Broken and Beautiful Prison Ministry

Transform Lives with Your Support

Our ministry serves women in prison who have endured severe trauma, abuse, and neglect from an early age. To escape their painful past, many have turned to drugs and alcohol, leading to devastating consequences. Prison offers them a unique opportunity to reflect on their lives and seek Christ as a solution. Through our in-prison services and classes, we witness remarkable transformations as these women embrace God's grace and forgiveness, discovering a new identity in Christ.

But the journey doesn't end there. After their release, we continue to support these women with counseling, peer support, financial assistance, discipleship classes, and membership in a Christ-centered community. This vital after-release support requires funding.

Lydia's Story: From Brokenness to Redemption through Christ

Before encountering Christ, Lydia felt lost, struggling with her identity and searching for belonging. Her desire to fit in and feel accepted led her down a dangerous path. She faced relentless peer pressure and made decisions that spiraled into destructive behaviors. "I succumbed to peer pressure because of my desire to fit in, to feel accepted, to have people who I thought cared about me," Lydia reflects. "I got taken advantage of and fell further away from the Lord and anything good." This search for approval left her entangled in addiction, financial ruin, emotional neglect and ultimately to prison!

Upon arriving at Chillicothe Correctional, Lydia joined Broken and Beautiful meetings—at first, just to escape the monotony. But soon, the ministry’s music and messages began to sink in. Lydia realized that her original plan for life after release wouldn’t provide the transformation she needed. After opening her heart to the counsel of Broken and Beautiful, Lydia began seeing a different future for herself.  This led her to seek a Christian transition house rather than return to her home in Kansas City.

After release from prison, Broken and Beautiful became a lifeline for Lydia. They offered her unwavering support, mentorship, counseling,discipleship, peer support and friendship during one of the most vulnerable periods of her life. Jolynn, her Broken and Beautiful counselor and now dear friend, played an instrumental role in guiding her through this transformation. "Broken and Beautiful saved my life and somehow just knew where I needed to go," Lydia shares.

Now Lydia gives back to others.  She has good career working at a bank, serves those in need in her community, and volunteers for Broken and Beautiful. "Because of their care to direct me to the right home plan and their presence by my side after leaving prison, my life will continue to be victorious," Lydia testifies.

We Need Your Help!

Lydia’s story is one of many stories where Broken and Beautiful has provided a positive, Christian relationship, starting in prison and continuing after release.  However, with over 400 women signed up for our after-release support, the financial need is great.  In 2024, we spent over $75,000 with 93% of this going directly to after-release support.  We provide counseling, peer support, and cover financial gaps. We provide transportation and hotels to move ladies from jail or other dangerous locations into transition houses or treatment facilities. We have a 24X7 hotline to ensure we are always one phone call away from helping when life becomes overwhelming.  Our goal is to always be there when they need us the most.

Once again for this year, we are focusing on the costs associated with counseling and peer support, as this is one of the biggest needs that applies to all of our clients after release from prison.  This service is critical as it addresses behavioral issues associated with PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), anxiety, and depression.  Christian counseling along with our discipleship program and education often reduces or removes our client’s dependency on medication.  Our peer support is provided by ladies who have been with Broken and Beautiful, completed state certification training, and are now helping other ladies as they struggle to maintain sobriety. 

Our costs associated with counseling and peer support are:

• $45 for one month of after-release peer support
• $100 per client for in-prison counseling preparing for release (2 sessions)
• $350 per client for after-release counseling and peer support for one month
• $2,550 for an entire year of aftercare services

Our goal for this year's GiveSTL is $7,000.  This will cover about one-month of our expenses with most of that supporting the ladies counseling and after-release programming.  Would you consider partnering with Broken and Beautiful? Your support will enable us to continue our mission of bringing hope and transformation to women in prison then walk with them after release.