Partnership will Produce a Daily Bible Devotional to be Distributed to More Than 100,000 Men and Women in Prisons Across the United States
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Prison Fellowship®, the nation's largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for criminal justice reform, along with Moody Bible Institute, a higher education and media ministry based in Chicago, Ill., announced today a historic partnership.
Prison Fellowship is partnering with Moody to create a series of devotionals based on Moody’s popular Today in the Word daily devotional. With this new partnership, Moody and Prison Fellowship will produce two distinctive, 120-day Today in the Word devotionals—one for men and one for women—that will include testimonials, a Bible study through the four gospels, and discussion questions.
“The needs of men and women in prison are very unique and these devotionals will serve as another way God can move and work in their lives—providing hope while behind bars,” said James Ackerman, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship. “During this COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the Lord work in miraculous ways, despite prisons denying access to nonessential personnel. Prison Fellowship has distributed more than 120,000 Life Recovery Bibles to prisons across America in the past 11 months. Now, those who receive these Bibles can have devotionals—specific to their needs—thanks to our new partnership with Moody.”
This Bible distribution and follow-up resource to people in prison with the Today in the Word devotional is one of the largest outreach projects in Prison Fellowship’s history.
“We are humbled and honored to partner and collaborate with Prison Fellowship, and have a deep appreciation and high respect for their decades-long work,” said Dr. Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute. “As an inner city pastor for more than 30 years who has worked with many men and women in prison as well as helping returning citizens, a resource such as Today in the Word is vital to help them understand the Gospel of King Jesus and grow in their walk with Him. I’m delighted to see this partnership come to fruition and the Moody family is praying fervently for the chaplains, men and women using this resource, and those in our prison system.“
In addition to testimonies of life change and discussion questions on each of the four gospel studies, the men’s and women’s edition also features articles on how to know Jesus and how to read the Bible and pray. Each study is written by faculty of the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Theological Seminary and incorporates Prison Fellowship’s “Values of Good Citizenship”.
Prison Fellowship Chaplains will begin distributing these custom Today in the Word devotionals beginning July 1, 2021.
For more information about Prison Fellowship, please visit www.prisonfellowship.org. Moody’s Today in the Word devotional can be found at www.todayintheword.org.
ABOUT PRISON FELLOWSHIP
Prison Fellowship is the nation's largest outreach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading voice for criminal justice reform. With more than 40 years of experience helping restore men and women behind bars, Prison Fellowship advocates for federal and state criminal justice reforms that transform those responsible for crime, validate victims, and encourage communities to play a role in creating a safe, redemptive, and just society.
MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE
Founded by evangelist D. L. Moody in 1886, Moody Bible Institute is a higher education and media ministry that exists to proclaim the Gospel and equip people to be Biblically grounded, practically trained, and to engage the world through Gospel‐centered living. Through Moody Bible Institute and Moody Theological Seminary, Moody trains the next generation of Christian ministry leaders. Moody Radio, one of the oldest Christian radio networks in the U.S., has grown to include more than 70 full power stations and translators, six digital channels and more than 1,500 outlets that carry programming. Originally known as the Bible Institute Colportage Association, Moody Publishers has grown to include more than 300 million books being distributed in 71 languages and more than 130 countries. They are home to renowned authors Gary Chapman, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Tony Evans, Erwin Lutzer, J. Oswald Sanders, Juli Slattery, and A.W. Tozer. For more information about Moody Bible Institute, please visit www.moodybible.org.