What to Expect at Our Events

We communicate important event information by email, mail, and phone

By Email:


Immediately upon registration: You will receive an email with additional info about the event, how to prepare for the event, and confirmation of registration payment. The information is identical to the confirmation webpage you will see when you complete registration.


1-2 weeks before the event: You will receive an email with the location of the Thursday or Friday night Tailgate Party/Equip & Ignite training and information about the event including any details specific to the facility to which you have been assigned.


As needed: Other event-specific emails 


By Phone:

Week of the event: One of the Site Coordinators will call you to make sure you received and understand the email mentioned above. He will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Equip & Ignite (E&I): 

At the E&I, we educate our volunteers (Teammates) on what to expect at the facilities we’re visiting, train them to share their faith with our tract, and provide spiritual preparedness with praise and worship music.

Arrival at the facility:

As soon as you arrive at the facility, let your Site Coordinator know you are there. Listen as they go through the processing in instructions and any additional info they have to share.


Enter the facility:

Remain quiet as you enter the facility. Present your government-issued ID (often, the prison will collect them and keep them until you leave) as you go through security. You will be escorted to your meeting/program location.

 

Attend the program:

Our professionally staged events typically take place in common areas such as recreation yards and gyms, except in jails or facilities without common areas, programs are held inside housing areas. We feature athletes, entertainers, musicians, and ex-offenders sharing their talents and their stories of how they came to faith in Jesus Christ. Our performers draw the inmates and juvenile offenders out to the program that typically wouldn’t attend a church or chapel service. They do this by offering hope; which opens the door for our teammates to share their faith one-on-one or in small groups using our proven tract.


Visit with offenders:

Begin conversations with offenders; one-on-one or in a small group. Discuss the BGBTW tract as reviewed at E&I training. Use other materials in the Teammate Packet as needed. Give each offender who makes a decision for Christ a Study Guide. As time permits, train them on how to use the tract to share the Gospel and leave a few extra with them, pray for them and their families, and encourage them to continue in their knowledge and love of the Lord.


Leave the facility:

Your Site Coordinator will advise you when it’s time to wrap up and where to go after visiting with offenders. You’ll complete the required forms as shown at E&I and give them to the Site Coordinator. As a group, you’ll be given your ID’s back and will exit together.


Banquet (on Weekend of Champions (WOC) “2 day” events only): 

Immediately after leaving the correctional facilities on the Friday of a WOC, we provide dinner, share experiences from the day, and hold a short award ceremony for Teammates achieving event attendance milestones.

Site Coordinators will compile all forms and calculate the results for each facility. Later that same day, all registered Teammates will receive a phone call with the event’s total results. An event survey will be emailed to all registered Teammates and we encourage everyone to complete them with as much detail as possible to help us improve our events.


Provided at the training is the Action Steps Beyond the Walls infographic card with some things you can do following the event. Click here to view that card.

BILL GLASS BEHIND THE WALLS TERMINOLOGY

Teammate: A BGBTW volunteer
Site Coordinator: The BGBTW volunteer who leads a group of Teammates during an event. They serve as the liaison between the facility staff and BGBTW Teammates.
Regional Director: The BGBTW staff member who oversees events in a specific region of the country
Head Coach: The BGBTW volunteer who leads a team of volunteers in a specific city/geographic area and is responsible for raising people, funds, and other support for the local events in their area.
Teammate Packet: Envelope of materials given to each Teammate to share with offenders at an event
Equip & Ignite (E&I): The mandatory training, worship, and info session held before each event
Tailgate Party: Food and fellowship during E&I training