ANGEL TREE AND CELEBRATE RECOVERY PARTNERSHIP
In and out of prison, God is making all things new. Partnering in this renewal, Prison Fellowship® works with Celebrate Recovery (CR), a biblically based program that guides men and women in overcoming hurts, habits, and hang-ups. CR promotes Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree® program through CR chapters at churches and groups nationwide, meeting prisoners' families where they are, with the love of Christ. Every Christmas, participating CR chapters deliver Angel Tree gifts and the Gospel message, creating pathways to heal and restore the bonds of incarcerated parents and their children.
VIRTUAL ANGEL TREE: A NEW OPTIONAL WAY TO SERVE CHILDREN OF PRISONERS
Prison Fellowship® is committed to the health and well-being of Angel Tree volunteers like you and the families we serve. As Christmas approaches, our team has been preparing for worst-case scenarios in light of COVID-19, including the reality that many churches may be closed or other restrictions may be in place. Conducting Angel Tree Christmas the same as years past just may not be possible for many of our partners.
Virtual Angel Tree is a new, effective, and optional way for you to facilitate your Angel Tree program: You will have the flexibility to operate exactly as before, incorporate this new approach entirely, or apply a combination.
For more information you can view a webinar by clicking here and you can refer to the FAQs.
If you’d like to participate in Virtual Angel Tree, please include that in the comments section of your registration.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THREE WAYS YOU CAN REGISTER TO SERVE YOUR ANGEL TREE FAMILIES
ANGEL TREE APPLICATION FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY GROUPS
HOW DOES ANGEL TREE WORK?
Angel Tree Christmas begins when a CR Group member registers their CR Group for the program with the support of their CR Group leader(s). Once a CR Group is registered, the process works like this:
- Receive Angel Tree Names: Sometime in the fall, Angel Tree coordinators will receive the name, caregiver, and contact information of children who were signed-up by their mom or dad in prison.
- Contact the Caregivers: Call or mail each caregiver to introduce yourself as an Angel Tree volunteer who has been asked by the prisoner parent to include their children in your program this year.
- Display Angel Tree Name Tags: Angel Tree tags are completed with the name of these children, along with gift suggestions, and are displayed in your CR Group.
- Angel Tree Announcement: CR Group members need to be notified of the program —bulletin, CR Group announcement, bulletin board, etc.—and invited to select names from the Angel Tree display.
- Gift purchase and delivery: CR Group members purchase, wrap, and deliver a gift for each child on behalf of his or her incarcerated parent—and in the process, share the Gospel.