Active Prison Ministries Results in Scores of Transformed Lives in Puerto Rico

Baptisms and wedding ceremonies are bringing inmates and their relatives to God’s kingdom.

October 2, 2024 | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rican Union and Inter-American Division News

Eileen Lozada is a selfless wife, homeschooling mother of her three children, an elder at the San Antonio Seventh-day Adventist Church in Caguas, Puerto Rico. She is also director of chaplaincy and prison ministries of the Adventist Church in eastern Puerto Rico.

Some years ago, around Christmastime, Lozada felt the call to serve on a visit to a group of inmates in a nearby prison. Since then, Lozada has dedicated much of her time to her passion—caring for “the girls,” as she calls them. Lozada and others regularly offer spiritual support and study the Bible with the inmates, driven by deep love and compassion.

As a result of the efforts of the group of ladies led by Lozada in the east, 37 people have been baptized in the Women’s Rehabilitation Correctional Complex in Bayamón. Some of these ladies participated in the ‘Rise and Shine’ Women’s Congress of the East Puerto Rico Conference on Aug. 31, 2024. There, Yachira Mangual showed her love for Jesus as she was baptized in front of more than 800 people who welcomed her into the Adventist family.

Lozada also shared that there are more inmates getting ready for baptism. “We should hold another baptism soon, because several inmates already requested it and we don’t want to delay it,” Lozada said. “We want to uplift Christ, because this is not about us but about what God can do in their lives.”

‘Rise and shine’

At the ‘Rise and Shine’ convention, the keynote speaker was Edith Ruiz Espinoza, women’s ministries of the Inter-American Division. Espinoza congratulated and encouraged Adventist women serving in prison ministries to keep up the good work. “Don’t leave before finishing your task,” Espinoza told them. “Keep working with those women inmates until, through the work of the Holy Spirit, they may embrace God as their God and request baptism.”

Espinoza also shared that when she made a call to women serving in prison ministries and also to inmates, the latter began to cry. With their guards’ permission, many of them walked to the front. “They cried all together; it was very meaningful,” Espinoza said.

She also emphasized the importance of women in this ministry. “These women can reach inmates in a way men sometimes can’t,” Espinoza explained. “Men are more practical, but women naturally focus on emotions. They hug the inmates and cry with them. These women serving in prison ministries are very committed and faithful, always ready to go the extra mile,” she said.

Also in the west

On the other extreme of the island, marine sciences expert and local church elder Daniel Matos has also spent more than two decades ministering to hundreds of prisoners and their families. With the support of his wife and a group of faithful members of his local congregation, Matos strives to cater to the spiritual needs of the prison population and the guards of the Western Detention Center in Mayagüez.

Early in the summer 2024, twelve residents of the Mayagüez prison were baptized by a group of pastors in a ceremony described as “moving.” According to Matos, six inmates have accepted the call to baptism. But when a last call was made, another one said he wanted to be baptized. “I shouted, ‘We have seven, and there’s still a chance!’” Matos shared. He explained how “in the next hour, the Holy Spirit would give victory to the twelve that were then baptized.”

Among the inmates was Joel Hernández, nicknamed ‘The Sorcerer.’ Hernández came to know the Lord and the Adventist Church thanks to Andrés Ojeda. An accountant with a passion for prison ministries, Ojeda patiently has taught the truths of God’s Word to, among others, a young man who now serves as assistant pastor in Rincón.

Free in Christ

Also in Rincón, and thanks to a partnership between the families of the inmates, the West Puerto Rico Conference, the Puerto Rico Union, the General Conference, and other religious groups, the prison chapel was remodeled and equipped. Now the worship experience is a pleasant one, even though those attending are locked in a prison.

“After meeting Jesus, many of the inmates have told me, ‘I am already free even though I am locked up in this place,’” said Pastor Luis A. Rivera, president of the Puerto Rican Union. He added he has experienced the joy of baptizing several of the inmates and was also in charge of a wedding ceremony for two couples at the Rincón Church. As both grooms were confined, the ceremony was authorized and endorsed by the Puerto Rico Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, church leaders reported.

“God has given me the privilege of baptizing women and men who have a genuine faith in the restorative power of Jesus,” Rivera said, reflecting on what has happened across several island’s prisons in the last few months. “They were taught by members who give of their time, energy, and resources to share hope. God has blessed every effort made by His brave servants and opened doors where none existed.”

More volunteers needed

Other groups are active in the half-way house for women and in the El Zarzal Camp where people have also accepted Jesus. Leaders said that more volunteers are needed to serve the entire prison population, which is estimated at 10,000 people.

Adventist prison ministries have been present to a certain extent in Puerto Rico for decades, according to regional church leaders. But in the last 10-15 years, relations have been strengthened with the government thanks to Adventist community service actions in prisons. “This relationship has built trust with volunteers and made it easier for prison populations to hold social and religious activities,” they said, adding that in the last three years, more than 100 inmates have been baptized across the island.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Puerto Rico has 324 congregations and four local fields, as well as educational and health institutions, and radio and television stations to bring hope to every corner of the territory and proclaim the soon second coming of Jesus.