Each year, as many as 700,000 prisoners are released back into their communities in the U.S. Upon release, these men and women face countless temptations to return to a life of crime and limited opportunities to create a new way of life for their future.
God has called Prison Fellowship® and its ministry partners to come alongside prisoners as they navigate the many challenges of incarceration and reentry. Prison Fellowship’s in-prison programs introduce prisoners to a new kind of life they can live for Jesus, while providing training that will help them become successful, productive members of their communities one day.
As Prison Fellowship’s fiscal year comes to an end, we reflect on a cherished thank-you note from an ex-prisoner named David. David worked as a supervisor at an electronics store before a poor choice steered him to federal prison. David’s incarceration cost him his fiancée and contact with his son. But thanks to Prison Fellowship’s diligent ministry partners, David now knows Jesus and has been thriving since his release from prison last year.
Dear Prison Fellowship,
… I started looking back on what helped me be successful in staying out for the past 365 days. Everything came back to God and Prison Fellowship. First and foremost, God’s grace and forgiveness gave me the power I needed to move forward day to day. Secondly, Prison Fellowship provided the tools, resources, and support needed for me to get on my feet.
… The trail of destruction I left was too much for me to reconcile. Along this dark and lonely place I was invited to the chapel to attend a Prison Fellowship course … There I found … the volunteers of Prison Fellowship who provided me with the tools to be successful upon my release. Two particular modules of the course were … on “Boundaries” and “Jobs for Life.” “Boundaries” helped me to see that I had set up a co-dependent relationship with key people in my life; “Jobs for Life” helped me prepare my interviews, resumes, and all necessary tools needed to be successful for looking for work …
After my release I was assigned a [Prison Fellowship] mentor and formed a close bond with him. The mentorship program is what completes the circle of everything I had learned while I was in prison. Of all the programs I have participated in during my rehabilitation, Prison Fellowship was by far the most helpful, the most healing, and the one that prepared me for success on the outside the most.
I now have employment working with a company that manufactures automatic suspension parts … The tools, training, and support I have received from Prison Fellowship are what I credit for having the updated skills and motivation to find employment. I acknowledge the entire Prison Fellowship team for their contribution to my life and understanding that we are all God’s children. He loves us all and would want me to have a second chance.
God Bless,
David
Help Prisoners Follow in David’s Footsteps
David is now free in the Good News of salvation. God used Prison Fellowship programs and volunteers to transform his heart and mind, and now he’s making the most of his second chance in life.
Through Prison Fellowship’s faith-based life-skills classes and reentry programs, God’s people have an open door to share the hope and freedom of Christ with hundreds of thousands of prisoners. As Prison Fellowship ends the fiscal year, will you help us reach incarcerated men and women through a fiscal year-end gift? To give a gift that will prepare prisoners for success on the outside, please visit www.prisonfellowship.org.