Our History
The ministry was started over 75 years ago and continues today to spread the unconditional love of Jesus Christ to the men and women inmates of Orange County jails from all walks of life. It is not an exaggeration to state that each year thousands of lives are miraculously changed by Jesus Christ through the Orange County Jail Ministry.
Our team of roughly 30 volunteer chaplains and 400+ volunteers is formed from upwards of 60 evangelical churches found throughout the county.
Bringing the light to the darkness...
The "Gleaners" was founded in the year 1930 for inmates of the old Orange County Jail. The facility was located in down-town Santa Ana on Sycamore Street next to the old court house. Lem Green and Brother Walenous were the men who had the original vision to reach the men and women inmates of Orange County at that time. Both men were members of Calvary Church in Placentia. 
Teams were organized from several churches to come and minister to the inmates with services being conducted on Sunday. Follow-up meetings were held during the week at which time Bibles and Bible studies were passed out.
Today things are much different than they were in those early days. Although the name of our 501(c)3 non-profit corporation is still "Gleaners", we operate under the name, “Orange County Jail Ministry." Before the change, most people just didn't understand what it was that we did. We now minister in all five jail facilities. They are Men's Central Jail, the Women's Central Jail and the Intake and Release Center (all in Santa Ana), Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange, and the James A. Musick Facility in Irvine.
Together these facilities house more than 5,000 inmates.