Prison Ministry Work

CLI May Be the Answer to My Prayers in Prison Ministry Work

Hello, my name is Karen Baetz of the United States of America. I have a prison ministry work dream. I was born in San Francisco, California in 1968 and grew up in the Catholic Church in West Marin County, California.

In my teens and young adulthood, I struggled with alcohol and drifted further and further away from God. I had been in and out of the 12 step program with Alcoholics Anonymous for many years and although it has a deep God element to it, I found myself closed off.

In my late twenties I got married, and within the next three years had two sons. As teenagers, both of my boys struggled with substance abuse. Sending them to rehab led me to two other 12 step programs, Al-Anon and Co-dependent’s Anonymous. It was in these programs that I was able to reconnect with God in a very deep, profound way. The serenity prayer hit my soul like it never had in AA. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This prayer says it all. I began praying constantly and learned to trust God to carry my load and it’s outcome. I then developed a relationship with Jesus that I never thought possible. Eventually, I returned to the church which fed my faith more and more.

My oldest son became addicted to heroin and ended up in prison for three armed robberies. This is a boy with the biggest heart imaginable. He is genuinely a good person who’s affliction made him do things completely out of his character. This got me thinking about all inmates in prison who are most likely good people that went down a dark path; also most likely due to addiction. I was overcome by compassion for them and felt a calling to minister to them. I am so happy to have found the Christian Leaders Institute so that I can work towards a degree in ministry and hopefully do a lot of work with the incarcerated.

Learn about minister ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.