Find out how to get involved in mentoring prisoners preparing for release.
Bring renewed hope to couples trying to survive the challenges of incarceration.
God has called every Christian to “make disciples.” However, every Christian is not called to be a mentor to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families. Mentoring this population is a special calling and is one of the most demanding ministries within Prison Fellowship.
We think a lot about restoration at Prison Fellowship Ministries. We believe that restoration is the theme of God’s activity throughout Scripture – and in the present day, too. Since we want to take our cue from Him, we work and pray to make restoration the goal of everything we do with prisoners, returning citizens, families, financial partners, and everyone in between.
For any prison ministry to be truly effective, it must have a solid foundation of prayer. In prayer we call upon God for resources that He alone can provide in our battle against the spiritual forces of darkness.
New volunteers sometimes wonder what to say to prisoners they meet at an in-prison class or program. However, those with years of prison ministry can share some helpful insights.
Do you love to study and share God’s Word with others? If so, leading a prison Bible study may be a great way to be involved in prison ministry.
Feeling a little nervous about teaching prisoners? That’s pretty normal. Most prisoners have very different life experiences than the people you see at church every Sunday. Prison is a harsh environment and prisoners often do whatever it takes to survive. Many wish their lives were different, but they have no idea how to change.
In John 4:35, Jesus commands us, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” When wheat is ready for harvest, it looks almost white. But Jesus wasn’t speaking of fields of grain; He was speaking of a mission field that is “white for harvest.”
To help family ministry volunteers, we have prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the children of prisoners. This resource covers understanding what the children experience, obstacles for visitation, parent child relationships, and much more.
The world moves fast, doesn’t it? We’re always making another to-do list, reading another best-selling leadership book, and doing more. We buy things that promise to make us faster and more efficient – things that will let us be in a business meeting and at the dinner table at the same time.
Sometimes God uses a broken person to fix a city. When God gave Nehemiah the vision to rebuild Jerusalem, he was in exile. He was a captive. He was bent under the weight of anguish. But that brokenness was the raw material God used to send him back to the City of Zion and restore it – and its people.
Todd Holcomb, VRC
While working in a chaplain-type role for a state prison in North Idaho, Todd Holcomb has seen, from the inside, just how vital diligent volunteers are to the successful rehabilitation of prisoners. He shares his thoughts on the importance of investing in the lives of prisoners and their families below in an adaptation of an article originally published on MissionTV.com:
Initially, Tony Torrez wasn’t sure if prison ministry was his calling. He didn’t know how he would connect with the prisoners and felt he was already making a difference in the homeless community. However, after a volunteer at the Arizona State Prison at Winslow persuaded him to come to an orientation, he couldn’t say no to becoming involved.