Madison Area Jail Ministry
The heart of the Madison Area Jail Ministry includes two chaplains who serve inmates at the Dane County Jail, completely through donation-based funding by churches and fundraising in Dane County. This program is unique to Wisconsin, and we know of no other like it in the United States! Chaplains provide emotional and spiritual support to inmates, as well as to members working in the jail system.
Formerly known as the Madison Area Lutheran Council, we voted in 2016 to change the name to the Madison Area Jail Ministry, and welcomed other church denominations to join us in supporting this ministry. Some of the areas in which Covenant has steadily supported this ministry include financial support, as well as generous donations of winter coats and study Bibles to the inmates. Additionally, Madison Area Jail Ministry provides the organization and support for the annual South Central Wisconsin Lutheran World Relief Boxcar Loading. A new program that was formulated this year, and is taking off is the jail tutoring program; trained tutors are available to help inmates who need help learning important skills.
Our vision for this program: “We hold that literacy is a fundamental human right, essential to the ability to improve one’s quality of life. We work towards a vision of basic reading, writing, math, and communication competency skills for any person who finds him or herself incarcerated in the Dane County Jail.” For further information about any of the supports provided by Chaplains Julia or Christa, please visit the home page at http://www.malc-online.org/home. For information about Covenant’s response and work toward supporting Madison Area Jail Ministry, contact Marla Janssen at marlahjanssen@gmail.com.