As Christmas approaches, Prison Fellowship will continue to update our list of the counties with the most underserved Angel Tree children. The following 50 counties are those with the largest number of children signed-up for the Angel Tree program that have not yet been assigned to a church (as of 11/22/11).
I recently came across a story in the “Good Deeds” section of the Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, NC). In it, James Bodenheimer talks about receiving two mailings soliciting contributions for the holiday season—Prison Fellowship and Special Olympics. Both are programs that the Bodenheimers have supported in the past.
A recent article in the Charlotte Observer profiles Mary Fraley, an Angel Tree church coordinator who doesn’t just distribute gifts. Her ministry has grown to include year-round support of Angel Tree families and regular correspondence with 74 different inmates.
Fraley said the people she encounters and the letters she receives from the prisoners provide her just as much encouragement as she tries to give.
Angel Tree program founder Mary Kay Beard will be speaking at Grace Church in Gladstone, MI, on December 1st. Here are the details from the Daily Press:
Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., with the program at 7:00 p.m. Food and beverages will follow.
As Christmas approaches, Prison Fellowship will continue to update our list of the counties with the most underserved Angel Tree children. The following 50 counties are those with the largest number of children signed-up for the Angel Tree program that have not yet been assigned to a church (as of 11/10/11).
Indie band The Offset posted this message on our Angel Tree Facebook wall yesterday:
Playing a benefit concert for the Angel Tree program at Groveton Baptist Church [Alexandria, VA] Saturday December 3rd! Come out and bring a toy for admission to see some awesome bands and contribute to something great!
Every year, Prison Fellowship assists churches in ministering to the families of incarcerated parents through its Angel Tree program. Angel Tree is a ministry that reaches out to the children of inmates and their families with the love of Christ, offering churches an opportunity to share Christ’s love by serving the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.
On November 15, John and Gina Carey and the Urban Soul Project will be performing a free concert at Faith Community Church in Thousand Palms, California, to benefit the Angel Tree program. The couple will be performing original selections from their new recordings, New Beginnings (John Carey) and Melodic (Gina Carey).
Last Wednesday I was in Oklahoma City to hear Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson speak at the monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium. Several hundred people gathered to hear Chuck speak about “doing the right thing” and why it is imperative that we follow the teachings of Jesus if we want to see families, communities, churches, businesses, and our country healed and prosperous.
Today’s BreakPoint from Chuck Colson explores the impact Angel Tree has had on Nation of Islam inmates who sign up their children for Angel Tree simply to give them a gift. As Colson explains, God is using this program to soften their hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Like so many things in life, there is far more to Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program than buying a gift for a child of an incarcerated parent! My recent conversation with an ex-felon who is now a full-time dad proves this.
Angel Tree® camping is a Prison Fellowship® program where kids of incarcerated parents attend Christian summer camps to have fun with friends, build relationships with counselors, and hear the gospel. Many of the children will make a first-time decision to trust in Jesus Christ.
If your church has been involved in the Angel Tree® Christmas program, you may be wondering how to get your Angel Tree kids enrolled in a Christian summer camp. Frontlines spoke with Jennifer Lowrey, Angel Tree Relationships Specialist in Sheridan, Arkansas, to learn more about how this innovative program works and how churches can get more involved.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the holiday season Chuck Colson spent behind bars. “Just hopelessness and despair,” he remembers of that Christmas in prison, not only for him, but also for all the men he had come to know in the months he spent incarcerated.
While most teenagers are playing video games or watching TV, one courageous young man from Barrington, Illinois, dedicated his summer vacation to volunteer for Angel Tree in a unique way. Jeff Varwig spent 23 days riding his bicycle from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico to raise money for the ministry, helping children of prisoners reconnect with their incarcerated parents.