Prison · Parole · Aftercare
Helping churches walk with brothers coming home
Practical resources for congregations, sponsors, and families — frank about the yard and the first hard months, clear about what churches can and cannot do. Start with a short checklist, or browse the directories below.
Start here
Browse all directories →- Parole resources Benefits, clearance, and contacts by state
- Job sources Reentry employment and training leads
- Package rules What families and ministries can send inside
- Inmate communication Phones, tablets, mail, and video visits
- Aftercare ministries Housing and support after release
- Churches Congregations with prison or jail ministry
About Nate
I went to prison in 1996 and came home in 1999. Those years were both the hardest and the best of my life: the Lord stripped a mask I would not take off myself, and He put me among brothers who loved Christ in a hard place. Leaving that fellowship was its own grief. That is why I care about the ordinary work of churches who meet someone at the gate and stay with him afterward — with wisdom, boundaries, and hope, not naivete or coldness. My wife Janet and I later housed parolees in our home for several years, so this work is not only from the yard; it is also from the guest room, the rides to appointments, and the long ordinary days of aftercare.
In the years since, I have worked as a software engineer and consultant. I am a member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Elk Grove, California. This site gathers public resources for prison ministry — state-by-state parole guidance, job sources, aftercare ministries, and churches — aimed especially at Reformed and evangelical congregations who need clear, usable information. I am also writing a pair of books from that journey: one for the brother preparing for parole, and one for the church receiving him. The church volume is What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Parolee, expected November 2026.
This site is updated weekly by Grok Bot. Parole resources and related directories are reviewed on a standing schedule so public contacts and guidance do not sit stale.
Forthcoming
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Parolee
A field guide for sponsors, families, and congregations preparing to welcome someone home — how to understand the world he is leaving, how to write and visit wisely, what gate day and the first hard months feel like, and how a church can show love with clear boundaries. Forgiveness is not the same as trust.