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Setting Prisoners Free
After serving time himself, Manny Mill offers a unique ministry for ex-offenders.

by Randy Bishop

In 1984 Manny Mill helped a friend cash stolen checks in return for a $50,000 payoff. The FBI was soon in pursuit, so he moved to Caracas, Venezuela, with his family and opened a Cuban restaurant.

More than a year after arriving, Mill received a phone call from his parents in the United States. The FBI had paid them a visit and explained what their son had done.

His shocked father wanted to know if Manny planned to stay in hiding the rest of his life. "What if I die?" his father asked him. "Could you come to my funeral?"

Mill's mother, who practiced witchcraft until she became a Christian a few years earlier, pleaded with him to turn his life over to Christ.

Overwhelmed with grief at what he had done, Mill prayed for salvation. His mother urged him to come home and surrender to authorities, citing God's promised presence in Hebrews 13:5. Reluctant at first, Mill decided his new Lord would take care of him, so he flew home to New York, where he was arrested by the FBI. During the 21 months he served in the federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, Mill's wife divorced him and gained custody of their son and daughter.

Today, 13 years later, Mill serves as executive director of Koinonia (Greek for "fellowship") House, a ministry that helps Christian ex-prisoners get their lives in order. Since he himself beat the odds of being sent back to prison (recividism in the U.S. is 82 percent), Mill wants to give others that chance.

Many ex-prisoners, including Christians, find themselves, upon their release, hungry, homeless, jobless, deserted by family. Making simple decisions is a major adjustment, especially after spending six months, two years, or 20 years in an isolated environment where most of their decisions were made for them. Plus, some ex-prisoners struggle with drug, alcohol, or pornography addictions. They're also afraid—especially of the rejection that usually awaits them from society and even the church.

Cuban-born Mill estimates that 195,000 prisoners, 11 percent of the inmate population, are Christians, most of whom will be released back into society. Though there are scores of ministries focused on converting prisoners and ministering to them behind bars, only a few are committed to help disciple ex-prisoners who want to lead healthy, productive Christian lives. Mill's outreach is one of them, unique in that it's the only long-term residential model for post-prison ministry.

"There are 700 prison ministries in this country. They're not getting the job completely done (because they don't always help prisoners after their release)," says 42-year-old Mill, a member of First Baptist Church of Wheaton, Illinois. "We (Christians) have dropped the ball big-time by not meeting (prisoners) at the gate."

While imprisoned, Mill grew in his faith thanks to the ministry of Prison Fellowship (PF), founded in 1976 by Watergate-convict-turned-Christian-statesman Chuck Colson to meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of prisoners. In 1988, Mill attended a PF discipleship seminar and met the late Ken Wessner, a PF board member. Wessner recommended him for a Chuck Colson Scholarship, awarded to ex-prisoners, to attend Wheaton College in Illinois. (Wheaton College tries to have four or five Colson Scholars enrolled at any one time). That summer Mill was released and began attending classes.

In 1989, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in biblical studies, the first scholarship recipient to graduate. That same year, while studying in Jerusalem, Mill met a Philadelphia College of Bible graduate named Barbara, whom he married in January 1990. Completing his master's degree in theology in 1991, Mill was ordained by the Baptist General Conference and Trinity Baptist Church, Wheaton.

He thought he wanted to be a federal prison chaplain. Forty-hour work weeks and a regular paycheck sounded good. But the Lord had other plans.

"I was looking for the ministry that was the best for Manny Mill. I was looking for the comfortable ministry," he says. "Instead, God put post-prison ministry on my heart."

He began to visualize a home where Christian ex-prisoners could be discipled, receive support from mentors and a church body, and get established on the outside. But he had no house. Then, in 1991, a generous PF donor offered to loan Mill $120,000 for a mortgage. (Recently, the benefactor forgave the remaining $75,000 balance on the loan).

Not in my backyard!
As the Mills bought their house, moved in, and accepted a resident, trouble with the neighbors began. Though some Wheaton city officials had verbally approved Mill's idea a year earlier, neighborhood residents argued that Koinonia House was not a single-family residence but a group home subject to city regulations. They feared for their property values and their children's safety.

"They didn't hear when we said 'Christian,' they only heard 'ex-convict,'" Mill says.

Soon the city demanded that the house be licensed or face $1,000-a-day fines. Making no headway with negotiations, Koinonia House sued the city. After three years of wrangling and legal battles, the two sides reached a settlement. Every three years, Mill must file a brief statement with the city to confirm that his ministry's operating procedures have not changed.

Still, many neighbors are hostile. When it's time for the annual block party, Mill says, other homeowners vote whether or not the residents of Koinonia House get invited. Most years the vote is "no." Some families don't allow their children to play with the Mills' sons, three-year-old Kenneth and five-year-old Howard.

A few neighbors are friendly. Nona Stier, once opposed to the ministry, had a change of heart after Barbara and a Koinonia resident shoveled her driveway one winter. (She had broken her ankle and was house-bound.) She later wrote the Mills an encouraging letter, attended some of the ministry's activities, and has developed a friendship with the resident who helped her.

"While Barbara and Manny have operated it, I know of no problems," she says. "I really trust in it because Manny and Barbara are there."

Home sweet home is tough
About 150 volunteers from local churches helped the Mills replace the roof and windows, and add a porch and sidewalk. But the more lasting changes at Koinonia House take place inside.

Koinonia House is not a half-way house. (Half-way houses usually have contracts with state or federal departments of corrections.) Residents, who pay a small rent, can leave when they want, but Mill wants them to have their lives spiritually, financially, and emotionally stable before they do. The program is designed to be completed in 15 months, but Mill will allow residents to stay as long as they need. At any one time, there are as many as four residents living in the house.

