I have been an Angel Tree church coordinator for many years, but 2014 has to have been the best ministry year yet.
In January of 2014, the U.S. Congress established the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. Prison Fellowship President and CEO Jim Liske was asked to serve on that task force, representing the interests of Prison Fellowship, and providing a voice to millions of prisoners and their families.
There is a bend in the Elbow River as it winds through the Canadian Rockies. Above that bend is a cave, and in that cave I often used to sit alone. When my wife Cathy and I lived in Canada, raising two small children and pastoring a church, I would go there to think and pray, but mostly I was waiting.
Society often discounts the contributions a former prisoner can make to his or her community, but at Prison Fellowship, we know that rehabilitated men and women who have been transformed by God have so much to offer if given the opportunity.
Jesus never told His followers to “keep the faith;” He taught us “go into all the world” and make disciples. When we allow our faith to become insular, we miss out on all the joy of serving others and seeing their lives transformed by God’s grace.
How can a man who spent years behind bars call himself “lucky”? It’s because God used Angel Tree to soften his heart.
With an emotionally gripping end, Do You Believe? will have you rejoicing at the boundless power of the Cross.
In the highly partisan environment of Washington, DC, there is precious little on which policy makers and influencers on both sides of the political divide can agree. The subject of criminal justice reform, however, appears to be one of the few where Republicans and Democrats are willing to work together to enact meaningful change.
My son, Josh, is in the last round of interviews for a criminal justice position in a nearby county. The final step before getting the job is a background check. They not only look at criminal records, but also at financial, family, and psychological factors.
Devoting the rest of his life to prison ministry wasn’t what Chuck expected to do when he got out of prison, but God had other plans.
To go into prison is to be marked for life. Regardless of the time spent, the lessons learned, and the changes made, these men and women will forever be identified as prisoners—a “scarlet letter” firmly affixed upon them, and readily visible to all.
It was just a few months before Chuck went home to Jesus. We were sitting in his home in Naples, Florida, and he was “schooling” me, as he did several times in the nine months he and I were together at Prison Fellowship.
A version of the following post originally appeared on the Justice Fellowship weblog
Justice Fellowship applauds today’s unanimous Supreme Court’s decision in Holt v. Hobbs, which upheld the right of a Muslim prisoner to grow a ½ inch beard in accordance with his religious beliefs.
If you weren't able to participate in Angel Tree this season, you can still snag a glimpse of the difference the program is making in the lives of children with incarcerated parents.
Prison Fellowship and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview are partnering with WORLD News Group and Focus on the Family for the Restoring All Things Conference, an inspiring event taking place this April with stops in Grand Rapids, Atlanta, and Dallas.