Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy (IOPC) is celebrating ten years since joining Carinity - with thousands of lives touched during that time.
The prison ministry formally joined Carinity in July 2016, expanding the breadth of chaplaincy services offered by the Baptist-based not-for-profit organisation.
Joining Carinity was a reunion of sorts for Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy, given it originally started as a ministry of Queensland Baptists in 1973, before becoming an independent entity.
Rev. Don McPherson, who in 2016 oversaw all Carinity chaplaincy operations, said Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy leadership approached Carinity to "take them over" due to increasing administrative burdens.
"The demands of compliance, including training, were becoming too onerous for the size of the IOPC organisation at that time," Don explains.
"It needed increasing administrative support with specialisation in the areas of compliance that were continuing and have continued to grow.
"Because of IOPC's origins with the Baptist churches of Queensland, joining Carinity seemed a logical direction to take."
Under the arm of its parent organisation, Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy has flourished. The ministry currently has around 40 prison chaplains who provide effective and coordinated pastoral care in 16 correctional centres between Mareeba and the Gold Coast.
In total, Carinity now boasts more than 100 paid and unpaid chaplains serving in aged care homes, hospitals, schools and retirement villages across Queensland - double the number that were involved when IOPC joined the organisation a decade ago.
"There has been a small increase in prison chaplains over the years with increasing prisoner numbers across Queensland correctional centres," said Don, who now oversees Carinity's hospital chaplains.
"However, the main reason for our increased number of prison chaplains is the effective recruitment by the leaders of IOPC to fill the positions allotted to the ministry."
Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy Coordinator, Peter Clarke, said these chaplains play a vital yet often unseen role - to help uplift people in prison who feel hopeless, helpless and alone.
"It takes a special sort of human to enter a prison - by choice - to support convicted criminals. These incarcerated men and women are often at the lowest point in their lives," Peter said.
"Our dedicated volunteer chaplains reflect the love of God to these people in need when they visit them in correctional centres.
"We thank the hundreds of volunteer chaplains who have brought Jesus to prisoners across the state over the decades - and helped to transform their lives for the better."
Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy brings Jesus to people while they are in prison, encouraging them to be transformed from the inside out. Learn more at www.insideoutchaplaincy.org.au.
