Our History
In 1974, Charles W. Colson, one of President Nixon’s top aides, entered a plea of guilty to obstruction of justice related to the Watergate scandal. Having already become a Christian, he entered Maxwell Prison in Alabama where he served seven months of his sentence.
When he left prison in 1976, Chuck Colson founded Prison Fellowship, an outreach to offenders, ex-offenders, and their families.
“The butterfly is nature’s most visible illustration of rebirth. Once drab and earthbound as a caterpillar, the butterfly emerges from its cocoon in beautifully radiant colours, soaring upward into the sky. Free—born again—just as each of us can be when we are, through Christ, born again in the Spirit”
– CHUCK COLSON
At Colson’s invitation, Paul Hellyer, a former Canadian cabinet minister, and a small group of friends in Ottawa inaugurated the work in Canada in 1980, forming Prison Fellowship Canada.
Today Prison Fellowship Canada is a community-based movement of volunteers in every province and territory. From the Yukon to Southern Ontario and from Vancouver Island to the Maritimes, PFC is touching the lives of offenders, ex-offenders and their families through this remarkable ministry.
In light of the ever-increasing need, Prison Fellowship Canada prides itself on being contextually relevant, providing programming or partnering with others to meet the needs of offenders, ex- offenders, their families and victims.
With a foundational belief in the transformational power of God in bringing true justice to bear, Prison Fellowship Canada looks forward to walking the pathway to change alongside communities as we bring significant social change to Canada’s justice landscape.
Prison Fellowship Canada was incorporated in 1980 and is a charter member of Prison Fellowship International. With over 100,000 volunteers in 125 countries, together we form the largest prison ministry network in the world.
Watch a short video about Chuck Colson ->
“The Gospel addresses the human dilemma directly …. it recognizes the source of suffering and sin that plague us: sin in us… But God so loves us that He came in the flesh to pay the price for our sins …. Once people experience this redemption, they are so filled with gratitude to the God who made it possible that they then genuinely desire to live a new and different life – one in obedience to the One who saved them”
– CHUCK COLSON
This ministry is made possible by the hard work of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters. If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved, click below.