PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Press Releases

Prison Fellowship is pleased to announce the expansion of its “Prisoners to Pastors” program to the Cristina Melton Crain Prison in Gatesville, Texas.  Forty inmates will be participating in the program, which provides seminary-level education and training in prisons.

Facilitated by Prison Fellowship volunteers and in cooperation with The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) of World Impact, the Prisoners to Pastors program offers former lawbreakers the chance to become leaders of the Church behind bars and after they return to the community.

As Americans face the prospect of continued divided government and partisan gridlock, a Washington Monthly article offers hope for bi-partisan cooperation on a surprising issue: crime.

In “The Conservative War on Prisons” David Dagan and Steven Teles report that serious criminal justice reform efforts are in high gear in several states these days, with conservatives taking the lead.

More of the 2.7 million children of prisoners in the U.S. will be connected with their incarcerated parents this holiday season, thanks to a new partnership between Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program and the Church of the Nazarene. The denomination’s Board of General Superintendents recently voted to encourage Church of the Nazarene congregations across the country to take part in the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to children with a parent in prison.

Every year California state prisons release thousands of prisoners, most of whom return to the state’s inner cities, where poverty and crime walk hand in hand. Today, Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest outreach to prisoners, and World Impact, a Christian missions organization committed to serving the urban poor, announced the expansion of their leadership training program for prisoners.

LANSDOWNE, VA, December 20, 2011—Justice Fellowship announces the appointment of Craig DeRoche, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, as their Director of External Affairs. DeRoche will work with federal and state officials to reform the criminal justice system.

Prison Fellowship is announcing a new partnership with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), the largest Christian Hispanic association in the United States.

“This partnership will not only allow us to focus our efforts to reach and engage more Hispanic churches, but to also increase our ministry to touch the hearts of Hispanic prisoners and their children, an estimated 20 percent of our total outreach,” says Prison Fellowship President Garland Hunt. 

Prison Fellowship® (PF) is pleased to announce two highly qualified new leaders to take the helm of its 35-year-old ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. Beginning in July, Jim Liske will serve as the organization’s new CEO, and Garland Hunt will serve as president.

On June 6 Prison Fellowship® announced the appointment of James Liske as the ministry’s new CEO.  Liske, who currently serves as senior pastor at Ridge Point Community Church in Holland, Michigan, will begin his term with Prison Fellowship in late July. 

Today Prison Fellowship® announced the appointment of James Liske as the ministry’s CEO.  Liske, who currently serves as senior pastor at Ridge Point Community Church in Holland, Michigan, will begin his term with Prison Fellowship in late July.  He succeeds Tom Pratt, who has served as interim president since October 2010.

.Prison Fellowship is pleased to announce that Frank Lofaro will be joining the ministry this May to serve as executive vice-president, assuming leadership oversight of the programmatic, fundraising, and marketing efforts of Prison Fellowship. No stranger to the organization, Frank previously served as an officer with both Prison Fellowship and Prison Fellowship International.

Approximately 320 guests, including actor Stephen Baldwin, attended Prison Fellowship’s screening of the new movie Loving the Bad Man. Following the screening, a panel discussion was held on the movie’s themes of forgiveness and reconciliation and how they relate to prison ministry.

ROCKVILLE, MD—Goodwill Industries International and Prison Fellowship signed an agreement today to collaborate on job training and mentoring services for people who spent time in prison and at-risk youth, and to influence public policy initiatives. The partnership aims to help these populations make a successful return to their communities following incarceration, support the children of formerly incarcerated individuals and reduce the rate of criminal recidivism.