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| Ex-Inmates Now Sharing Faith |
| By The Tennessean |
| Published: 03/18/2003 |
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Inmate Bruce Owens looks no further than his own brother, the Rev. Gary Owens, as an example of a changed life. From Lebanon and now living in Mt. Juliet, Gary Owens was in and out of the Wilson County Jail plenty in the 1980s and early '90s before becoming a Christian in 1996. Gary Owens is now an ordained minister operating a ministry in Lebanon called Lost and Found. ''Gary found Jesus in this jail,'' said Bruce, an inmate at the Wilson County Jail, who says he is committed to having the same kind of transformation as his brother. ''His nickname was 'Suit Coat,' because he was the best-dressed junkie you'd ever see. Now the blessings are all over his face.'' Gary Owens said before his conversion he was involved in hustling, prostitution and drugs. ''His ministry has touched a lot of people,'' said Wilson County Jail chaplain Jackie Bonner. Gary Owens also regularly goes back to the jail, and his Lost and Found ministry is targeted toward the inner city. ''I was in and out of jail a few times, and Jackie Bonner never once ceased to talk about Jesus Christ,'' Gary Owens said. ''I wasn't saved in jail, but the jail ministry had a lot to do with my salvation. Jail is a good time to tell people about Jesus. You have a captive audience. Second, it's a miserable state, to be in jail. A lot of those men are not bad people. They are just misguided, but in jail you can get their hearts in the right position.'' Danny Sellars is another former inmate at the Wilson County Jail, a self-described drug addict and alcoholic who said he stole to support his habits until he became a born-again Christian at age 21. Now, 31 years later, Sellars pastors Mt. Juliet Church of God and is one of the participants in the jail ministry. ''I was a thorn in flesh to police and community,'' Sellars said. ''When I go (to the jail) I see myself. And a lot of times I break down and weep because I have feelings. Many have no hope except for the Lord. Some do OK when they are inside, but when they get freedom, that's the test. Some don't make it. But the good book says one soul is worth more than all the money in the world.'' Bonner would like to see some sort of transition home become available in Wilson County for prisoners once they are released from jail. ''I'd like to see churches as a whole create a house where inmates can go into a Christian environment for a period of time and break some of the habits they might have,'' Bonner said. ''We've talked and there seems to be some interest, but we need someone to spearhead it.'' |
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