Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc. was founded and incorporated in 1995 by Michael, Elain & Ari Ellerbe, as a non-profit organization whose initial mission was to provide religious programming in adult and juvenile corrections facilities. Using their preaching and singing talents, the Ellerbe's have traveled across the United States from Louisiana to New York, Miami, Florida to Denver, Colorado and many places in between.  Traveling many miles, the Ellerbe's have been welcomed into churches, prison facilities and inner city settings to minister.  Additionally, the Ellerbe's have recorded three albums to date, which can be found on this website under the Try Our Music section. 

In the past five years, the organization has seen its mission expand to now encompass a focus on pre-release and post-release educational programs for those men, women and youth approaching release dates and returning to their families and communities in which they will, hopefully, be restored to rebuild their lives.  

     Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc. mission serves to partner with corrections facilities, community-based and faith-based organizations to provide educational services to assist in expanding and improving existing support programs for the incarcerated, the ex-offender and their families.    Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc. is committed to training and growing volunteers for their partner organizations.

     The vision of the organization is to ensure that the incarcerated as well as the segment of the state’s population that is at-risk of committing crimes leading to incarceration are provided sufficient resources to re-direct their lives through educational life-skills programs as they strive to be restored to their families and become contributing members of their communities.  The mission and vision of the organization is presently being carried out through a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Corrections through two programs established by Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc., one for the youthful offender component, Break the Chain. . .Build A Bridge, and one for the adult offender component, Inmate Education Initiative. 

"...I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver and gold are refined: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people and they will say, the Lord is my God." Zechariah 13:9