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April 2026 Newsletter

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:52:02 GMT

PSF NEWSLETTER ~ APRIL 2026

Dear PSF Partners and Friends,

As we come to the close of the first quarter of 2026, we are excited to share how God is blessing and expanding the work of PSF. This growth is taking place in two key areas: new personnel joining PSF and new opportunities within the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons.

WELCOME DR. TODD MARSHALL
PSF Director of Expansion

We are delighted to introduce Dr. Todd Marshall , who joined the PSF team in January.

Dr. Marshall brings more than twenty-five years of experience developing innovative solutions in distance education, technology, librarianship, and administration in the United States and internationally. He holds a PhD in Information Science and Technology from Syracuse University.

Previously serving as Provost and Vice President for Correctional Education and Innovation at Ashland University , Dr. Marshall oversaw a correctional education program that expanded from 7 prisons with 500 students to 127 prisons across 13 states serving nearly 4,000 students .

We are already benefiting from his expertise—our recently updated website reflects some of his early contributions.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Marshall and praying for him as he helps expand the reach of correctional education through PSF. Dr. Marshall and his wife reside in Adrian, Michigan.

NEW OPPORTUNITY WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS

At the American Correctional Association Annual Meeting in Denver in August 2025 , PSF was approached by Deputy Director Joshua Smith of the Federal Bureau of Prisons with an invitation to introduce the PSF model of training inmates to serve as “Field Ministers” within the federal system.

We are currently working with regional leadership to determine the most strategic locations and academic partnerships in the following states:

California
Indiana
Louisiana
Florida
West Virginia
Pennsylvania

We are grateful for this opportunity to help expand moral rehabilitation and leadership training within the federal prison system.

Join us in making this vision a reality.

If you are able, please consider supporting this effort financially—and as always, we ask for your prayers.

NEW STATE AND UPDATED PROGRAMS

In early March, PSF Board Member Jon Ozmint , former Indiana Secretary of State Ed Simcox , Dr. Todd Marshall, and I had the honor of meeting with Indiana Commissioner of Corrections Lloyd Arnold and his executive leadership team .

We also presented at their leadership training conference, explaining the Prison Seminary model and how it works. After reviewing videos and participating in an open Q&A session, discussions are now underway regarding the establishment of a men’s program within the Indiana Department of Corrections .

Additionally:

Oklahoma Baptist University , in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, is working to establish a women’s program at the Mabel Bass Unit , with an anticipated start date of January 2027 . Please pray for Dr. Bruce Perkins and the OBU team during this preparation phase.
We are also grateful to OBU President Heath Thomas and Dr. Perkins for assisting in the reestablishment of the New Mexico men’s program , also scheduled to begin in January 2027 .

A SPECIAL YEAR FOR PSF

2026 marks a significant milestone for the Prison Seminaries Foundation— our 10-year anniversary.

What began in 2016 with a small team of three has grown into a board of six and a team of fourteen serving across the country in:

Louisiana • Texas • Florida • Mississippi • Georgia • Colorado • Idaho

To celebrate this milestone, we are pleased to announce the Prison Seminaries Foundation Conference :

October 1–3, 2026
St. Petersburg, Florida

A special 10-Year Anniversary Gala will be held during the conference.

More details and registration information will be available soon on our website, so be sure to mark your calendars.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP

We are deeply grateful for the faithful financial support and prayers of so many who make the work of PSF possible.

As we look ahead to launching six new programs within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the opportunities before us are significant—and so are the needs.

Please consider a generous gift to help us continue bringing “Moral Rehabilitation” to inmates across our nation and encouraging culture change within the penal systems of America.

God is able. Can He—and can we—count on you?

Thank you in advance for your prayers and support.

GIVE TODAY!

Dr. Denny Autrey on behalf of Jonalyn Cain and the Prison Seminaries Foundation Family – Thank you for standing with us!

Respectfully,

Jonalyn Cain, CEO

February 2022 Newsletter

duda@neonone.com — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 02:10:02 GMT

Making Moral Rehabilitation Real!

WELCOME REV. PAUL WILL

COMMUNICATIONS SUSTAINABILITY LEAD

TO THE PRISON SEMINARIES FOUNDATION TEAM!

A LOOK BACK AT 2021

As we reflect on the events of last year, it easy to see how God blessed the Foundation in so many different ways. In the midst of the continued pandemic, we were able to observe and assist in the establishment of four new programs: 1) Mississippi Women with Dr. Beth Masters as the Director for New Orleans Seminary and Head of Chaplaincy for Mississippi DOC; 2) Oklahoma Men with Dr. Bruce Perkins as Director for Oklahoma Baptist University with their initial Convocation Service on September 7, 2021, at the LARC facility in Lexington, OK; 3) Colorado Men with Dr. Daniel Jones as the Director for Mid-America Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee at the Limon Correctional Facility, Limon, CO; and 4) North Carolina Women’s Program through Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. SEBTS also conducted their first graduation class for the Men’s Program at Nash Correctional Facility on December 15, 2021.

Our third annual PSF Best Practices Conference was held on October 6-8, 2021,on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, with over one hundred in attendance from twenty-four states across America. Dr. Byron Johnson of Baylor University and Dr. Chuck Kelley, President Emeritus New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary were our key-note speakers. Dr. Johnson highlighted the continued research which affirms the reality that “moral rehabilitation” is taking place in penal systems nation wide through the work of theological education using the PSF model. Dr. Kelley’s message declared that the greatest witness in the first century of the New Testament was in fact a prisoner, Paul, the Apostle. You can listen to his message here:

Dr. Chuck Kelley, 10.07.2021

Conference participants were also blessed by the numerous breakout sessions and additional insights from Burl Cain and many of our guests from numerous Departments of Corrections. We were also pleased to six former inmates who have been released from Angola Prison and are now serving as Chaplains in the Mississippi DOC. God is so good! Thanks also to Mike Barber Ministries for his long-time support and for joining us at the Fort Worth Conference.

