The prison’s chaplain, Stephen McMaster said the initiative is to help with rehabilitating inmates and for them to become better versions of themselves.

During Tuesday’s sermon at the penitentiary, Pastor Lucia Woods of the Agape Total Life Centre told inmates they can prove to be better than what society says they are.

“Many of you in here are gifted, talented, but instead of using your talent for God, you use it for the power of darkness,” she said while urging them to turn their lives around and follow Christ.

She further urged inmates to rise above the negative slurs that have been heard hurled at them.

“Many of you have heard only the negative. Many of you have heard that you will not amount to anything good — cursing you by saying all kinds of negative things. You don’t have to follow the negative.”

She continued: “You can prove that you are not what society says. The enemy doesn’t want to give you up because he wants to use you as a tool.”

Former inmate Alcedo Lettsome also had some words of encouragement for residents at the correctional facility.

“I’ve been in the struggle, I have been there behind bars, and somebody give me a chance. Days I wake up tears in my eyes, I lose my mother, lose my family, but somebody kept me together. I bring a little hope to you all, tell all you don’t care what happen, hold on, don’t give in, because somebody loves you,” he said.

“Somebody care a lot about you, when the rest of the world walks away, that person will come and take care of you,” he added.
The services are being held under the theme ‘Salvation from darkness to light, are you ready for what comes next?’

The services commenced August 9 and will end on August 14.