Michael Nolan, CEO
behindthewalls.com | May 2025
Ministry Update
This issue marks the beginning of our sixth year of producing the newsletter. When I look back, I am amazed at how much God has done through this ministry in that time. So many ministries disappeared while God was in the process of renewing Bill Glass Behind the Walls and here we are, on pace to have a record number of events! God is good. And He is not done yet. So much to do and what feels like not a whole lot of time to do it in. Like Paul, let us continue to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:14)
Fresno, CA: You read that right: Another Fresno event! There are quite a few prisons and county jails so there are plenty of opportunities to train more and send more. It takes a strong Local Team to make this many happen, and they are doing it! 89 Teammates trained (13 Rookies). They had 1,795 conversations leading to 198 inmates beginning relationships with Jesus and another 308 returning to Him. We also trained 82 inmates to share the Good News.
Coleman, FL: This was our first event in a federal unit in quite a while! We trained 25 Teammates including 7 Rookies. 136 men committed their lives to Christ and another 122 came back. We also trained 60 to be evangelists.
Blythe, CA: We trained 57 Teammates (23 Rookies!) who shared with 950 inmates. 210 men began relationships with Jesus and another 142 repented and returned to Him. We also trained 141! to share the Gospel!
Pictured: Scott Parker (left) receiving his 5 event cross from Regional Director Ken Tutwiler.
Oklahoma City, OK: In Oklahoma we had the opportunity to go into a men’s facility and a women’s facility. Our 61 Teammates including 9 Rookies had 604 Gospel conversations resulting in 35 new brothers and sisters and 121 returning ones, 172 men and women were trained to evangelize behind the walls!
More Events in Africa: Pastor TK has been busy in Africa. After the first event in Lesotho, he began receiving calls from all over the southeast portion of the continent. He has since done an event in Malawi and scheduled events in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini. We have received favor from the leadership in Malawi and TK is already scheduling another event there for the fall. There is also another Lesotho one in the works for late summer/early fall. If you are interested in serving on any of these events, please let us know by filling out this form.
Sacramento, CA: Last weekend, we trained 46 Teammates including 14 Rookies who shared the Gospel with 250 men. 76 began relationships with Jesus and another 28 returned to Him. We also trained 126 to be evangelists! What could be more appropriate than training on Good Friday, taking the Gospel behind the walls on Saturday, then celebrating the new creatures in Christ on Easter Sunday?
If you’ve been on an event since 2009 and seen a NASCAR on the yard, there is a very good chance you have seen Bill Blakely. Bill is one of our Platform Guests and, while he has an amazing testimony of his own, he has been content to drive all over the country showing the car to help bring the inmates out. He still gets to share all the details and the history of the #18!
The car is currently with a team out at Texas Motor Speedway and the car is getting a thorough going through, preparing it for many more years of ministry. It was scheduled to be in Cameron, MO but it is taking a more time than expected. Bill, who was going to haul the car as usual, was bummed it was not ready, but he decided that it had been too long since HE went behind the walls. So, Bill jumped in the car with Regional Director Dan Clark and our Communications Director, Kit Van Arsdale and went as a Teammate! Bill is ready to go again soon, hopefully with the car next time!
5th Annual Golf Challenge: We are now less than a week and a half away from the 5th Annual Bill Glass Behind the Walls Golf Challenge and still need more golfers! We have spots for 2.5 additional foursomes (or 10 individual golfers). If you are a golfer, we want you to come play and bring some folks who need to be introduced to our ministry. Not a golfer? Please consider sponsoring a foursome so we can invite some pastors. We want to assist the church and more pastors need to hear about us! More info here.
The Power of a Father's Blessing Podcast: Coming soon we will be releasing a new podcast based around Bill Glass' message, "The Power of a Father's Blessing". The Power of a Father’s Blessing is a faith-based interview podcast exploring the powerful role of fathers—for better or worse. Through honest conversations and personal stories, we examine how fatherhood shapes identity, faith, and future generations. Whether the father was present, absent, loving, or broken, these stories reveal both wounds and redemption. Our goal is to inspire fathers to engage, equip the Church to stand in the gap, and ultimately point every heart to the perfect love of our Heavenly Father—who restores, redeems, and never fails.
