VALLY MILLS, Texas (KXXV) — “I have seen God move and change so many people’s lives and it’s been an incredible thing to watch," said Jail Ministry Leader, Marvin Ennis.
Marvin Ennis, leader of the jail ministry at Top Hand Cowboy Church, has seen firsthand how faith can transform lives.
Ennis, who has been sober for over 30 years, says the miracles of God’s work in others are especially meaningful to him, as he knows the change personally.
“I was a drug addict — I’ve been to prison three times. I got saved in prison I got arrested on October 22, 2004," Ennis said.
"I accepted Jesus Christ Easter Sunday 2005."
Since then, Ennis has dedicated his life to helping others in prison.
Alongside other church members, he spreads the word of God and offers support through words of affirmation in local jails.
But the church’s efforts don’t end there — they’ve partnered with Cyril Prabhu, owner of Proverbs 226 and 5&2 Trade School, whose mission is to break the cycle of generational incarceration.
Prabhu buys former prisons across the nation and turns them into educational institutions.
Together, Prabhu and Ennis are raising awareness about the broader impacts of incarceration, particularly on children of incarcerated parents.
“These prison systems are now having a new set of pipelines that are feeding in, those are the children of these inmates — especially if you have a father or a mother in prison your chance of going in prison is somewhere between 70 to 80 percent," said Cyril Prabhu, owner of Proverbs 226 and 5&2 Trade School.
Ennis says it’s something he’s witnessed in the Central Texas area.
“There’s generations of people — rhere are two brothers in there right now, and a mother and a son in there right now," Ennis said.
According to the National Institute of Corrections, Texas has 252 jails in 254 counties.
Cyril and Ennis said there could be benefits of buying prisons and turning them into schools.
“We are investing in prisons if somebody does something wrong you’re going after and putting them in prison," Prabhu said.
“More training, more learning, more skills — they don’t have to fall back on the things that are not right they have the choice to make the right decision," Ennis said.
