P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

Recorded by David Smith
Interview with Don McClure
of Someone Cares Prison Ministry

CONNIE: "All across the United States", is a failure word for prisons. Recidivism, is the rate of return, as men and women on parole end up back behind bars? But an incredible thing happens to those stats, when a faith-based group like, Someone Cares Prison Ministry invades the yard.

CONNIE: Hello everyone, and welcome to our Thursday interview with, Don McClure, of the Someone Cares Prison Ministry. I'm Connie Jeffery. I know Lonnie is sad to be away this week, because Don and Yvonne McClure are two of our favorite Voice of Prophecy friends. The focus of their ministry is mail. Letters of love and friendship written to prisoners, men, women, teens, and even children. The letters are written by volunteers just like you, its all about their completely safe and secure pen friends program. We'd like to encourage each one of you listening to give them a call, and see if this is a form of ministry that you could do. Here' s their number, (812) 342-2932. Now lets join program producer David Smith, and listen in to there visit.

DAVID: Don McClure, welcome back. Tell us a little bit about where you are. You are in Indiana¼

DON: Well we are in Indiana, which gives us access to, Kentucky, Ohio, and we can go East and West from there, because if there is a need in prison, and we can fill it were going.

DAVID: And several prisons right near by¼

DON: They have no Chaplain's, the state has no budget for them. So that's an open door policy, that Jesus did it again.

DAVID: Perfect for you. Don, I want to ask you a question, because you know prisoners are from all stripes, every type of background, every type of hurt. And now you're signing up people left and right, and every time you're on the radio with us so many people sign up, which is exciting. But our listeners are from all faith backgrounds. We have Baptists, and Methodists, Charismatic, Catholics, and Seventh-Day Adventists, etc.¼ and you want all of them writing letters to prisoners. But we have all these doctrinal discussions going on, how dose that play out in your ministry?

DON: We have a philosophy. Don't let your doctrine be a barrier, but a bridge to Jesus. I'll tell a sad story about that. A group had been going into prison teaching a Bible class for years. They had a new volunteer with them this night, and they opened up for any prayer requests, and this kid stood up and said, " Yes my mom died and she's in heaven, please pray for her." Well instead of having prayer, the group had a lesson on the state of the dead¼

DAVID: Where people do die in the soul.

DON: ¼and that just got the group kicked out of prison, and broke up a good Bible study class. Doctrine that is Bible is Bible. I believe the once saved sort of always saved. I don't speak in tongues, if God decides to give me the ability too, then fine. But if he doesn't, that's not going to keep me out of heaven. So the first thing our job is, is to lead a man to Christ. Once they learn about the Lord, then you can get into doctrinal issues. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ is what we are really all about.

DAVID: Thus the saving ingredients.

DON: Well sure. You know, they're weren't all those churches way back. Now you get unhappy with your church, you leave and start your own, and there are too many, and there are guy's in prison who are to confused and will go to Baptist study on Monday night, and Pentecostal on Tuesday night and¼

DAVID: Alphabet soup.

DON: Alphabet soup and they're getting all these different messages. Also there's a different problem I need to address too, sort of with a story I told once before. A white pastor and a black pastor were driving down the highway arguing about the color of God, and they didn't see the Semi. The next thing they know they're in the waiting room, they have a now saying, "were finally going to see." All of a sudden there's a booming voice that say's, Buenos Nochas! Folks I don't care what color God is as long as I get there.

DAVID: That's right. They found out the hard way.

DON: Well, and I'm saying that to say this. Somebody might want to write who's a conservative white person, and in my two-pile system that I use to match the inmates I might match them with a black inmate. God put that match together, I didn't. So don't because the persons of a different color not write, and if you don't want to write send it back to me and we'll rematch the person.

DAVID: But you would advise your letter writers, and the people who are going to sign up from this week of radio visits, to always put Jesus first, and get those inmates hooked up with Jesus¼

DON: Well, actually, not even Jesus first, friendship first. Bond and friendship with your inmate. Than as the letters come your going to find out where their from, don't bump them into the book of Revelation on letter three. The simplicity of the gospel is what Jesus is all about.

