Pastor, Maranatha Free Church of Jesus Christ
Founder, Exec. Director, Angels Change Ministry
Pastor Nannie Jefferies would often visit the jails to encourage and pray for her church’s members and their children. She is the Pastor of Maranatha Free Church of Jesus Christ. During her visits, she witnessed “a feeling of despair and a lack of hope” among the incarcerated women. Seeing this community need, Pastor Jefferies launched Angels Charge Ministry. The program offers transitional housing, case management and advocacy to deter recidivism. She is working to teach women work and life skills. Supported by donations and volunteers, the first two houses opened in 2014 and a third was under renovation in 2018. Pastor Jefferies is a life-long resident of Spartanburg, where she says, “we are a community offering a hand up not necessarily a hand out.”
Her advice for young people: “Read. I want children to read. And to love reading and to explore reading. And to travel in reading. I just think that reading broadens their horizons.”