The Call of the Church: Loving Like Christ, Inside and Outside Prison

THE CALL TO LOVE

One of those rich partnerships is with Christ Church in New Bern, North Carolina. The church had been serving local children with an incarcerated parent through Angel Tree^® Christmas for many years, delivering gifts on behalf of moms and dads behind bars. Prison Fellowship Angel Tree equips churches to strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children and support families in every season.

Then Christ Church felt called to do more—so they started a camp for Angel Tree kids and named it Camp Hope.

Every summer, the church rents buses to transport dozens of children to camp for a week of outdoor fun, fellowship, and healing.

Christ Church’s Camp Hope coordinator Terry Brubaker says, “There's a lot of kids telling about what's going on in their life and how they feel about it. And I just know that God wants them to be able to get that out—that He doesn't want them to have that knot in their heart all the time.”

Terry started an after-school mentorship program through the church called Growing in Grace. Four days a week, church volunteers pick up third to fifth graders from school and bring them to the church building for the two-hour program, where kids can play, have a snack, and listen to a devotional. Then they spend one-on-one time with a mentor working on homework. Most of them are Angel Tree kids; all come from low-income households. Christ Church works with school counselors, teachers, and nurses to identify and invite children who could benefit from the program.

Jim, a church member, was enjoying retirement when he was asked to be a mentor for Growing in Grace. Jim doesn't have kids of his own, and his career in medical electronics wasn't exactly preparatory for coming alongside reluctant learners. But with patience, Jim has found that he has quite a knack for helping kids.

“It's very rewarding,” says Jim. “[It has given me] a real appreciation for what their life is like.”

Christ Church’s commitment to Angel Tree children never stops. The church keeps finding ways to welcome and serve families of the incarcerated all year round.

LOVING BEYOND CHRISTMAS

Barely 2 years old, United Believers Community Church needed a pastor. Darron followed God’s call to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on the role. Within 10 years, the growing congregation expanded to a new facility on the south side of Kansas City.

As he settled into the new neighborhood, Darron began to take an interest in the needs of the surrounding community, where 36% of children live below the poverty line. He eventually rallied his United Believers congregation to adopt a local elementary school and offer support. The church stepped in to help solve practical problems keeping some children from regularly attending school, like a lack of supplies and clean clothes.

Soon Darron learned that 33% of the kids who attended that school had an incarcerated parent. That’s when Darron thought of Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, a program he and his family had supported for years.

“Since 1996, I’ve been a supporter of Angel Tree,” says Darron. “I wanted to raise my kids around the whole issue of generosity and understanding that it’s more blessed to give than it is to receive.”

United Believers Community Church started out buying and delivering gifts for around 25 children. Now, they serve about 300 Angel Tree children.

As the United Believers volunteers began to build relationships with Angel Tree families in their community, they discovered more ways to offer support. They offer many resources, including a food bank, donated clothing, and free mental health therapy sessions.

“What we discovered is that Angel Tree has to be bigger than Christmas,” says Darron. “There are needs all year long, and when churches find out how to get involved, and they have a heart for those in need … and when we get back to that mission, I really believe that we’ll see a change in our world that we’ve yet to see.”

THE POWER OF A LOVING CHURCH

Church of Hope knows what it means to walk beside a family impacted by incarceration. When things got hard, God’s people showed up in a powerful way.

Mark was charged with fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and sentenced to 16 months in a federal prison. Joy drove him to the prison camp about six hours north of their home, and a friend from church came along so Joy wouldn’t have to drive home alone.

Over the next year, Church of Hope demonstrated their generosity through several compassionate acts. They left gift cards for gas on Joy’s porch. They prayed for her and invited her to holiday celebrations and picnics. They wrote letters to Mark and sometimes came along to visit him.

“If I hadn’t had my church, if they had left me alone and I had to go through it all by myself, then I do not know if our marriage could have survived it,” Joy admits. “I think I would have divorced him, so my image wasn’t tarnished. I would have felt so alone.”

Joy says that in addition to helping in practical ways, her church friends loved her with their words, reminding her that she is God’s beloved, that Mark has been forgiven by Christ and is loved, and that no sin we commit can separate us from God.

“They spoke God’s truth to me when I forgot,” she says. “And they also continued to help Mark transform into a godly man. That transformation—along with their support—is what saved our marriage.”

After Mark was released, a friend from church offered Mark a job at a drug and alcohol treatment center, giving him a ride daily until Mark was allowed to use his own car. Mark became certified as a drug and alcohol counselor and began a new chapter. Now, more than a decade after being carried and cared for by her local church, Joy delights to inspire others by leading small groups through Prison Fellowship’s Outrageous Justice® study and sharing her personal story.

AN ETERNAL IMPACT

Hundreds of churches and thousands of volunteers have stepped up to make a difference. Through Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, churches in all 50 states help children of incarcerated parents know they are loved and not forgotten.

And the work doesn’t stop there. In prison, we empower volunteers from local churches to serve those incarcerated and encounter Jesus alongside them. Hundreds of churches join us each April to support second chances for people with a criminal record and champion God’s vision for justice that restores. God is working as believers inside and outside prison walk side by side to ignite revival.

If you would like to explore opportunities to deepen your impact, reach out to your church partnership manager. Or get connected with a church partnership manager.