For a group of incarcerated women in a North Carolina prison, a collection of handwritten notes from a local church serves as daily reminders of God’s faithfulness and presence in their lives. A prayer group’s simple act of service is emboldening them to persevere.

When a women’s prayer group from Green Pines Baptist Church in Knightdale spent a morning writing cards this summer, they created tangible pieces of encouragement for 19 students who are part of the Women’s Field Minister Program at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW). 

It was the group’s way of participating in this year’s ServeNC Week, a statewide initiative that invites North Carolina Baptist churches to serve their communities by meeting practical needs. But the group at Green Pines has been praying for the program’s participants week after week for more than a year. 

The 19 women are more than halfway through a program that educates and equips incarcerated women of faith to serve among incarcerated populations in North Carolina. Judson College at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary runs the program, offering a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in biblical counseling, Christian ethics and ministry to women – a degree offered on campus in Wake Forest. 

Harriet Page is a member at Green Pines and serves on the prayer team for the N.C. Baptist Women’s Evangelism and Discipleship Conference. A retired high school math teacher, Page volunteers to tutor and pray with students at NCCIW. When she presented the cards to the students, she told them that the women who wrote them see them as their sisters in Christ. 

“They also think of you as missionaries,” Page told the class. “They’re praying over you as an influence here and as a light here. I hear them pray for you, whether it’s prompted on our prayer list that week or not, they lift you up in prayer.”

Mary Sharitz, a volunteer with Green Pines, said their prayers carry more weight “because God can do anything, and He goes and visits them through our prayers.” 

“We can’t always go and visit those who are in hard places or may be incarcerated … these words and these Scriptures are alive, and He will speak to them in their hearts through the Scripture,” Sharitz said. 

The women’s cohort launched in 2024. The students are scheduled to graduate in December 2027 with bachelor’s degrees, after which they will be deployed to serve four years as field ministers in the state prison system through faith-based ministries, including peer counseling, crisis ministries and educational ministries. 

Olivia Price serves as the Women’s Program Site Coordinator for Judson College. She has seen God’s redemptive work in the women’s lives. 

“Though there are all sorts of trials and tribulations among these women, they want to persevere in order that they might know God, enjoy Him forever, and bring Him glory on this campus and campuses across North Carolina.”

Rocky Wright, associate dean and director of Prison Programs at Judson College, said students are already flourishing. 

“They’re impacting [women] in the incarcerated context right where they are right now, already doing ministry, doing the work of a field minister,” Wright said. 

Several women from the cohort expressed gratitude to the volunteers and shared testimonies of God’s grace and faithfulness. 

LaRhonda plans to keep her card on her desk for her to see every day. Through the program, she has found opportunities to express herself, which was something she struggled with as a child. 

“I always held everything in … because I felt like I wasn’t being heard,” LaRhonda recalled. “I have amazing volunteers who are here to hear me and listen to what I have to say. And then I’m able to take what I’ve learned, to be able to express and teach others what I have learned about God and how amazing He is, and how He works in all of our lives each and every day.”

Tammy shared that all her life, she was searching for something, not knowing what it was. 

“I never understood it because I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. … He found me,” Tammy said. “If He can take an addict and turn her into a daughter, He can do anything.

“I was touched this morning by the women praying for us, N.C. Baptists praying for us. There’s so many people that I have not met on this side of heaven, but I know one day I will meet them because they’re my brothers and sisters. I love them, and I can’t thank them enough because there’s so much good in the world, and I didn’t ever know it.”

Anique has experienced God restore her family and her self worth. 

“He just gave it all back to me,” she said. 

She hopes she can help even one person avoid a hurtful path like the one she was on. 

“Then all this is worth it to me,” Anique said. “I don’t talk a lot, but I know that God’s called me to do this, and I know that I’m not here just by happenstance, and I know that I got to be bold. And I’m going to be bold in the things that He wants for my life.”

For the students, even the very beginning of the program – the invitation to join – made a powerful difference. When Karen received the invitation, she remembered thinking, “God sees me.” 

When Wendy truly realized her salvation, she prayed about what God would want her to do next. Less than one week later, she received a letter about the program. 

“God answered a prayer that quickly,” Wendy said.

The students are in hopeful anticipation for what the rest of the program and the years after will hold. 

Jessica reminds herself that God is always with her, and that there is “a greater purpose behind what I’m doing, not just here doing field ministry, but when I get out.” 

“He will prepare the way for me to be able to just persevere because perseverance is hard. I be wanting to give up all the time. I quit everything,” she said. “And I’m tired of quitting. I’m not a failure because God would never fail me.”

Karen is excited to see the different ways God will use her classmates’ unique gifts.

“There’s diversity in God’s kingdom, and it is absolutely present in that classroom,” Karen said. “It’s a wonderful thing.”

North Carolina Baptists financially support the women’s program, as well as the Men’s Field Minister Program, both of which are primarily funded by Game Plan for Life and other donors and partners. N.C. Baptists also provide volunteers to tutor and disciple students. 

“I really don’t believe that we would be where we are in our program – not even close – if it weren’t for the faithful women of our sisters in North Carolina Baptists,” said Wright. 

Ashley Reffit, Women’s Leadership and Discipleship Strategist for N.C. Baptists, oversees the volunteer system. After 25 years in ministry, this is where she has seen the gospel most vividly on display. 

“It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of, but it takes a whole community to be the church around them,” said Reffit. 

While volunteer spots remain restricted due to facility regulations, N.C. Baptists can support the ministry through prayer for the students, their families and their witness among incarcerated women in the facility.

By Liz Tablazon, N.C. Baptist Contributing Writer