Young Men Preach Hope While Inmates Find Faith Behind Bars

Faith Facts

• Jackson Street Church of Christ in Monroe, Louisiana, launched a Young Men’s Lectureship to train seven young believers in preaching and lead worship.
• Caleb Hambelton, a Central Church of Christ minister and graduate of Crowley’s Ridge College and Freed-Hardeman University, baptized five inmates at the Howell County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri.
• Kenneth Okwuonu, a physics and engineering teacher at Westbury Christian School in Houston, received the 2026 Innovative Teacher of the Year award from the Stanley M. Herzog Foundation.

In Monroe, Louisiana, the Jackson Street Church of Christ responded to concerns over a preacher shortage and youth leaving the faith by investing in its young men. Minister Ken Stegall, a graduate of the White’s Ferry Road School of Preaching, is training seven young believers to prepare and deliver sermons each Sunday evening. Other young men lead singing and prayer during the services.

The congregation reports growing attendance, renewed excitement among members, and a stronger sense of unity. “We are experiencing a number of additional blessings resulting from these efforts,” Stegall said.

“We can either sit around and be pessimistic about the future or we can invest ourselves in helping our youth,” he added. Two of the young men have already expressed a desire to become full-time preachers, and nearby congregations have invited them to speak.

In West Plains, Missouri, Caleb Hambelton shared the Gospel with inmates at the Howell County Sheriff’s Office and baptized five men in a stock tank on the back of a trailer outside the jail. “What an opportunity for CRC alum Caleb Hambelton to share the hope and love of Christ,” Crowley’s Ridge College said in a Facebook post.

The sheriff’s office noted the powerful reminder that “faith, hope, and second chances can reach people wherever they are.” The jail welcomes representatives from several local churches to minister to inmates.

Across the nation, Churches of Christ continue to recognize faithful service. Mark Hamilton received the Spiritual Formation Mentorship Award and was named an inaugural Distinguished Professor at Abilene Christian University. At Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Ritchie Pickens was named 2026 Staff Member of the Year, Becky Starks earned 2026 Coach of the Year, and Beth Whitman was honored as 2026 Teacher of the Year.

Kenneth Okwuonu was one of only twelve educators nationwide to receive the 2026 Innovative Teacher of the Year award from the Stanley M. Herzog Foundation. He teaches high school physics and engineering at Westbury Christian School in Houston.

Kirk Brothers, Hunter Puckett, and Kaylan Stewart were named to the board of the M2Y (Ministering to Youth) conference. Beth DeBauche was appointed executive-in-residence and lead faculty for the undergraduate sport management program at Lipscomb University. Archie Shelton was named director of advancement and major gifts at Crowley’s Ridge College, and Garries Wamundila was appointed manager of Namwianga Community Radio in Kalomo, Zambia.

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