CIU Prison Initiative alumnus: “Angry, violent murder becomes peacemaker!”

CIU Prison Initiative alumnus: “Angry, violent murder becomes peacemaker!”

Students enrolled in the CIU Prison Initiative pray at a Prison Initiative commencement held at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia.
CIU Prison Initiative alumnus Jimmy MacPhee

Jimmy MacPhee

An alumnus of the CIU Prison Initiative is now an ordained minister telling his story of a 45-year prison sentence, and how God changed his life while behind bars.

Jimmy MacPhee recounts his prison experiences, including his time in the CIU Prison Initiative, in an article published in Living Real Magazine. He writes:  

In 2017, I was chosen as one of only a few inmates to pursue a Bible college education from Columbia International University-Prison Initiative. I was trained to be both a missionary and a peacemaker to the most dangerous prison yards in South Carolina. Imagine that – God transformed me, an angry, violent murderer into a peacemaker!

The CIU Prison Initiative equips qualified inmates through an accredited Associate of Arts degree, to reach fellow inmates with the message of Christ. After graduation, alumni of the CIU Prison Initiative are assigned as chaplain’s assistants at correctional facilities around the state.

Read MacPhee’s article titled “Mercy.”

With record enrollment in 2020, CIU consistently ranks among the Top Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report, as well as a Best Value Regional University in the SouthRequest information on enrollment at CIU and Columbia Biblical Seminary at (800) 777-2227, ext. 5024 or www.ciu.edu.