Three Prison Fellowship® volunteers lay down on the ground. Prisoners at California’s Folsom State Prison crowded close, laughing and whooping in anticipation. “Where’s the medic?” someone asked jokingly. The volunteers cringed, bracing for possible impact.
Finally, as the crowd grew silent, a BMX biker sailed down a ramp, jumped into air, and flew over the heads of the three volunteers. It was all part of an in-prison event put on by Prison Fellowship and partnering organizations.
After the stunt, the volunteers brushed themselves off and grinned, relieved to escape without injury.
A DAILY BATTLE
For Marloen, an prisoner I met on the yard at Folsom, prison feels a lot like that bike stunt. He freely admits that he landed in Folsom over making bad choices and keeping bad company. But since he got there, he’s been struggling to survive. It’s a daily battle not to lose his family, get dragged into fights with other prisoners, or just plain lose hope. Marloen just wants to make it through unscathed.
God wants to help prisoners do more than just survive. As we see in the Biblical account of Joseph’s time in prison, prisoners can profit from being behind bars, deepening their faith and emerging as leaders. While Satan might mean their incarceration for evil, God means it for good!
YOU CAN HELP
Help Prison Fellowship show prisoners how to thrive behind bars:
- Facilitate a Bible study
- Become a mentor in the community
- Pray
- Sign your church up for Angel Tree®
Whoever you are, there’s a place for you to serve with Prison Fellowship, because we’re all meant to do more than just survive.
SUPPORT THE WORK OF PRISON FELLOWSHIP
At Prison Fellowship, we “remember those in prison.” We believe in second chances, and that prison should be a place of rehabilitation. Through our programs, we offer incarcerated men and women hope, encouragement, and support, so that people like Marloen can be transformed.
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