CODR's mission is to break the
vicious cycle of incarceration by
sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ
both inside and outside the prison walls.
We help individuals take responsibility
for their lives and provide a healthy
support system for their reentry into society.
We would love your support!

CODR's mission is to break the
vicious cycle of incarceration by
sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ
both inside and outside the Fort Dodge
and Rockwell City Prisons.
We help men take responsibility
for their lives and provide a
healthy support system for
their reentry into society.
We would love your support!

CODR prison ministries is a christian community
of reconciliation and redemption

Thank you for Interest in the Church of the Damascus Road Prison Ministries. Our mission at CODR is to taken directly from Matthew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

We take God at His word and understand that incarcerated people are no different than anyone else. We all fall short of the glory of God and we are all in desperate need of his amazing grace. God has released us from the prison of our sin, not because we earned it or deserved it, but because that’s who He is – The loving Father who constantly calls us back to Him. He specializes in taking broken people like us and renovating our lives so that we can join Him in his mission of redemption in this world.

our approach

God specializes in turning broken, sinful people into agents of love and redemption for a broken and sinful world. It’s what he lives for. When people have been set free from the prison of their past lives and devote themselves to serving God, they become the solution to the world’s problems instead of the cause.

We provide weekly Christian worship services inside of the Fort Dodge and Rockwell City IA Prisons and Reentry support for individuals paroling to the Fort Dodge area. Our goal is to reduce recidivism by eliminating the conditions that lead individuals to reoffend such as: unemployment, inadequate housing, lack of education, isolation, unhealthy coping strategies and spiritual bankruptcy. We help fill these gaps for individuals and provide a Christian community of mentoring and support. If you’re interested in being a volunteer and would like more information, check out our “Volunteer Opportunities” tab at the top of the page.

If you are currently incarcerated or the counselor or family member of someone who is and would like to learn about our Reentry Program please reach out to us via the Contact page, Email or call the number below.

The cost of incarceration and recidivism

(Taken from Iowa Department of Corrections Annual Report)

8,434

Iowa prison population – 2022

(does not include county and city jails)

6,817

Number of individuals currently on Parole in Iowa

3,378

Number of individuals released from Iowa Prisons in 2022

37%

Current recidivism rate in Iowa

(percentage who end up going back to prison)

$103,857,914

Estimated cost of recidivism in Iowa for 2021

(csgjusticecenter.org )

formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public
- prisonpolicy.org

more than 50,000 people enter homeless shelters directly from correctional facilities each year
- usich.gov

Testimonies

I am currently incarcerated at North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City. I’ve repeatedly made a lot of bad choices in life. I’ve only known Christ for 3 years now and life seems more at peace. I try to make the best choices in life now and let God take care of the rest. 80-90% of the prison population are fatherless including myself. I’m fatherless and somewhat motherless also. I’ve been abused and neglected and didn’t get the attention I needed as a child. I have mental health issues. 1 out of 4 inmates has ADHD. Growing up I didn’t have any male role models or any positive ones. In my teens I started using alcohol and Marijuana. As a teen it was peer pressure/curiosity. Since I didn’t get the attention I needed growing up. Negative attention is what I got. I now know that I carried this into my adult years.

To sum all this up, no father or positive male role model, not taking my medication for ADHD turned into self-medicating, not getting the attention I needed growing up, years of making bad choices put me where I am at today. I’ve never known God until recently, but I know Jesus has forgiven me for my sins. All is forgiven. The abuse, neglect, the trauma is forgiven. I just hope the wrongs I have done to others will be forgiven. I feel God is bringing me out of bondage. My addiction and the criminal lifestyle is bondage.

As a young man sent to prison and as a convicted murderer, the only things on my mind were survival. I must fight to stay alive. And in 13 years of the 27 years I spent in prison, I was fighting to stay alive and everything seemed as if I was still losing the fight. After reading a message on the wall that said “by the hands of men, the work of God is done” set me on a whole new path in life. And now I’m out of prison after 27 years by the grace of God. Through the help of many people.

The world is not like it was when I went to prison. A lot has changed and it can seem overwhelming. Without mentors and other support, a person can fall back into what they used to know because that’s comfortable. That’s why programs like this are so important, that’s why the church is so important for those who are re-entering society from prison.

CODR's mission is to break the vicious cycle of incarceration by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ both inside and outside the prison walls.We help individuals take responsibility for their lives and provide a healthy support system for their reentry into society. We would love your support!

CODR prison ministries is a christian community of reconciliation and redemption