He does prison work of the angel in the Bible

February 04, 2012
By Tommy Hawkins
Your Capital Bureau

“And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.” Acts 12:9

The story of the angel delivering Peter from jail is similar to the work Pastor Kenneth Frame does for young men and women in prisons in North Florida.

He inspires young men and women through “the word of God” and his life experiences.

Frame, 53, was ordained as a pastor in the year 2000, and that year he started “On The Move for Jesus Prison Ministry.” The ministry is located in Quincy, a small town in Gadsden County north of Tallahassee.

“This ministry is important to me because I see so many young men that have lost hope – lost hope because they committed crimes, and they feel they can’t be redeemed for that,” said Frame.

“It’s important to me to always let them know there is always hope. They can change their life and it’s important to me to help them find that hope.”

His first experience inside a North Florida prison was with a singing group called the Gospel Pearls.

“I was terrified because you know the stories you hear about prison life and how it is. When I walked through those gates for the first time and those iron doors slammed behind me, I said ‘wow, this is not a place I wanted to be.’”

The paster with whom he came asked Frame to have some words with the men after the service.

“That did it for me, yeah.  I was hooked after that,” Frame said.
He looks forward to going to Florida prisons but always remembers where he is.

‘You can’t get too comfortable. You always have to be safety-conscious. You always have to be alert. You always have to be ready because anything happen in a brief second.”

“You have to always remember that you can’t go in there and let your guard down,” Frame said.

Frame realizes everyone cannot be saved, no matter how hard he tries.

“Everybody’s not saved. Everybody doesn’t believe in the Lord. No matter how much you try to help them believe in God, they still curse you out and disrespect you. You still have to be the man of God and do what you have to do,” Frame said.

Frame said he feels churches are not reaching out enough to the young men and women in prison.

“There’s so much work to be done but a lot of ministries won’t go because there is no offering plate there.”

“Some of us have to go be about the business of the Lord,” Frame said.

“My obligation is to reach out to these men to let them know they are more than just a number and the Lord loves them.”

Frame was inspired by some difficult life experiences.

“I grew up in Philly. I slept in tunnels to keep warm, I was homeless and lived on the streets. The Lord called me to give back to the community,” Frame said.

Frame was previously married for 12 years and has two children –  Shayna, 21, and Kenneth, 26.

Frame and his fiancé, Patricia, have been together for a year. They are getting married this month.

Frame is a chaplain for Quincy Police Department. He is also a familiar face at Tallahassee city hall. He works as captain of security there for Barkley Security, which is contracted by the City of Tallahassee.

He has the admiration of his pastoral colleagues.

“Pastor Kenneth Frame is an awesome man of God who is anointed to bring forth the good news to incarcerated men and women,”  said Gary Montgomery, the pastor at Living Stones International located on 604 Virginia Street in Tallahassee.

“I call him the ‘high octane’ pastor,” said Montgomery.

“He’s entertaining, he’s funny, he sings, and he brings the gospel in a vey unique way that touches men and women who are incarcerated – to let them know God is not finished with them yet – and they can be totally transformed as they turn their life over to God.”

Frame brings volunteers into the Department of Corrections, said Doug Gingerich, the chaplain of Wakulla Prison. These volunteers train for the Department of Corrections ministry program.

Along with baptisms, Frame said he has witnessed 196 men give their lives to Christ at Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley, Fla., west of Tallahassee.

Frame has changed people’s lives for the better. But there is one encounter he will probably never forget.

Frame was witnessing in housing projects. He approached several young men selling drugs. Frame asked the young men if they knew Christ.

One of the young men pointed a gun to his face and asked him, “Is my life worth saving your life?”

Frame said at that moment he didn’t know how to respond.

Frame looked the young man in the eye and said,“If I lose my life here tonight, and God will help you to save your life, then yes, my life is worth saving yours.”

The young man lowered his firearm and started crying. He got back in school and stopped selling drugs.

Frame said the young man is in the military and doing well.

The pastors, the inmates, and Frame believe his message inspires people in a unique way.

“It’s hard to say how many lives have been impacted for eternity –  that’s between him and God. He probably will never know that either, but there’s no doubt he’s doing a tremendous work,” Gingerich said.

Readers can reach the ministry by mail at 120 Macarthur Street, Quincy, Fla.,  32351.