By Craig W. Sutherland
In mid-2023, a young believer named Arnel, who helps in the Lord’s work in Brooke’s Point, Palawan, Philippines, came to me with a request. He asked me to help his father, Danny, who is a prisoner at Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, a large penal colony about 100 miles from Brooke’s Point.
Danny was incarcerated 10 years ago for a crime he didn’t commit. The Philippine legal system has no trial by jury, so his accuser influenced the judge to demand a large financial settlement to end the case. Danny could not afford the amount and decided that if he paid, he would be admitting guilt. Therefore, he was sentenced to 20 years.
Sometime before Danny’s sentencing, he had attended one of the Brooke’s Point assemblies for many years but stopped participating when he became involved with the wrong people. As Arnel shared his father’s story with me, it turned out that God had used the incarceration to restore Danny’s relationship with the Lord. According to Danny, his son’s constant, gracious reminder of what the Lord was teaching him had also helped soften Danny’s heart. This experience was not just for Danny’s restoration but a unique opportunity to serve other inmates, or persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). So Danny does his prison time with a passion to use it uniquely for the Lord.
Arnel’s request for help wasn’t that I appeal for his father’s early release, though that is in the legal process, but help a small Bible study of 12 men, which Danny has led for several years.
A challenge worth accepting
To meet regularly in the prison, this Bible study needed to be recognized by the Bureau of Corrections. The protocols for all activities in the prison are strict; several directors must approve the activities. So Danny needed someone to vouch for him.
First, I discussed the matter and prayed with the elders in Brooke’s Point. Then, I talked with Arnel, and we scheduled a reading eyeglasses distribution at Iwahig to assess the situation and personally speak with Danny. After, the elders in Brooke’s Point decided to vouch for him before the Bureau of Corrections and support the Bible study in an ongoing way if it received approval. They asked me to head up this ministry with
Originally published in Missions magazine, April 2025. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions atthe help of Arnel and one of the other elders, Nilo. We decided to take on the challenge.
After getting a background check with the local government, police clearance, National Bureau of Investigation check, and full medical checkup—all with a lot of prayer—we started the process of submitting all the paperwork to the prison. Our assembly’s corporation papers and constitution, the elders’ approval letter, and much more were eventually processed and accepted. A personal interview with the superintendent sealed the approval, and I presented him with our Palawano translation of the Bible to bring to his attention the Palawanos incarcerated there.
Now, on the first Sunday of every month, three people from a preapproved list leave Brooke’s Point at 3:00 a.m., arrive at the prison gate around 7:30 a.m., and submit our activity approval to the gate security. We are then cleared by a K-9 guard, frisked again at the entrance to the enclosed prison, and admitted to meet with the PDLs from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Amazing growth
The Bible study group has grown from the original 12 men to 101. The singing is incredible—over 100 male voices. We celebrate the Breaking of Bread each Sunday we visit, and it gives the men the opportunity to fulfill Hebrews 13:15 together: “Offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” We pass around a microphone for anyone to share his thanks, and the honesty and deep, heartfelt thankfulness for forgiveness is next to none I have ever heard.
Often, before I speak to other groups in the Philippines, the believers introduce me as having “been to many places in the world.” During a recent meeting at Iwahig, I stood up and told the PDLs that of all the places in the world I have visited, my favorite place is there, meeting with them on the first Sunday of every month. And it is.
God’s flock within the walls
At a meeting in December, 10 PDLs were baptized by the recognized elders in the prison fellowship. There are four elders inside who know and care for those who attend. They meet with their fellow PDLs on the Fridays of the weeks we don’t visit—for prayer, teaching, and overseeing the flock of God inside their walls.
Early in our Sunday participation, I noticed that the majority of the prisoners attending were from the maximum-security compound as they were wearing orange shirts. Maybe three were from medium security—those wearing blue. Together, they packed out the medium-security educational facility we use. The elders told me they prioritize the maximum PDLs on the Sundays we visit because many are older with no hope of leaving the prison. Additionally, both groups may mingle on Sundays, so the maximum PDLs are allowed into the medium-security educational facility. On the other three weeks, when the group meets on Fridays, the elders give more attention to the medium inmates because they are separated from the maximum PDLs and all four elders are in medium security. They show real sensitivity to their fellow prisoners’ needs.
Ripples of the ministry
The assembly in Brooke’s Point prays weekly for the work to bear fruit. One of the current elders inside Iwahig, who has no family on the outside to return to, may be released sometime soon. The assembly in Brooke’s Point plans to help with his reentry into society—assisting with employment and encouraging him to continue serving the Lord. Pray for all that goes into this work, both within the prison and outside.
Charita, Danny’s wife, visits her husband faithfully. Pray for hope and strength for her. The women from the Brooke’s Point assembly always provide refreshments, and sometimes a meal, for all the prisoners who attend our monthly gathering. My wife, Margaret, has talked with the women waiting at the prison gate to visit their husbands. They tell heartbreaking stories of separation, children without their father’s presence, and the hardship of moving from other parts of the Philippines to be nearby.
Another burden I have is for the prison officials to be affected by this ministry. The Lord has given me special “favor” with the director of spiritual renewal and rehabilitation. I also feel deep concern over how many cult groups and false teachers have access and aggressively proselytize. Wherever the Gospel is allowed, heresy also abounds. Please pray as the Lord brings this ministry to your mind.
Craig and Margaret Sutherland are commended from Asheville Gospel Chapel in Asheville, North Carolina.
Originally published in Missions magazine, April 2025. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe
