Oklahoma church shares Gospel through prison ministry

He said the events give church members an opportunity to get outside the four walls of the church to share the good news of Christ and see people open their hearts to Him. Sinor said between 40 and 60 volunteers from North Pointe will be part of the 2013 Weekend of Champions, and about 300 have participated over the last several years.

“One of the things that stood out was that we do church and sit in the playroom and talk about the X's and O's but we never actually play football, to use a football analogy,” Sinor said.

“When you walk out onto a yard or in a cell, God is moving. People see life changes. They see inmates weeping. They see the hurt. They see that what God told us (about evangelism) really works.”

Open invitation

Blagg and Sinor said they are encouraging other Oklahoma churches to get involved in the Weekend of Champions activities planned for April.

Sinor said through his involvement with the Bill Glass ministry, he has become one of the volunteer mentors for a group of inmates who are spiritual leaders at Joseph Harp Correctional Facility in Lexington.

“The whole yard is different because of the work those guys are doing,” he said.

He said some people may be afraid to reach out to inmates, but the prisons are mission fields that are waiting for Christians to become involved.

Blagg agreed.

“I always say that a lot of these people are one bad decision removed from you and me,” he said.

“You get real joy getting out of your comfort zone. Like Peter getting out of the boat, it's that type of thing.”