Originally, Mill thought another couple would reside at Koinonia House, but he decided that his family should demonstrate the model he wants replicated in every city in the country. "If we were telling people this is the way to do (post-prison work), what credibility could we give to the ministry if we didn't move in," Mill says. Koinonia House receives 12 to 15 inquiries a month from prospective residents. If an opening is available, the prisoner must fill out a nine-page application form and receive the recommendation of a prison chaplain. Each case is reviewed by a 12-member selection committee, composed of three members from the House board of control and nine Christian professionals from fields like law enforcement and psychology. Mill and a board member may then visit the prospective resident in prison. Finally, the person's case is taken before Koinonia House's 10-member board of control and a decision is made. Koinonia House, to be sensitive to the community, does not accept men convicted of murder, sex offenses, or arson. For the first few months, prisoners are not allowed to hold jobs. Until they find one, their clothing and toiletry needs, and more are met by local churches that adopt a resident. During the most intensive time of discipleship, residents attend morning devotions at 6:15 a.m., go to spiritual growth classes taught by Mill from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and do projects around the house during the afternoon. Throughout a resident's stay, eating dinner together as a family is mandatory. On Monday nights after dinner they have Bible study. On one night residents meet with a spiritual mentor; another night they meet with a stewardship mentor. The mentors are men from a resident's adoptive church who make a major investment of time and talent. They meet with their Koinonia House resident for at least two hours each week. One mentor, Rob Willey, says he and his resident talk primarily about interpersonal relationships and avoiding temptations. "It's an encouragement to see guys who want to be open to the Lord and want to be helped or coached along those lines," he says.

Winning Them on the Inside, Helping Them on the Outside How other ministries help ex-offenders Prison Fellowship (PF) ministers to Christian ex-prisoners through its Network For Life (NFL) program, begun in the mid-1990s. There are 32 groups across the country, each meeting weekly, usually in a local church, for discipleship, worship, and training in practical skills like job hunting. Two groups target female ex-offenders; the rest are aimed at men. Volunteers—lay leaders, chaplains, or spiritually mature ex-prisoners—organize the groups. Several months before leaving prison, each ex-offender receives a mentor from a nearby church who will help him or her transition to freedom. All potential participants are screened by PF workers, and groups max out at about 30 to 40 members. Though not nearly as intense as Koinonia House, NFL groups, supported by 50 to 60 churches, provide an encouraging environment at a critical time. "To be involved with the church is the only way they (ex-prisoners) are going to make a successful transition," says Joe Williams, NFL's managing director. But many churches don't get involved. Terry Closner, who worked with the PF re-entry program in North Carolina from 1995-1998, said it was difficult to find churches willing to help ex-prisoners. Many thought the ministry was necessary, but fear kept them from participating, Closner says. However, fear does not free churches from Jesus' commands (Matt. 25) to help those in need. Closner sums it up: "If we're going to walk around in a protected shell, we're not going to minister to anybody." There are also numerous halfway house ministries like Prisoners of Christ in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded by Ken Cooper, his wife, and three area businessmen, the ministry evangelizes men in prison and provides short-term housing when they leave. They operate a low-cost apartment complex and three houses, each with five residents who stay from four to six weeks. Ex-prisoners are helped to find a job and a church home; they also take a discipleship course. The recidivism rate for Prisoners of Christ is about 6 percent. Cooper says, "This is the way to prevent crime: to win the men to Christ in prison and then help them as they come out." —Randy Bishop For more information about NFL or PF, call 800-337-7933.

The experience has also blessed his wife and three girls, ages two, four, and six, whom he hopes will grow up to be guides for others as well.

Living at Koinonia House is intense, said resident and employee John Sakala. "It's like a Christian boot camp."

But most residents appreciate Mill's intensity and the loving attitude displayed by his whole family. They learn about family, racial unity, and crime-free living. "This is the biggest blessing I've had in my life," Sakala says.

Of the 22 men who've lived in Koinonia House, four left prematurely and went back to jail. Of the others, only one has returned to prison. No one has ever been arrested while a resident of Koinonia House.

Former residents of Koinonia House have gone on to jobs with companies like ServiceMaster and Domino's Pizza, and have attended schools like Wheaton College and Northern Baptist Seminary.

Willing to take the risk
Mill has assembled a national board of trustees and wants to see his model imitated across the country. About 40 groups have already formed to consider starting similar houses of discipleship. One group in Aurora, Illinois, is close to being operational. Another group in Jackson, Michigan, uses the Koinonia House name, though it is only loosely affiliated.

That's just a small dent in the problem, according to Mill. He thinks the country needs 47,500 houses to meet the needs of Christians leaving prison. Koinonia House recently signed an agreement with Mission to the Americas, a missionary organization that will provide and fund personnel for new houses across the nation. Guidelines and a manual, developed by Mill and advisers, will serve as a road map for house directors.

Mill urges all churches to adopt a Christian prisoner, begin ministering to him or her while behind bars, and then have a couple trained in this ministry adopt that person into their home. If a home will not accommodate four people, try one person at a time, he says.

Wilbur Ellsworth, pastor of First Baptist Church, Wheaton, says that the church's involvement with Koinonia House has shown them in a fresh way that the gospel can change anyone, even ex-convicts. Eddie, a former house resident, is in charge of their custodial staff and recently remarried the wife who divorced him while he was imprisoned. This January Eddie was baptized, and he and his wife joined the church.

Though working with Koinonia House has some risks, Ellsworth feels all churches must take the lead in helping stop crime. "If we're not able to reach out and step out in faith, then we've lost our call to be a church," he says.

Mill says it's important that the church outside prison meet the needs of the church leaving prison with demonstrations of Christ's love. "Love must be visible, tangible, and intentional."

A Christian Reader original article.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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