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In 2007 the Gospel House Prison Ministry directly ministered to over 25,000 people. Nearly 14,000 inmates attended our worship services, 850 received letters through our pen-pals ministry, hundreds of paroled inmates received re-entry resources and temporary food assistance from our food pantry, and we provided Christmas gifts for over 150 children in the name of their incarcerated parents. We also served approximately 11,000 meals and distributed thousands of garments to homeless men and women on the city streets of Cleveland. We want to do more, and we will do more.

The Gospel House Prison Ministry originated when Pastor Bob Sepkovich first visited the Grafton Honor Farm in 1971. His desire and commitment to reach broken lives led to the hiring of Gary Koly in 1983. Under Chaplain Koly’s leadership, the ministry developed into a statewide effort, reaching all 32 of Ohio’s prisons and dozens of county jails and juvenile detention facilities across the state. Because of the ministry’s continued growth, The Gospel House Prison Ministry Foundation board was created and the prison ministry became its own non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1992.

Gary, joined by a complement of fifty dedicated volunteers, travels the state conducting worship services and Bible studies, writing letters, and providing crisis counseling. Due to the overwhelming volume of services provided, the desire to broaden and deepen our efforts, and the vision to develop an intensive, comprehensive community re-entry aftercare program, a second full-time chaplain, Michael Swiger, came on board in 2006.

Our ministry directly affects the inmates and their families who are involved in our efforts through spiritual, emotional, and provisional assistance. Our homeless ministry directly impacts the City of Cleveland by providing physical, spiritual and social relief to the most downtrodden in the community. Beyond northeast Ohio, every community in the state is also directly impacted by our work, as approximately 500 inmates are released back into society each week all across the state. The community is affected in both the short and long term by the reduction in the crime and recidivism rate our ministry produces. According to Prison Fellowship International, only 5 to 12% of inmates who participate in prison ministry re-offend within the first three years after release compared to 60-70% of those who do not avail themselves of such programs.[1]

Our success is measured by changed lives. In our twice weekly services at the Gospel House Church, approximately 10% of our congregation is comprised of men and women whose lives were revolutionized through contact with the Gospel House Prison Ministry. These people are no longer committing crimes or living on the street, but rather, are now productive, working citizens who actively give back to the society they once preyed upon

[1] Communities of Restoration, Prison Fellowship International, Washington, D.C. 2002.