Ochorus for prison ministry
Books of hope for prison ministry
Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress in a prison cell. Ignatius wrote his letters on the way to execution, and Corrie ten Boom survived a concentration camp. Their books, free to read and to download as PDFs, for the volunteers, chaplains and families who carry hope inside.
- books
- 295
- sermons
- 251
- reading plans
- 36
- languages
- 10
Take them offline
For a facility with no internet. Download each book as a PDF to print or an EPUB for an e-reader, or save them all to this device to read in the app. If you would like to print copies to give away, please contact us first.
A sermon series for your group
Read one sermon at home each week, then talk it through together. Every sermon here comes with study questions and their answers, at the foot of the sermon.
Six weeks of hope
Forgiveness, a fresh start and the thief on the cross: one sermon a week, short enough to read and discuss in a single visit.
One event a week naming the sermon to read, with a reminder that morning. Send the file to your group so their calendars have it too.
Why prison ministries use Ochorus
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Free to download
Many books can be downloaded as free PDF and EPUB files, for a facility with no internet. If you would like to print copies to give away, please contact us first.
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Written by people who knew prison
Bunyan, Ignatius, Watchman Nee, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Corrie ten Boom all wrote or suffered behind bars. Their words carry weight with readers who are there now.
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A study for a weekly visit
Six sermons on forgiveness, a fresh start and the dying thief, each with study questions and answers, short enough to read and discuss in one visit.
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Plain words for every reader
Many classics are retold in simpler language, and The Pilgrim’s Progress even comes in words of one syllable, for readers who find the originals hard going.
Good places to start
Written behind bars
Books written in prison, or by those who suffered there.
A fresh start
Grace for the worst of sinners, and a way to begin again.
In plain words
Retellings for readers who find the originals hard going.
Plans to read together
One short reading a day. Start on the same day and everyone reaches the same chapter together, each reader ticking off their own progress as they go.
The Way to God: Grace for Every Sinner
35 days·~18 min/dayA month on the oldest good news there is. Richard Baxter's tender call to the unconverted, D. L. Moody on the way to God, and Charles Spurgeon's All of Grace — the plainest of guides to how a sinner is saved, and how to know it.
Day 1 ·A Call to the Unconverted
New to the Faith
39 days·~8 min/dayFive and a half weeks for anyone just beginning with Christ. Charles Spurgeon meets you at the wicket gate with the plainest help there is for trusting Jesus; then R. A. Torrey, writing for new believers, shows how to begin right — assurance, the Holy Spirit, the church, the Bible, prayer and witness. Short articles along the way answer the questions every new Christian asks: what the gospel is, why Jesus died, what baptism and the Lord’s Supper mean, and how to keep growing.
Day 1 ·What Is the Gospel? A Clear, Simple Summary
The Pilgrim's Way
39 days·~22 min/dayThe road home, in three classics. Charles Spurgeon meets the seeker at the wicket gate, John Bunyan's immortal allegory follows the pilgrim the whole way to the Celestial City, and Bunyan's own testimony shows the grace that abounded to the chief of sinners.
Day 1 ·Around the Wicket Gate
Start a reading group
Choose a plan and the day you begin, then pass on the link. Everyone who opens it is on the same day of the plan. Nobody needs an account, and nothing about anyone is collected.
“Jesus came not to save painted but real sinners; but he has saved us, and will surely make it manifest.”
Ways to use it in your prison ministry
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A weekly Bible study
Read one of the six sermons together each week and talk through its questions.
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A book to leave behind
Download a book as a PDF to print for someone inside, if the facility allows it. Please contact us first if you plan to print copies to give away.
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For families on the outside
Send the same book to a family member, so they can read it alongside the one they visit.
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After release
Give a link to a reading plan for the first weeks outside. It costs nothing and works on any phone.
Meet the writers
The lives behind the books: each one has a full biography, with the books and sermons they left.
Pass it on
A message ready for a bulletin, a group chat or an email. Copy it as it is, or make it your own.
Questions
Is Ochorus really free?
Yes. Every book and sermon on Ochorus is free to read, with no paywall, no subscription and no ads. The classics themselves are in the public domain, and Ochorus is a ministry, not a business.
Can we print books for people in prison?
Many books can be downloaded as free PDF files from this page or the book’s page. If you would like to print copies to give away, please contact us first. Ochorus already prints books and gives them away in prisons in East Africa, and we would be glad to talk it through.
What about readers who struggle with older English?
Many classics come in editions that retell them in plain words, and The Pilgrim’s Progress comes in words of one syllable. Online, any chapter can also be read aloud with Listen.
Is there a page for prison chaplains?
Yes. The page for chaplains covers prison, hospital and military chaplaincy together, with books for suffering and grief.
Carry hope inside
Download a book to print, or start the six-week study on your next visit.