Cellblock Prayers
The inmates at the Michael Unit maximum-security prison prayed for a miracle. To many of the inmates at the Mark W. Michael Unit maximum-security prison, Wayne Edson is known as the man with the miracle story. A certified volunteer chaplain, Wayne has been serving four years with Kairos Prison Ministry, a nonprofit organization that provides Bible-based resources and support to inmates and their families. He makes weekly visits to the prison in Tennessee Colony, just two hours outside Dallas. The prison houses more than 3,000 inmates, most of whom are serving long-term or life sentences. He builds relationships, shares the gospel, teaches a 12–step “Overcomers” recovery program, and gives hope to men who’ve been forgotten and condemned. The purpose is to build a church inside the prison where men can unite and find freedom in a place where none exists. “We have a community right now inside the Michael Unit of about 400 men that come together,” Wayne says. “We don’t come in to be the leaders of the church, we come in to build the church and to oversee it.” One of the prison ministry’s most life-transforming events is the biannual Kairos or “God’s special time” evangelism weekend that includes three and a half days of fellowship, ministry, and homemade meals for 42 inmates selected by the warden and chaplain. Rexann, Wayne’s wife of 51 years who serves alongside him on the support team, says the harvest is ready— 99% of the men make either a first-time commitment to Christ or a recommitment by the close of the event. Even rival gang leaders from some of the most violent street gangs in America have broken barriers and become brothers in Christ. “We saw a leader of the Crips completely broken down by the Holy Spirit—he was just reaching
