Today we’d like to introduce you to Stuart Rosenberg.
Hi Stuart, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
about 14 years ago my son had incarceration issues and ran to Washington state where he was picked up and jailed. While there he was visited by prison ministry volunteers who shared the love of Christ with him . and proceeded to minister to him while there. it broke my wife terry’s heart that she couldn’t visit him there and decided she was going to pay it forward and join a prison ministry here so she could minister to those who had no visitors or family to visit them . terry had hooked up with a local prison ministry here called Xodus and went in to their event and was smitten . but they only went in twice a year for a 3 day event….terry wanted more..so she found a local ministry that went in weekly …meanwhile i really didn’t want much to do with prison ministry. then terry invited me to a Kairos graduation at Lake Correctional in Clermont . i begrudgingly went more to appease her than anything else, and at the end of the ceremony i saw two rival gang leaders shake hands and hug in the name of Jesus and i was signed sealed and delivered . if the love of Jesus and these volunteers who spoke into their lives could affect such a radical change i was all in. so here i am today the president of Xodus prison ministry and we share our three all day events twice yearly (each February and August )with about 70 inmates who are going to be released within 12 months of the event. We have a clothing ministry for those who are going back to the free world , for those who we have built a relationship with we also help to obtain housing . we have 6 ministry classes in Lake Correctional that this Christmas we will cook and bring in spiral ham ,mashed potatoes , salad, Christmas cookies and hot cocoa (feeding roughly 100 inmates) to celebrate our savior Jesus.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Xodus prison ministry is a 501c3 tax deductible faith based ministry . we are comprised of 20 volunteers who are from different walks of life and different denominations , we are solely reliant on the church body and our volunteers to support our events .we don’t allow our different theologies to get in the way …its all in the name of JESUS. No one in our ministry gets any form of compensation as we are self funded. each event costs us $2500. for which we buy supplies ,food, which covers our costs in feeding 60 people for three days (6 meals and 8 snacks) with the leftovers going for clothing for those in need. Xodus prison ministry was developed by a group of Kairos volunteers who at the behest of the warden of the correctional institution had stated how much she appreciated Kairos (which purpose is to spread the love of Jesus amongst the long termers )but wanted a program for those who would be leaving the facility and going back to the free world , to help prepare them for what lies ahead.. our volunteers (and we pray for more ) share life experiences of which some have been incarcerated and are trying to give back ,some are chaplains, pastors ,lay people ,and some have the love of GOD and wish to fulfill Matthew 25:36-40….i needed clothes and you clothed me, i was sick and you looked after me ,i was in prison and you visited me … we are presently training 6 Kairos volunteers from Virginia who will be joining us for our Xodus #20 event in February 2026 and then bringing Xodus back up to Virginia..to continue helping those up there who will be EOS . (End of sentence) and returning back to society.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
i am retired from the automotive retail and service management field with over 45 years experience . and have been a part of Xodus prison ministry since 2013. my wife and i and four other volunteers go into lake correctional every week for a non denominational church service. as well as a bible study twice monthly.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
we thank the church of the messiah , webster united Methodist , the sunshine church, cornerstone community church of Ocoee, the crossings church of south lake , and all our volunteers for funding this ministry. And our spouses for their support . i thank Grisel Wilkins and Kathy Yoakum for all the support on our website. I thank William and Kathy Yoakum and Don Stanton and Pat Green for all their help with the Cornerstone ministry weekly at Lake C.I. And i personally thank my wife Terry for her unwavering support and dedication. and of course the Kairos volunteers who originally came up with the concept of Xodus, and our LORD JESUS CHRIST for whom we serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://xodusprisonministry.com
- Facebook: xodus-beyond the razor wire-prison ministry @facebook
- Other: https://xodusministry.com
