LEXINGTON, Okla. – There is new hope on the horizon for Joseph Harp Correctional Center.
“Once the chapel is constructed and the steeple is put on it, I think that’ll be a real sign of hope,” Chaplain Steve Ruby said. “It lets the men know they are not forgotten.”
Recently, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for a 6200 square foot chapel.
“It’s really an answer to a 25-year prayer,” Chaplain Ruby said. “The guys have been praying for a long time and it was a great celebration.”
The new chapel is a gift from Crossings Community Church.
Crossings has been a valued ODOC partner for years. During this pandemic the church donated equipment to offer streaming worship services into 22 facilities.
“We were hit with a virus we didn’t see coming,” Crossings Director of Prison Ministry Jeremiah Braudrick said. “God opened doors we didn’t know were available.”
The new church will accommodate 400 men. There will office space, a large classroom for bible studies, and restrooms.
It’s a major upgrade from the current chapel.
“Currently we can fit, uncomfortably, about 95 guys,” Chaplain Ruby told us.
Construction will begin just as soon as the final permits and plans are approved.
With inmates now receiving Covid-19 vaccinations, there is real hope these men can worship together later this year.
“It makes a world of difference,” one inmate said. “When you’re locked down in a cell with nothing to do, the guys really need some hope, a way to look forward.”
Turning soil and planting a church, for hundreds of men who dream of redemption.
“We are all in need of grace and mercy,” Braudrick said. “We are all broken and need the same God whether we are on this side of the fence or the other side of the fence.”
