07/04/2026
Music has a powerful way of reaching people, even through locked prison doors.
While sharing some worship songs in the hall of Unit 29 - A Building at Parchman, an inmate behind this steel door asked to sing. The man you see holding the microphone didn't hesitate to step up to the mesh so his voice would be heard.
The man holding that mic is a Field Minister.
Field Ministers are graduates of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary "campus" located on-site at Unit 30. They are the steady, daily presence for the men inside Parchman. Assigned to each unit, they pastor churches, organize worship services, conduct Bible studies, and teach classes like Victim Awareness and Anger Management.
They walk alongside those they serve through the most difficult seasons—conducting funerals, leading the Hospice Program, offering spiritual guidance, notifying inmates of a death in their family, and doing welfare checks. They also celebrate the good moments, assisting with weddings, leading daily prayer calls, delivering care packages, and welcoming visitors.
Ministries from the outside are just guests. The Field Ministers are the ones living out the Gospel every single day. They are the pastors, the comforters, and the friends doing the deep, quiet work of discipleship. It is a deeply humbling thing to simply stand back and watch the church inside care for its own.
Read more about another powerful experience alongside a Field Minister in Unit 42: https://www.2ndverses.org/blog/but-god-a-hand-through-the-window-at-parchman
