PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Missouri

It’s hard to get a job when you have a criminal record. Period.

But sometimes the right kind of coaching … and the right kind of employer … can make all the difference.

The New York Times ran a piece last week about a federal court program in Missouri that is actually having success finding good jobs for ex-prisoners, and helping them keep those jobs.

At his graduation from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, John Alarid stood out from his fellow classmates. It wasn’t his height or demeanor that separated him, nor was it something pithy and entertaining written in tape on his graduation cap.

When asked how many prisoners he hopes to ultimately reach with the program, Ludeman simply responds, “Millions.”

If you haven’t looked at a calendar recently (or, in the case of much of the country, looked out the window or walked to your car in sub-freezing temperatures), winter is fast approaching, and Christmas is just around the corner.  And here at Prison Fellowship, that means the Angel Tree Christmas program is well underway, helping to provide gifts—and hope—to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents.