— WHAT WE DO

Volunteer Training

  • FUMI volunteers go where inmates live — they walk the tiers, ministering to individuals and groups in cell blocks, dayrooms, and chapels. They serve and honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, answering the call to “GO.”

    Our volunteers, sometimes called the “God Squad” by the people that we minister to, are trained to bring the Gospel of Christ into “prison darkness.” They exhort and encourage all people to know Christ and to understand the importance of His word. 

    They acknowledge that it is only by knowing Christ through His Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit that one can be saved. There is no other way to salvation except through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

    1. Discipled inmates serve as God’s ambassadors toward winning others.

    2. Inmates grow in faith and develop useful missionary skills.

    3. Criminals find new meaning and direction for their lives.

    4. Adopting new values, inmates return to the streets with renewed hope that comes from a deep, personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

    5. Inmates become useful citizens, fathers, and businessmen — or even pastors.

    6. Inmates return as volunteers to help those who are in the same dark places from which they came.

    Our volunteers witness firsthand men and women, young and old, being transformed by the Gospel. Those who respond to the good news, solely by the power of His grace, are blessed with a new hope and peace that comes from the Holy Spirit. Lives that were filled with despair and loneliness become lives full of the joy of knowing Christ. These transformed people become missionaries to those that FUMI doesn’t directly reach.

  • Prison ministry requires that volunteers be carefully selected, trained, and supervised. Trainees are selected based on availability, Christian maturity, and ministry needs. We seek to share the love of Christ at every institution that we visit, with inmates as well as staff and corrections officers. As ambassadors of Christ, our behavior should be above reproach; never quarrelsome; gentle and respectful.

  • We seek to ground new believers in the scriptures, understanding that scripture is the Word of God and is our authority. We encourage all believers to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and to accurately handle the word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). 

    We live in a time when false doctrines are prevalent, where people’s feelings and intuitions become their truth and authority. Thus, we teach God’s words from Genesis to Revelation. We trust that He has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).

What are your next steps?

To volunteer locally, at Santa Rita Jail or Alameda County Juvenile Hall —

  1. Head to our calendar and find a God Squad Orientation date that works for you. We offer orientations once every few months. Contact us to reserve your spot.

  2. Complete your orientation with a month-long home study process. Once you complete all requirements, you’ll receive a certificate.

  3. Finally, we will refer you to Santa Rita or Juvenile Hall to complete their institution-specific volunteer paperwork and training.

God Squad Certification Requirements.

  • Attend all sessions.

  • Complete 10 Bible lessons.

  • Pass written exam.

  • Written personal testimony.

  • Sign doctrinal statement.

  • Letter from Senior Pastor.

God Squad Orientation covers …

  1. Understanding God's Purpose

  2. The Complete Person

  3. Introducing Others to Christ

  4. Basics of Christian Living

  5. Steps to Spiritual Maturity

  6. Christ in the Personality

God Squad Advanced lessons cover …

  1. Spiritual Warfare

  2. Productive Christian Living

  3. God's Word in My Heart

  4. Prayer

  5. Knowing God's Will

  6. Follow Up

To volunteer at other institutions that you see on our calendar —

  1. We won’t require God Squad Orientation, but contact us to find out next steps.

Get Involved

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” - Hebrews 13:3