History

or:

Our History

Weldon and Joyce Hargis and their friend, Durward Robinson (deceased 2011), began sharing the Gospel with prisoners through clergy visits in the local jail in Lubbock, Texas. Seeing the need for inmates to have Christian literature to study in their cells, they initiated legal steps in 1983 to found and incorporate Exodus Prison Ministry as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. The first official meeting was held in August 1983.

Exodus Prison Ministry was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization on August 8, 1983. Their State Franchise Tax Exemption for Texas was also effective on August 8, 1983.

The ministry was housed in the Hargis home from 1983 until 1990. Recognizing the value of work done out of the Hargis home, Highland Baptist Church provided office space for this ministry in 1990 in the Highland Shopping Center on 34th Street and Quaker Avenue, Lubbock, Texas, which is owned by that church. However, Exodus Prison Ministry is a separate entity from Highland Baptist Church and must pay for its own utilities, insurance, and all operating costs except for the gift of a rent-free office space.