summit Church has renovated a children’s center with a pool table, ice hockey, ping pong, couch, TV, and Wii games, in order to provide quality visitation for mothers and their children in an apartment-like setting on the prison grounds. The MATCH center has a full kitchen that enables residents to cook and serve a hot meal family style. Two volunteers supervise the mother during her children’s visit in the MATCH center. Volunteers receive a schedule once a month and sign up electronically for a time to supervise a visit, providing flexibility to accommodate your personal scheduling needs. Couples or women can volunteer.

Maximum Security Prison - 4:45pm to 8:00pm quarterly

MATCH Movie Nights are attended by NCCIW resident moms who are infraction free for a year, recommended by a social worker, and complete a series of parenting classes through MATCH. Summit volunteers serve pizza and snacks to these moms while watching a Christian movie together. After the movie, they discuss the biblical principles learned and their applications for their lives. Couples or women can volunteer.

Minimum Security Prison - 6:00pm to 8:30pm quarterly

Quarterly movie nights feature Christian movies shown in the Hope Center to over 100 residents. Volunteers greet residents, pass out snacks and drinks, and watch the movie with the residents and chaplains. This is an effective opportunity to build personal, Christ centered relationships with these women. Couples or women can volunteer.

The mission of Kairos Prison Ministry is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities. The Summit Church seeks to take advantage of this ministry opportunity to make disciples by speaking the grace, love and truth of the Gospel into the lives of these women who are incarcerated, in the context of meaningful, personal relationships.

Become a Community Volunteer (CV) Sponsor at the Raleigh Minimum Unit
CV Sponsors can take women out for church services, visits to the library, meals and more. This is an excellent opportunity to establish meaningful discipleship relationships and help these ladies get reacclimated back into society. To become a CV Sponsor, please contact us at prisonministry@summitchurch.com.

Become a mentor for women post-release
Becoming a post-release mentor will allow you to attend the New Volunteer and Mentor training through IPMW (interfaith prison ministry for women) and mentor women who are residing in local transitional housing programs. Most of the women in transition homes are employed so you would only be required to meet with them 1 hour per week via phone and or in person. Many of these ladies have already done much of the "practical" work but need someone to talk to, support them through their moments of despair and help them think through challenges that may arise. To become a post-release mentor, please contact us at prisonministry@summitchurch.com.

Become a student mentor in a 16 week Jobs for Life class at NCCIW
Jobs for Life believes the Church is uniquely equipped to address the devastating effects of unemployment and poverty by helping men and women experience the dignity of work–through honest relationships, mentoring, Bible-based job training and an ongoing community of support. This is done through a unique job readiness training and support strategy. Currently, JfL is active at the two NC Correctional Institutions for women in Raleigh. We have the opportunity to volunteer as mentors for these students, as JfL seeks to train them to seek, acquire and sustain productive jobs and realize their God given talents and abilities. To become a mentor for one of the JfL students, please contact us at prisonministry@summitchurch.com.

Sunday afternoon 3:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

God has opened the door for us to bring The Summit Church into Wake Correctional Center. We have weekly worship services where we gather as the church to worship God in spirit and truth by bringing in the recorded services from our Brier Creek campus. Our prison pastor leads the worship service and provides pastoral care for the men and oversight for the volunteers. The men sing together, sit under the preaching of God’s word and then discuss the sermon in small groups. Though still incarcerated, lives are transformed by the Gospel and no longer primarily defined by what they have done to break the law, but by what Jesus has done for them on the cross to set them free as new creations in Christ. Our mission and passion is to reach, equip and send disciple-makers back into the prison each week and upon release, to walk with these men through their multifaceted transition back into society. We urge you to join us in praying for these men, this ministry and consider serving with us on our team.

Sunday Evening Service 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Project Nehemiah is a six month Biblically-based life skills class taught by Prison Fellowship certified teachers from the Summit and other churches in the area. It is a highly effective way to build discipleship relationships by sitting with the men and participating in classroom discussions together. This class is an opportunity to meet the men who are eligible and begin a sponsor/mentor relationship.

Ministries inside the prison, such as the 3:15 service and Project Nehemiah, require the volunteers to have a “blue card” to come inside the gate. Training is required, and it’s provided by the prison (most often at the prison.) Men’s prison ministry works with the prison to alert potential volunteers of coming training events. We also help volunteers connect with the right resource to get involved in all service opportunities, inside and outside the prison.

Under the prison’s Community Volunteer (CV) program, men who are already serving in the prison ministry may take inmates out of the prison to specified events, most often a Summit church service or activity. Inmates are required to meet specified levels of good behavior and compliance with prison rules before they are allowed to participate in the program. Many of them are getting close to their release date. Sponsorship (and the one-on-one relationship that develops) provides many opportunities to help the inmates grow in their faith, experience a supportive church community and better prepare them for their eventual release.

The counseling ministry offers counsel from God’s Word to inmates who are either still incarcerated at Wake Correctional or have been released, and continue to pursue hope and direction in their life and relationship with Jesus Christ. Counseling is offered in areas such as: anger management, grief – processing the loss of someone or something very important, sexual addiction, processing betrayal, marriage foundations, marriage communications, and marriage finances, to list a few topics. The counseling ministry consists of graduate-level counseling interns who offer free personal counseling to Summit’s members and community. The counseling interns are completing their master’s or doctoral degrees in counseling and receive supervision from Summit’s Pastor of Counseling. The need is great for those who have a heart to counsel men in need.

Yokefellow Prison Ministry is an interdenominational, interracial Christian ministry of reconciliation begun in 1969. It is founded on the idea that people’s lives are changed through committed relationships. The ministry is conducted by trained volunteers who lead weekly meetings of small groups inside North Carolina’s correctional institutions. Yokefellow is a ministry of listening, sharing, caring, encouragement and support provided by community volunteers from the “outside” yoked in fellowship with those on the “inside” through the weekly small group meetings. The Summit Church seeks to take advantage of this ministry opportunity to speak the grace and truth of the Gospel into the lives of these men who are incarcerated, in the context of meaningful relationships.

Hosting small groups are needed to provide a simple buffet meal for 20 – 40 sponsors and inmates from Wake Correctional Center. Meals are held on the third Saturday of each month immediately after the 4 p.m. service at our Brier Creek campus. We ask groups to mingle with the inmates (all of whom attend a Summit campus and most of whom are dear believing brothers in Christ.) Meals are multipurpose. They: 1) establish friendships, 2) help remove inmate stereotypes, 3) afford opportunities for small groups to engage with and even foster an inmate, 4) express Christian love and give inmates hope for positive relationships upon their release, 5) relieve prison ministry sponsors from funding, what are otherwise, regular restaurant visits, 6) allow hosts to exercise and develop gifts of hospitality, and 7) give inmates a better meal than they otherwise get during the week. We need the support of your small group in this ministry. The good news is, no blue card is needed!