Story By Hunter Jones
On a morning at Jackson County Jail, one inmate has decided he wishes to be baptized. After attending the prison’s ministry program and hearing the sermons, held weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the inmate feels a call to repent. Remembering the teachings from church while growing up, the inmate wished to be baptized. The inmate contacted Senior Chaplin for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Matt Beaty to request this talk about this potential baptism. After the conversation, Beaty believed this request to be earnest and granted it. The morning of the scheduled baptism, four more inmates wish to join.
“As a minister it about made my heart jump out of my chest, it’s an amazing thing,” Beaty said.
After meeting the other four, he spoke with them individually and believed each of the men to have their heart in the right place for this.
“As a minister, that’s a sacrament that we’re supposed to do so we did it,” Beaty said.
The ministry program has been going on for around a year and a half to two years, originally being shut down along with many things due to the COVID pandemic. After some time had passed, talks about bringing back this ministry program began and the first orientation began a few months later.
“That’s what it’s all about. We’re kind of charged with their care, custody, control and part of their care is to help them do better when they get out. It’s just another option they have and we’re trying to give them every available option to right the wrongs that they’ve done. This is just one of those means,” Sheriff Rocky Harnen said.
The first baptism from this program happened in October 2024, with one inmate being baptized.
The baptism could lead to a stir within the program and the prison at large as well, with Beaty saying that four inmates will be baptized within the next week.
“It lets me see that even behind jail bars, God can still speak to you and change your heart. That is what I expressed (to the inmates). You may be behind these bars for a long time but the scripture says whom the sun sets free is free indeed. I’m pretty blunt when it comes to the ministry side of this, just because you ask the Lord to save you doesn’t mean you get out of jail. You still have to pay the penalties for what you did to be incarcerated,” Beaty said.
Beaty says that people can apply at the courthouse and at the jail if they wish to join the ministry, with sessions happening on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 to 8 p.m.
“Everybody slips and slides back sometimes but we hope that this is a starting point for them to better their lives,” Harnen said.
