God’s ransom for Ken Cooper is complete.  Upon his release from prison, he married June and together in Christ, they began to lead others held hostage to addictions along the road to redemption.

Co-founders of Prisoner of Christ, Jacksonville, Florida and House of Hope, Gainesville, Florida, they have been involved in the ransom of hundreds of prisoners with addiction problems.  Both of these independently operated faith-based transition ministries offer short-term care.  They are directed by recovering addicts and report an 80 percent success rate. 

The Ken Cooper Prison Ministry, founded in 2000, provides long-term transition services to selected inmate addicts.  Those in the program are housed in three Jacksonville-based aftercare facilities.  The ministry is run by ex-offenders and has a ten percent recidivism rate. 

Using "Integreality" as the primary approach to overcoming addictions, a team of fourteen men and women who lead discipleship and recovery education classes for males and females in two major prisons has been developed. Graduates report a remarkable 70 percent success rate.

The KCPM evangelism and discipleship teams share the good news of freedom and hope through Jesus Christ with thousands of men and women in prison. 

Ken now lives with his wife, June, in Jacksonville, Florida where he is kept busy caring for five acres, playing golf, and most of all, helping others to over come addictions.

Ken was born in coal camp called Number Two in Sharples, West Virginia.  He was raised in the coal mining areas of West Virginia and Kentucky by a daughter of a preacher and the father of a coal miner.  At age 17 he left home and moved to Arizona to live with an uncle and his family.  After finishing high school he attended the University of Arizona where he graduated in 1960.  He married his wife Jennie while still attending the university and worked at any job available to meet his school hours and support his family.  In 1960 his daughter, Rebecca was born, but in 1968 his wife died from cancer and within 3 months his father died from black lung disease.  These two deaths played a big part in this life story.  

For more on this organization, write Ken Cooper Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 77160, Jacksonville, FL 32226.