The pulpit and table were crafted by several Angola Prison inmates.


The church's fellowship hall.


The pews were made by inmates at another prison.
Samaritan’s Purse recently completed a chapel designed to meet the spiritual needs of guards and staff at Louisiana’s Angola Prison.

Since March, 89 volunteers from across the country came to Angola to construct a place where guards can receive spiritual encouragement and grow in their faith.

“Because of the church, we will be able to meet a need that’s currently not being met,” said staff chaplain Roger “Brad” DeLaughter.

Angola Prison was once known as the bloodiest prison in America because of the level of inmate violence. Today, it stands as an ongoing testament to the transforming, life-changing power of the Gospel.

Seven evangelical churches now flourish on Angola’s 18,000 acres. Some 2,000 inmates, more than a third of the population, profess faith in Christ, and inmate violence has steadily declined to an all-time low.

But while outreach efforts to the prisoners have borne fruit, a significant segment of the Angola community had been neglected.

“Most prison ministries do not address the needs of the guards at all,” DeLaughter said. “We want to meet those needs.”

The church will hold weekly services, Sunday school classes, evangelism training, and spiritual growth courses for the 650 people who live in the community. It will also host its first Vacation Bible School starting on June 15.

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Samaritan's Purse , United States , U.S. Disaster Relief , New Chapel to Meet Needs