TOWN HALL
Connecting Community
with Returning Citizens
Saturday, November 15 / 11:00am – 1:00pm
ABOUT
This Town Hall is sponsored by Friends Fellowship, a Ministry to Incarcerated Women and New Covenant Church.
We will explore how the Body of Christ can extend grace, opportunity, and belonging to men and women reentering society after incarceration. Scripture calls us to restore and reconcile, reflecting the heart of Christ who came to set captives free—not only spiritually, but socially and emotionally.
Together, we will examine practical ways churches and believers can become safe spaces for growth, discipleship, and reintegration—helping returning citizens rebuild their lives and rediscover purpose within God’s family and the broader community.
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED
Dr. Michelle Daniel Jones: Housing: A Place to Begin Again
Dr. William Bumphus III: Finishing Strong: Successfully Completing Parole
Tammy Atwood: Beyond the Walls: Preparation for Re-Entry
Chaplain Delores Epps: Connecting with the Community of Believers
Pastor Bryan Hudson: Managing Attitudes Toward Returning Citizens
TOWN HALL FEATURES
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Get Acquainted
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Resource Connection
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Guided Discussion
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Questions & Answers
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Prayer & Encouragement
Bryan Hudson
Pastor Bryan Hudson (D.Min.) is the founding pastor of New Covenant Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bryan is a publisher, author, and producer of life-changing media content, including over 1,000 podcasts and 1,600 blog articles. He is a former opinion writer for the online edition of the Indianapolis Star.
Bryan’s passion is teaching the Word of God, serving everyday people, and helping Christian leaders more effectively serve their congregations and communities. For 20 years, Bryan conducted multimedia workshops for youth, equipping many for college and careers in education and media production.
He traveled to Africa on six occasions to support missions and help establish ministry programs.
Dr. William Bumphus III
William Bumphus III (Ed.D.) is a husband, father, and assistant pastor at Faith Center Church in, Indianapolis.
He's a former director of the men's shelter for Wheeler Mission Ministries in which he directed programs to serve hundreds of men in crisis.
William earned a Ed.D. from Liberty University for which his research and dissertation addressed the problem of recidivism and solutions: "Jailhouse Religion: A Study on the Perceived Effects of Religious Prison Rehabilitation That Affects Recidivism."
He is currently serving as one of the mentors and teachers at Jesus House. Dr. Bumphus serves as Adjunct Professor at City Vision University. He is also a High School Football Coach
Delores Epps
Delores Epps is Director of Friends Fellowship of Indiana, a ministry to women incarcerated in the state of Indiana. She currently serves as a Level 1 assistant Chaplain in the Indiana Women’s Prison and a Level 2 volunteer at the Rockville Correctional Facility.
Delores earned a Bachelor’s degree in business management from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is a life member of the National Council of Negro Women. As an ordained minister, Chaplain Epps serves as an associate minister at New Covenant Church and is an active volunteer serving disadvantaged and underserved to people in Central Indiana.
Dr. Michelle Daniel Jones
She is a founding member and board president of Constructing Our Future, a reentry and housing organization for women created by incarcerated women in Indiana. She is a Beyond the Bars fellow, a research fellow at the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University, and a Ford Foundation Bearing Witness Fellow with Art for Justice, a SOZE Foundation Right of Return Fellow, a Code for America Fellow, a Mural Arts Rendering Justice Fellow and an Artist for the People Practitioner Fellow at the Human Rights Lab/Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago.
Tammy Atwood
Tammy is the Community Involvement Coordinator at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. She serves as a vital bridge between the correctional facility and the surrounding community. This role focuses on building partnerships, developing programs, and creating pathways for women to successfully reenter society.
She is responsible to recruit, screen, and train volunteers and mentors who provide direct services such as tutoring, mentoring, counseling, and life-skills workshops.
Through intentional collaboration and relationship-building, the Community Involvement Coordinator helps transform incarceration into an opportunity for restoration and empowerment. This role ensures that women are not defined by their past but are equipped for a productive, hopeful future within their families and communities.