Living in freedom behind bars
In Florianópolis, Brazil, hundreds of prisoners are finding freedom in Jesus.
Photo: Mission partner Andy Walsh (left) with a local pastor and prisoners who have completed a discipleship course
Mission partners Andy and Kati Walsh are sharing the gospel and discipling people living behind bars. God is powerfully at work, particularly in the men’s prisons, which are notorious for their rough conditions.
A simple course…
Andy and his small team, which is connected with the local Baptist church, have been running a 12-week discipleship course for inmates over the past couple of years.
The course, created by Prison Fellowship, focuses on understanding the gospel and how it can prepare inmates for life after release.
Over the 12 weeks, Andy and the team give space for inmates to explore the foundations of the Christian faith, ask questions and have open and honest discussions.
… big impact
Since they began running the course in 2023, they have seen huge numbers of men become Jesus-followers: 150 men were baptised in 2023, and 170 in 2024. They expect to see slightly fewer baptised in 2025, but the gospel continues to gain ground.
One man said, “This course showed and taught me about the true Christ… I learned about sin, but more importantly, about how to be redeemed by God. After this course, I can confidently affirm that I am a Christian!”
Another said, “It’s essential that this course spreads in the prison environment. The Word of God is our tool for teaching and freedom.”
Andy shares that he is deeply encouraged by what he sees in local prisons now: groups of 20+ men praising God, sharing the Word and pursuing Christ together.
But while many have chosen to follow Jesus, few of them have Bibles and even fewer have any consistent pastoral care.
For Andy, this brings to mind how Jesus was moved with compassion upon seeing the crowds, for they were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).
The next step: planting churches in prisons
Wanting to help inmates continue to grow in their faith and share it with others without the need of so much input from outside, Andy and the team’s focus is now shifting to planting churches in several of the prisons in the area.
But while the senior regional director overseeing the prisons has expressed support for the idea, planting a church in each prison is likely to be a slow process, as it will depend on the cooperation of individual prison governors.
Andy and the team will likely begin with a pilot – perhaps a small gathering in a prison courtyard.
Following a successful pilot, it is hoped that more prison governors will give their permission and that more permanent churches can start to take shape in several prisons, creating a nurturing environment for Christians who are still young in their faith.
