Rev. John D. "Jack" Oien, President/CEO of Pastors to Prisoners	A native of San Diego, Pastor Jack is the son of missionaries to China. He attended BIOLA College and Long Beach State College part-time while working as a printer and supervisor for the Aerospace Corporation.   Called to the mission field, he ministered thirteen years in the Peruvian jungle as Print Shop Manager with Wycliffe Bible Translators. With his wife, Joyce, he also had a fruitful ministry as youth sponsor for the teenagers who attended the Wycliffe school.    In 1980, Jack experienced a call to the U.S. pastorate. After completing seminary, he was ordained at Fellowship Bible Church of Park Cities, Dallas, TX. and served as pastor of the Chula Vista Missionary Church in California for eight years.   Jack and Joyce founded the Pastors to Prisoners Ministry.  Before her death in 2003, Joyce asked that Jack continue to grow the ministry as long as he were able.  At Donovan, with its 4,700 inmates, Jack has found the richest mission field of his life.
Yard Pastor Rev. Clyde Huff   Centinela State Prison   Imperial, California	Clyde, a native Californian, has lived in the Imperial Valley of California for almost 40 years. He moved there to operate the family farm after marrying his Bible college sweetheart, Joan. Together they have served without interruption as Sunday School teachers and church workers at Imperial Community Church.   The Lord works in mysterious ways and, guess what! Just down the road from his farm a new state prison was erected. What began as an annoyance to a landholder metamorphosed for Clyde into a consuming burden for the lost men behind the razor wire. When Chaplain Steve Francis asked him to visit the prison one night a week to help with a Bible class, he unwittingly agreed. He was unprepared, however for the incredible blessing he received from ministering to those felons.    His wife has since joined him in ministering to the inmates two nights a week and they now feel called to turn the farm over to others and concentrate full-time on prison ministry. With this goal in mind, he pursued and received ordination and is now serving half-time at Centinela Prison while he seeks to raise financial support and turns the farm over to others. Once his support quota is reached, he will be able to work full-time helping inmates change their lives. Contact him at 760-352-1238 to hear more.
Yard Pastor  Mike Travis   R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility    San Diego, California	Mike is a local contractor who has been volunteering at RJD for the last 9 years.  During this time the Lord has been preparing Mike and drawing him to consider full time ministry on the “inside”.  Mike who employees other people as a contractor has been taking only smaller jobs in order to be free to serve the needs of ministry as yard pastor.   Mike came to be involved in prison ministry by way of the Kairos Program whose mission is to bring the Love of Christ and Christ’s forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals.  Make said. “I noticed that there were so many black inmates and that they needed someone that could relate to them,”     Mike who has attended Bible College does not have any formal seminary training; however, he knows that his ability to minister to these men has been shaped by God who safely brought him through the drug scene and his experiences as a Militant Muslim.  Mike says, “I should be right where these men are only I did not get caught.”    Mike found Jesus to be his Savior and Lord. Mike found forgiveness, a savior he could trust and follow, one who delivered Mike from all his addictions, habits and hateful attitudes and  the Savior who filled Mike with a love for all those around him.  That love is apparent as Mike ministers reconciliation to Jesus among the lost in Satan’s play pen known as state prison.
Spanish Ministry Coordinator Rev. Elena Hernandez R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility San Diego, California	The first child born to Gregorio and Laura Hernandez, Elena comes from a small rural town in the south of Mexico. They were a very poor family and, in an effort to provide them with better material things, her mother became involved in drug trafficking, thus ending up in a Mexican prison for a year. Elena grew up and went to Southern California and by the age of 27 was twice widowed.    "The Lord graciously opened doors for me later on to become a volunteer in the county jails and in Las Colinas Women's Prison. A few months later I was introduced to Chaplain Charles Brewer, who opened a door for me to work as a volunteer religious coordinator at Donovan. After approximately five years of working San Diego prisons and jails, I felt a need to improve my theological education and the Lord opened doors for me to go to New York Theological Seminary.
Yard Pastor August Hunter R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility San Diego, California	August is our newest Yard Pastor.  August is a member of "The Rock" church.  He is a dedicated Christian hoping to make the difference.  August is working as a Yard Pastor on Yard 1 Richard J. Donovan.
Yard Pastor Dr. Roger Ziegler   R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility    San Diego, California	Dr. Roger Ziegler is the newest  member of Pastors to Prisoners!   After serving at R. J. Donovan as a volunteer in the Protestant Religious Program for over 7 years, Roger has felt God’s call to full time ministry with Pastors to Prisoners as a yard pastor.   Roger is uniquely qualified for prison ministry. He has served in the Kairos ministry; he has a Brown Card identification (which allows him to escort other volunteers); taught Bible studies on several yards; and participated in chapel programs at Centinella State Prison. He has also been a leader in ministries at his home church, and has shared his vision of ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to men who have lost all hope.    Roger has seen the fruit of his ministry in men who are now out of prison, and have found in their faith, the resources to experience not only a new life in Christ, but the power to experience the changes that allow for a new life of freedom and lawful productivity in the community.   Roger is giving up his chiropractic practice to follow what he believes in his heart to be God’s call.  We eagerly seek your prayers and support as Roger enters the “devils playground” as a Missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Reserved for future yard pastors	Are you being called to serve?
	Here I am, Lord.  Send me!

 © Pastors to Prisoners 2004-07