Objectives
That prisoners will hear and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, beginning a new way of life; that the verses from John 8:36 would be our guide: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be free indeed”.
Situation
The situation of the Malagasy prisoner is catastrophic. All prisons are very old, with inadequate space or property, thus having crowded conditions. With the admission of more prisoners, the space allocated to one person lessens! The prisoners do not have sufficient food at mealtimes, with some prisoners receiving one ration of manioc (cassava) per day. Many prisoners have insufficient funds for buying additional food or other items which are considered necessities. Some families rarely or ever visit to provide extra food needs.
Strategy
Click here to download the Friends of Madagascar Mission Prison Ministry Strategy
Weekly visits are made to each prison by the Prison Ministry Teams. The purpose of visiting these prisons is to provide them with worship services, laying on of hands and prayer, confirmation and baptismal instruction, Holy Communion, sharing the Good News, and distribution of Bibles.
Provision of rice: Rice is the staple food in Madagascar. The Prison Ministry Teams bring rice to each prison during their weekly visits. The amount of rice depends upon how much financial support Friends of Madagascar Mission has provided and the team is able to purchase.
Provision of essential medications such as antibiotics, antacids, analgesics, etc., and, at times, clothing.
In 2017 Friends of Madagascar Mission provided funds to:
- Record the choirs within each of the prisons. That recording is now available, and everyone who gives a fit of $200.00 to this particular ministry will receive a recording of the choirs name, “The Freedom Singers”.
- Begin a prison vocational program. Below you will see photos of items made in this program. Items made by prisoners may be purchased by contacting Friends of Madagascar Mission using the contact information at the bottom of this page. Each year the profits from selling items made through the vocational program are giving to the Prison Ministry budget.
Prison Ministry is the first program that Friends of Madagascar Mission supported. At that time, Pastor David Lerseth consulted with Pat Bentsen, a missionary in Madagascar at that time, and asked her what programs would be good for the new organization, Friends of Madagascar Mission, to support. She recommended the possibility of supporting a prison that members of Hope Lutheran Church in Antananarivo were visiting on a Sunday afternoon to conduct worship services.
Friends of Madagascar Mission began supporting this mission in 2010 with a gift of $1,000. In 2025, through the organization called Madagascar Prison Ministry (MPM), we are supporting 36 prisons with a budget of $100,000. There are 83 prisons in Madagascar. We plan to eventually reach a ministry in each of these prisons. You may help us reach this goal with a regular monthly, annual, or a one-time gift.
- Initial year of support: 2010
- Initial funding: $1,000
- 2025 funding: $100,000
- Largest ministry Friends of Madagascar Mission supports in Madagascar
- Divisions in Madagascar Prison Ministry:
- Spiritual Division
- Humanitarian Division
Spiritual Division of Madagascar Prison Ministry
- Pastors, catechists, and volunteers conduct worship and teaching in the prisons each week.
- A congregation near each prison is trained and authorized to lead the local prison ministry. Madagascar Prison Ministry provides the support for the resources needed.
- Activities include:
- Visitation
- Worship services
- Baptism & confirmation
- Distribution of rice
Humanitarian Division of Madagascar Prison Ministry
The prisons do not provide any activities, training, or celebrations, so Madagascar Prison Ministry began with a vocational program to make jewelry (necklaces, crosses, arm bracelets, woven baskets, etc.). We are now in the process of creating working groups in each prison which manage the vocational programs managed by trainers from outside of the prison to teach skills which currently include:
- Welding
- Soap making
- Puppets
The products will be sold in Madagascar markets and the money received will pay for the raw materials. A certain amount of the funds received will go into an account to provide resources for prisoners when they are dismissed from prison and go back to their home to start their own businesses so they won’t need to steal. Stealing is the most common reason for being in prison. The remaining funds will go towards supporting the cost of the Madagascar Prison Ministry program (MPM).
TOTAL amount of support we need to raise this year to fund the Prison Ministry project: $100,000.
Assorted artisan products made by prisoners in Madagascar.