Seeing the Image of God in Prison - Mike's story

An Unlikely Calling Late in Life

On Saturday, August 31, 2024, I felt impressed that morning during my devotional time to jot down what I thought the Lord was speaking to me that day: that he was about to open some huge doors for me professionally and in ministry. I felt like he impressed on me that these opportunities would make a lot of sense even though I had never thought of them before, and to run through these doors without hesitation when I spotted the opening.

So, during October 2024, three huge doors of opportunity opened up for me, one was professional, the other two were for volunteer ministry opportunities I had never thought of before. First, the foundation representing the nation’s largest bank, granted a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant to fund my professional work to develop learning products and programs for small business advisors to learn about and recommend employee ownership as a worthwhile succession strategy for retiring founders. Project Equity is my super cool social impact non-profit day job. Then second, my wife Terri and I were invited to start a MicroChurch weekly service for ~20-30 senior citizens in a couple of Tampa Bay area senior citizen skilled nursing units. I had spent seven years caring for my mother at one of them and so it made perfect sense to return as a senior citizen’s pastor to the unit where my mom used to live. But the biggest surprise of all was the Lord opening the doors for me to serve as a volunteer chaplain and mentor at Florida’s two death row prisons for men … and at age 64, just a few years away from retirement!

Mike’s Story

My prison ministry started with Mike (pseudonym), a member of our MicroChurch network and worship leader at one of our MicroChurches for seniors. Mike is about my kids’ age and has a beautiful family. However, Mike’s conscience and past wrong doings caught up with him. He voluntarily reported his crime and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. I remember talking with him moments before the verdict was read and his phone was seized from him. I promised Mike I’d find a way to visit him at Florida State Prison (FSP) at least once a month for as long as he was behind bars.

My first visit to Mike was a little bit comical. I had never been to FSP before, so I didn’t know where the front gate was. After I parked the car, I started walking around the perimeter of the prison to the right and walked and walked and walked. Finally a prison guard spotted me and “escorted” me to the front gate on the left, where I entered as a visitor. Once inside I got to meet with Mike and noticed that the red colored polo shirt I was wearing that day was pretty close to what the inmates were wearing. That guard who escorted me in might have thought I was an escapee at first glance!

After visiting Mike monthly several times, on one regular visit he told me about an inmate friend of his who asked if his friend from church (i.e., me) was visiting him again today. Then he told Mike he never got any visitors and he wished that someone from a church would come to visit him. So, I asked Mike if there was some way for me to combine visits with him and his friend. Mike suggested I contact the head chaplain to ask, which I did.

FSP’s head chaplain told me that their policies wouldn’t allow for me to visit unrelated inmates on a single visit, but since I’m an ordained, retired pastor I could volunteer as a spiritual advisor, mentor and teacher at another facility. He suggested I volunteer at Union Correctional Institute (UCI) which is just a mile or two down the road from FSP. UCI has Florida’s death row of approximately 200 inmates and another 400 inmates in solitary confinement, (CM).

To become a volunteer pastor and spiritual advisor in Florida, I had to go through a vetting process with the state that included in person finger printing at a local jail. It felt a little bit like I was the one being processed for incarceration. After I was accepted as a volunteer chaplain, I was asked to teach a class called “Maintaining Positive Change” and trained by staff on how to visit and minister to inmates on death row and in CM.

So, what began as a personal promise I made to Mike, somehow blossomed into a new kind of “Matthew 25 ministry” focused on the so-called “worst of the worst” inmates. As I’ve come to discover, even these inmates have a piece of the image of God buried in them that can be spotted, called out and nurtured to life and positive gain.

Definition of a Chaplain - A Portable Pastor

The word chaplain traces its etymology back to a 4th-century relic involving St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who famously cut his military cloak (cappa) in half to share with a shivering beggar. What a beautiful picture this is of a “portable pastor” ministering to the needs of those he or she sees wherever they may be. As I reflect on this kind of portable “cappa” ministry the Lord has given me, it just amazes me how privileged I am to be at a point in life where I can serve as a volunteer and be so close to where Jesus is working.

I’m wired to be pretty sensitive to the spiritual atmosphere around me whether good or evil. And every time I enter FSP or UCI I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there, ready to move through me and to offer hope to every abandoned, condemned man that I meet. Sometimes as I drive and approach Raiford where the prisons are, I can sense the Lord himself towering over those places of darkness and despair. I think whether you’re ordained or not, to be a “portable pastor” serving Jesus in our communities among the marginalized is really where the authentic church is called to be. He has called us to walk with those who suffer, because he himself suffers along with them. And, any Christian can have a part in this kind of ministry.

The Imago Dei in the Imprisoned

Theological grounding for prison ministry begins with the radical realization that the Christian faith is centered on the worship of a God who himself experienced the full weight of the Roman empire’s penal system ~2000 years ago. This realization requires a shift in perspective, toward a lens of seeing and calling out the Imago Dei in each inmate because every human being is a unique creation and worth more than all of the world’s treasures. (Matthew 25:35-40) In her book, No Godforsaken Place, Sarah Jobe defines the Imago Dei as a living reality already present in each inmate and in every cell. It takes discipline and a changed perspective to view inmates and others this way. If God sees his image and value in the incarcerated, we should too.

Call to Action

There are several simple ways to get involved as a Christian with prison ministry in such a way that makes a difference regardless of where you live:

• Volunteer to lead Bible studies, discipleship groups, or correspondence outreach. I can show you how it works in Florida.

• Support re‑entry programs by mentoring returning citizens or donating transportation, household items, or job‑readiness help.

• Provide spiritual resources such as Bibles, devotionals, or Christian magazines for distribution inside inmate prison libraries.

• Become a “pen pal” with an “indigent” inmate who doesn’t have visitors or funds. I can show you how Securus works in Florida and many other states.

I’m here to help share everything I’ve learned if you have any questions. Just reach out or schedule a meeting with me before work M-F or after hours / weekends.

Pete Lucas

Pete and Terri lead our Matthew 25 MicroChurches (M25M).

Pete can be reached at (813) 421-2357 or Pete.Terri.Lucas@gmail.com.

Schedule a meeting: Pete’s Schedule.