Minister Mary H. Johnson

Mary Johnson serves as the field director for the state of Illinois with Prison Fellowship Ministries. She has served in this capacity since February, 2004, and with the ministry since 1997. Prison Fellowship Ministries is a non-profit, volunteer-reliant ministry that partners with local churches and organizations across the country to minister to a group that society often scorns and neglects: prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. God, unlike the world, has always chosen to identify closest with those who are isolated and broken.

Mary’s role as Field Director is in preparing and sending those who sense God leading them into areas of prison-related ministry—reaching out to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. The Fellowship offers thorough training as well as ongoing support and encouragement for in-prison and post-prison ministry, as well as training for outreach to the families of prisoners, and the building of reentry communities.

Mary is currently managing a new program effort in Illinois called Transformational Ministry (TM). TM starts in prison with a 12 month pre-release program that assists prisoners in having a successful re-entry. TM works with participants to bridge them to their returning community. The TM staff and volunteers assist participants in taking personal responsibility for their behavior and provide skill-building techniques to change thinking patterns, attitudes and coping skills; TM is designed to help identify the root causes and not just the symptoms.

Mary Johnson attended Wheaton College – School of Correctional Ministries and the Elgin Leadership Academy.

Mary Johnson and her husband of 37 years have one daughter, three sons, one son-in-law, and one daughter-in-law, and the blessing of six grandchildren