Incarcerated Ministries Welcomes John Morrison
John Morrison, Greg Friesner, Harlan Moss
Converge Heartland Incarcerated Ministries continues to grow with the addition of John Morrison to our pastoral staff. John joins Harlan Moss and Greg Friesner in delivering the hope of the gospel to those who are incarcerated in our region.
John grew up the son of a Montana cowboy. His father became a Christ-follower, sold his ranch the following year, and then became the caretaker of a Bible camp. His first exposure to incarceration ministries occurred during high school as his family attended a community church with a close relationship with the Swan River Youth Forest Camp near Seeley Lake, MT.
This camp functioned as a correctional institution for male juvenile and young adult offenders, teaching forest-related job skills. Residents attended church at Swan Chapel. Church members often visited the camp to play basketball and fellowship with the residents.
Following high school, John graduated with a degree in Construction Engineering Technology from Montana State University. His career, mostly in heavy-civil projects, took him coast to coast, mainly in the southwest states. His career eventually brought him to South Dakota in 2012, where he changed his career direction and began working on commercial construction projects.
John met and married his wife, Shelley, in Sioux Falls. Together they have five children from 18 to 31. They recently moved to a small farm near Alcester, SD, where they spend much of their free time with chickens, kittens, and gardening.
After looking at various opportunities for serving in a local ministry, in 2015, John attended a service at Prison Lighthouse Fellowship in the Jameson Annex. He immediately fit in with this ministry. His weekly attendance soon became 2-3 times per week, along with roles on the PLF Board and teaching and preaching. John was very instrumental in the South Dakota Prison Chaplains Association's merger into Converge Heartland.
John left his construction career in April 2022 to take an even more active role with Converge Heartland's Incarceration Ministries. Though he has long ministered at the State Department of Corrections prisons in Sioux Falls, since April, he has added ministry functions at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, SD, and the Minnehaha County Jail. Besides this, he is soon beginning new Bible studies at the Yankton Federal Prison Camp and the Union County Jail.
We are thankful for John’s love of Jesus and obedience in following God’s call to ministry. To learn more about Converge Heartland's incarcerated ministries, check out our Prison Lighthouse Fellowship Facebook page or email us at greg@convergeheartland.org.