DAVID: And of course, the Discover Bible course is¼

DON: ¼Is great

DAVID: ¼which you're working with, with the letters. It takes people at a very nice pace into the relationship.

DON: As your listeners, who sign up with us who are not in prison, who would like to take the Discover Bible study, CO take it. Take it so if you're pen friend asks a question you've got the study too, and remember folks, the Voice of Prophecy can use a little help in the financial end for their Bible School.

DAVID: I appreciate that. Don, so many people who are on the outside; as you and I are, and our listeners basically most of them, kind of feel like prison is just a distant unreality, and they say it can't happen to me, it can't happen to my family, it can't happen to my kids.

DON: No not my kid.

DAVID: Well, you've got stories about that.

DON: No not my kid. A young kid, a pastor's son, graduated from high school, head of his class, straight A's student, two grants and a scholarship to go to a Christian education.

DAVID: Bright future.

DON: Everything ahead of him. He went to a party, and at the party everyone knowing he was a pastor's son started hitting on him. "Come on take a hit off a joint"; if you don't know what a joint is, it's a Marijuana cigarette, and he said no, and he said no, and finally he said in the back of is head, I want to belong. Folks you don't want to belong to this kind of a group. But he took a hit, a second of his life, but he didn't know was that joint as laced with PCP¼

DAVID: Oh! Dear.

DON: He got in a car, hallucinated and killed three people. Seventeen years old, they didn't put him in the little kids jail. They put him in the big boy's jail, and the first night in jail, he was raped five times.

DAVID: Oh my!

DON: He didn't lose his faith in his Lord. His family didn't cut him off, and he was sent to prison for five years.

DAVID: For one mistake.

DON: For one mistake that took a second but, he kept on studying, he kept on his relationship with his family, and his relationship with Him. After a year he was gang-raped, and that was too much, he snapped his rubber band, and killed himself. Now it took a second, but don't ever say no not my kid. There are drugs; the war on drugs is lost. Drugs are more prevalent now than ever before. Ask your kids, talk to your kids and if you need help call us, we'll help.

DAVID: Yeah, you've had experience first hand in these particular trenches, you sure have. Don, do we have time for you to tell our people the Jerry Gramm; lets go to a success story, how the Lord has made just a miracle?

DON: Jerry Gramm, is a guy I'm even so proud to know. He was the worst of the worst of any prison in the country. He ran the prison as a convict. He was thrown in the hole more often than anyone else was. He was thrown in the hole once, and its called, "where flies don't land", cause this is in the inner prison. It was so bad that he had to stick his boots in the toilet hole to stop the rats from coming up and eating him, and he said one night, "Lord, I don't believe in you, but if you're real get me out of here." He didn't say get me out of prison. He said get me out of here, and three days later he was released from the hole, and he was back in his cell, and the prison had a major lock down. Now he's locked in his cell, and somebody threw a Bible in, but he threw it away. After a couple of days he said, "Well, wait a minute, you know I did say get me out, let's check the Lord out." To make a long story short, Jerry Gramm devoured the Bible. He became such a good man that they pardoned him. Not only did they pardon him, they started a place called, "His Ranch," where he takes kids off the streets of Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and teaches them Christ. His success ratio is 97%; again showing that Jesus saves.

DAVID: Now these are kids who've come to him. They get Christ in their lives. They are redeemed¼

DON: A trace of his place, or jail.

DAVID: Yeah, but 97% stay free¼

DON: Free, and out of the gangs.

DAVID: ¼as compared to almost none with any other program.

DON: A kid in a gang in California, or anywhere today. His life expectancy is seventeen.

DAVID: But this program of his works, and again as we close Don, our listeners who sign up too be pen friends to help share a paper sunshine, Jesus can work the same miracle through their participation.

DON: Amen!

DAVID: I'm so glad you shared with us today. I appreciate it

DON: Thank you.