Last year, Bob celebrated his 90th birthday inside Minnesota's only level five maximum-security prison, Oak Park Heights. Bob has led Bible studies there since the late 1990s.
Last week, Channel 4 News, WDIV Detroit aired a story about what it's like for these moms to be away from their children for years at a time.
Prison Fellowship works to bring good people back to their communities through restorative programming and dedicated volunteers. In the next three years, Prison Fellowship hopes to position itself in the top 50 urban centers for reentry. Through the development of local reentry networks and local church participation, we can see even more prisoners supported in a successful reentry process, and these former prisoners can go on to help others.
A young woman I met recently was 22 years old. Her adult life had barely begun, but she had already done quite a bit of hard living. She was one of several children born to an overburdened mom. Her dad was not around to help.
Are you excited about prison ministry, but feeling a little skittish about going inside a prison? That’s totally understandable. To help you prepare, we’ve put together a two-page list of general safety guidelines for in-prison volunteers.
- Advocacy & Reentry
- From the CEO
- Prison & Prisoners
- Prison Fellowship News & Updates
- Second Chance Month
- Uncategorized
On a recent visit to a prison I met a man I’ll call “Tom.”
Tom’s past is typical of many stories I hear. He is a repeat, nonviolent drug offender. By day, on the outside, he was a truck driver, but he also sold drugs to supplement his income.
A prisoner I’ll call Jared is getting ready to be one of the first graduates of a new Prison Fellowship pre-release unit. This is his third time behind bars. He has spent most of his life as a drug dealer and a petty thief, governed by that troublesome four-letter word: self.
When fear and insecurity fill our hearts, we respond with selfish indifference to the needs of our neighbors. But when faith rules our lives, when we have wrestled with God and found Him true, we become secure in His ability to care for us, and we cease to doubt and fear.
Faced with a life sentence, Aaron could have descended into despair and hopelessness. But God called Aaron at his lowest point and prepareed him to serve.
It was Christmas. My husband was in prison. Haranguing thoughts constantly harassed me.
How can I possibly forgive him? How can I ever live this down? How can I go on?
That was twenty-three years ago. Last Sunday, I fingered an Angel Tree ornament.
At the beginning of January I saw a powerful model of partnership and unity in the church in action. I went to an appreciation event for Angel Tree church volunteers in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hoffmantown Church, a suburban congregation, had taken on more than 150 children in 2012, but what really stood out to me about them was they weren’t content with just delivering gifts to inmates’ children in their own backyard.
Each year, Prison Fellowship recognizes volunteers and employees who have made a difference in the lives of prisoners and their families by presenting them with the Shining Star Award. In the coming weeks, the blog will highlight some of the 2012 Shining Star recipients and their work.
Each year, Prison Fellowship recognizes volunteers and employees who have made a difference in the lives of prisoners and their families by presenting them with the Shining Star Award. In the coming weeks, the blog will highlight some of the 2012 Shining Star recipients and their work.