16/07/2026
This Sunday we have a guest speaker Jonathan Hooper from Prison Fellowship Australia Their ministry is dedicated to prison outreach, running Bible studies and support programs while walking alongside men and women as they transition from prison back into the community.
We look forward to welcoming Jonathan this Sunday as he shares about this incredible ministry 🙏
In a corner of a Sydney prison, a large white tub – emblazoned with the number ‘14’ – sits out of place. It is a container whose usual role is to transport inmates’ laundry, but today water is inside; the tub’s holes plugged with duct tape.
Today this tub is being used to baptise six men.
Chaplain Tim Johnson, who has been walking alongside the men in this prison for just over four years, explains: “It all started a couple of years ago when we were seeing a lot of guys come through Prison Fellowship’s The Prisoner’s Journey course. They were learning about Jesus, about why He came, and what it means for them. But once you go through that, there’s a huge need for ongoing learning and growth. The guys, they all wanted more. So Prison Fellowship introduced The Prisoner’s Journey Continued, a discipleship course based on Philippians. We had 12 guys go through the first course, and we’ve run another four or five since…”
“Maybe a year ago, one of the guys – Brendon* – told me he wanted to be baptised before he left prison… He wanted to show the guys inside the glory of God, the transformation in his heart.”
“When I first met him, he was in a dark place. He’s an ex-serviceman who has gone to war, so he has challenges with PTSD. He leaned into drugs. It got out of control, and he ended up in prison. When we would meet, I think he appreciated having someone present, someone to sit with him in the trenches. He really valued prayer… But it was when he came along to The Prisoner’s Journey that things really started to change. I saw him come from darkness into light. He was learning about Christ for himself, and the Lord just opened his heart… That led to him wanting to be baptised as the last thing he did in jail.”
“One of the [other] guys who was baptised, Alistair*... He enrolled in some of our courses and just flew through them – so engaged. So when Brendon* said he wanted to be baptised, Alistair* said, ‘I want to be baptised too! I want to glorify God!’ From there it just kept growing. At first I thought we were going to baptise two guys, then three, and then we actually ended up baptising six!”
READ MORE: https://prisonfellowship.org.au/2026/07/13/glimpses-of-revival/