A LOOK AHEAD TO 2022

As the early days of 2022 open before us with January behind us and February upon us, we are pleased to share that the effects of the pandemic are declining and the doors of many of our prison facilities are beginning to open to our programs and many volunteers. The Foundation has also renewed dialogue with the following states with regard to establishing new programs: 1) Florida Women’s Program; 2) Kentucky Men’s Program; 3) Massachusetts Men’s Program with Northpoint Bible College; 4) Nebraska Men’s Program; 5) Ohio Men’s Program with Ashland University; 6) Tennessee Men’s Program with Carson-Neumann University; 7) Arizona Men’s program; 8) Indiana Men’s Program; and a joint effort with 9-12) Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Idaho Men’s Programs. Please pray for each of these state DOCs and for open doors to schools and funding for these programs.

Angola Prison tours are opening up again for folks to see firsthand what God has done through the Bible College and the reentry programs bringing “moral rehabilitation” and preparing men for the future. If you would like to be involved in a tour or know someone who would, please contact our information email address listed on the website or here.

We have also added three new articles that have been released this year concerning current programs. Here is the link to an article from New Mexico and the Men’s Program at University of the Southwest and their Director Dr. Danny Kirkpatrick. Another recent article about the Oklahoma Men’s program is attached here . And finally, a former article about the Wisconsin Men’s program is here .

PSF BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE

Since our annual conference for 2021 was just held in October, we have decided to schedule our next PSF Conference for June 2023. We will keep you updated as we move through the year as to the exact date, place, and times. We have uploaded a list of our Current Programs and would earnestly request that as you have opportunity and as the Lord leads, would you pick one of our existing programs and prayer for the DOC, the School, and the students? Would you also select one of the states that is listed above in the dialogue stage and pray for favor and funding for that program too? Thank you in advance for partnering with us in “MAKING MORAL REHABILITATION REAL!”

Along with your prayer support, we are grateful for the many patrons and friends who so faithfully support us with your finances. Some give monthly, some give quarterly, and some make an annual donation so no matter how you support PSF, we are deeply grateful to you. Please continue to stand with us as we entrust our God to bring “moral rehabilitation” to one inmate, one prison, and one state at a time.

As a result of the faithful giving of many, we are pleased to announce the addition of Rev. Paul Will to the PSF Team. After being incarcerated at Angola for twenty-one years, Paul was released on December 11, 2020. While in Angola, he earned three degrees and has been added to the Team with responsibility in the area Sustainability and giving oversight to the coming redesign and upkeep of the PSF Website. We are delighted to have Paul on the Team and would ask that you add he and his wife, Amy, to your prayer list as well. Welcome Aboard, Paul!

THE PSF TEAM

Burl Cain, Founder and CEO, Walker, LA
Lauren Cmiel, Administrative Assistant to the CEO, Walker, LA
Denny Autrey, Director of Operations, Friendswood, TX
Michele Hurst, Administrative Assistant to the Director, Pearland, TX
Tim Whipple, Sustainability Team Lead, St Petersburg, FL
Paul Will, Sustainability Team and IT, Marietta, GA
Vance Drum, ACA Chaplaincy Instruction, Crockett, TX
Tom Kohl, PSF Board Member, President Paid in Full, OR

April 2021 Newsletter

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 20:29:35 GMT

Dear Board Members, Patrons and Faithful Supporters of Prison Seminaries Foundation:

As the lingering remnant of Covid-19 slowly continues to pass us by, what remains in its wake are doors that are swinging wide open to a renewed interest in prison reform. In the midst of the most difficult year since the establishment of the Foundation, three new programs have emerged and are flourishing:

The Missouri Men’s program established by Hannibal LaGrange University in partnership and under the direction of Anne L. Precythe, Executive Director, Missouri DOC.
The Oklahoma Men’s program in partnership with Oklahoma Baptist University and under the direction of Scott Crow, Executive Director, Oklahoma DOC
The Mississippi Women’s program established by New Orleans Theological Seminary in partnership and under the direction of Burl Cain, Commissioner, Mississippi DOC.

How grateful we are for the leadership of the DOC and Presidents of these schools!

We are also excited to report that by the end of 2021, two more programs will be up and running through the generous financial support of donors in Texas and Florida. A women’s program is slated to begin in August in partnership with the Florida DOC and the Baptist College of Florida. Thank you, Dr. Thomas Kinchen of BCF!

Discussions are progressing at different levels with the Department of Corrections in New Jersey, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, and Virginia for the establishment of programs in 2022-23. We also are encouraged by the active support that is taking place in the American Correctional Association (ACA); but have learned that the growth of such programs is outpacing the research according to Dr. Byron Johnson of the Baylor Institute for Religious Research. We will present new research updates at the PSF Annual Conference, October 6-8, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lastly, the PSF Conference registration continues on our website . Please join us October 6-8, in The Riley Center on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. After you register, please be sure to reserve a room by contacting the Riley Center and referencing “PSF” or the “prison conference.” We will kick-off our event Wednesday evening with a banquet and end Friday at noon. We have plenty to offer – best practices plenary sessions and breakouts providing information and inspiration for our schools, state DOC’s and sustainability partners.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to network with like-minded, like-hearted individuals who are committed to prison reform through a biblically based educational endeavor that is sweeping the country, impacting state after state, and inmate after inmate!

The doors are open, please come on in and join us!

Until He comes,

Denny Autrey, Burl Cain and the PSF Team