The ministry now called Godly Heritage Ministries was actually born while serving in another ministry of vital importance. After serving as the pastor of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi for nearly eight and one-half years, God called me to the field of evangelism.  After surrendering to His will to leave the pastorate, God directed me to accept an invitation to work with Rock of Ages Prison Ministry as a prison missionary and staff evangelist. For nearly two years I labored with them, learning much and building our support through deputation.

     My family (wife Linda and ten special needs adopted children), ministered in local churches every weekend and most Wednesday nights while living in a 35 ft. RV trailer.  Life was quite an adventure in those days!  Part of my personal ministry as a missionary-evangelist was to go with our soul winning teams into the state and federal prison systems once or twice each month. Although I was away from my family during those times, they were some of the most memorable days and nights in my entire life as a preacher.  Never have I seen a more dedicated group of soul winners, nor as many come to trust Christ as I did in those days.  I will forever cherish the brotherhood of those men, and the great vision and heart of the Rock of Ages Prison Ministry.

     It was during one of our crusades at the oldest prison in the state of Tennessee,  Brushy Mountain State Prison, that I was assigned to minister one morning on a wing occupied by inmates that were soon to be released.  I spoke with a man who told me that he had spent nearly nine years there and was scheduled to be released in about a week.  I expected to see a happy man, but instead he was greatly troubled.  When I asked him why he was so upset, he told me a story that changed the course of my life and ultimately led to the formation of Godly Heritage Ministries.

     He had been saved in prison five years before and had been growing in knowledge and grace through the ministry of Rock of Ages chaplain Donnie Moore.  He had been helping Bro. Moore with his prison work and learned a lot. Now he was scheduled to go home and face his wife and family who wanted no part of his “religion.”  He told me that he did not know where to begin.  He did not know how to lead his family spiritually, and neither his wife nor his children seemed willing to come under his authority, or to hear about his God.  He said he had come from a broken home, and was raised with very little supervision, as his mother worked most of the time.  Many of those who did look after him battered or molested him until he ran away.  This was not an unfamiliar story for men in prison, yet now, as a fellow believer, my heart was broken for his plight.  I could not get him out of my mind.

     God began to work on me as I recalled the hundreds of families in the local churches I visited who suffered similar problems of run-away children, drug addictions, unwanted pregnancies, and even molestation.  There was a common ground! Even the Christians were many times not practicing the principles of the Bible in their marriages, homes, and family relationships.  Someone needed to dedicate their efforts to this problem, or soon the prisons would be full and the churches would be empty as home after home was destroyed! Not to mention the untold millions of lives ruined by divorce or addictions to drugs, pornography, or gambling. 

     God showed me my adopted children, broken, battered, molested, and abandoned.  I realized that our family was being called to a new ministry.  In March of 1997 I resigned from the Rock of Ages and founded a new ministry dedicated to challenging and instructing families in the fundamentals of God’s Word regarding the relationships of marriage, home, and family. Since that time, we have seen God’s wonderful hand at work, as Godly Heritage Ministries has grown to ministry serving nearly half of the nation.  The teaching and preaching ministry has grown steadily and now stands on the brink of offering the individual lessons and concepts to all who would visit our website free of charge.  Many resource materials helpful to your marriage and family previously available only at our local church meetings will now be available over the internet as well.  Our family witnessing video that has warmed the hearts of nearly 40,000 families in the past nine years will now be available to view for all who would inquire.  Some of our older children (we still have 8 of the 12 at home) are entering into a new phase of their service for God in the puppet and clowning ministries they are currently developing.  These ministries will open many new avenues of ministry to youth as God allows in the days to come!

    As new aspects of ministry develop, our family covets your prayers for Godly Heritage Ministries, that it, and we might be used even more greatly to strengthen America’s families and churches as we approach the glorious day of the Lord’s return!

Sincerely, His servants and yours,

The Perham Family – Godly Heritage Ministries

Bro. Ernie Perham, Founder