PRISON FELLOWSHIP VIEWPOINT

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Dear Clair,

As a valued partner in our ministry, you understand the power of prayer.

Your prayers made it possible to reach nearly 400,000 prisoners’ children with a gift and the Gospel at Christmas. And your prayers made it possible to deliver the Gospel to prisoners nationwide last year.

Through you, God shaped 2011 into a year of blessings.

Prisoners and their children desperately need your intercession as they seek transformation through Jesus Christ. That’s why we need you—our brothers and sisters in Christ—to join our Prayer Team!

Pray for Jonathan and his family

Jonathan is incarcerated in Alabama. He has a little boy and girl who received gifts and the Gospel thanks to Angel Tree®. But behind bars, Jonathan is striving to stay true to his faith in a place where evil thrives.

“People in prison are trying to pull you in negative ways,” Jonathan said. “Prison Fellowship is helping me out a lot. I see the faith in my life and a lot of other guys who are in the dorm. We know our faith is real.”

Jonathan and his children are just one of countless families whom you can bless with your prayers when you sign up to join our Prayer Team!

Pray for transformation—no matter where you are!

Joining the team is easy. Visit our Prayer Team site and pick a day and time to pray. Each week you’ll receive an email on your selected day with a request you can lift up in prayer.



We can do nothing outside of God’s power, and we rely on your commitment to pray for His will to be done in the lives of prisoners and their children.

Miracles happen when you’re on your knees for the least, lost, and lonely. This new year, join the team that helps change lives for His glory through the power of prayer!


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A Real Game Changer
 
 
This Sunday lots of folks will tune in to the Super Bowl. Millions of people will sit down to watch not just the game, but hours of post-game analysis by commentators who will debate what determined the outcome of the competition. What plays turned out to be game-changing?

Recently at Prison Fellowship, we watched in awe as God brought about a real game-changer for inmates in California. Thanks to our partnership with World Impact and a generous donor, we now have the ability to make The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), a seminary-level theological education, available to prisoners in every single California prison. Prisoners who graduate from this program will return to the same neighborhoods where they learned to break the law, now prepared to not just stay out of jail, but to breathe life into their families, churches and communities.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation needs to be applauded for their openness to an educational opportunity like TUMI. This rigorous program requires discipline, group interaction, critical thinking skills and leadership, skills that will make them engaged citizens and valuable employees once they graduate.

And as a former pastor, I am especially thrilled about the availability of this program in California. I would have loved to have men and women returning to my church who were prepared to lead and serve in ministries of reconciliation and renewal. Just think of the exponential impact! These ex-prisoners will return to churches ready to reach and train those who have never violated the law in how to engage in the healing of those torn and scarred by incarceration. This is a true game changer!


For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship Ministries
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for the new pre-release classes in the Columbia River, Coffee Creek, and Santiam Correctional Facilities in Oregon.
    for Bible study team members Jacqueline Foster and Gloria Chaney as they faithfully serve the women every Wednesday evening at Arizona State Prison Complex Perryville’s Santa Maria Unit.
    for the volunteers of the in-prison team serving the Crossroads Correctional Institution in Shelby, Montana.
    for churches to take Angel Tree from a Christmas program to a year-round ministry.
    for Bible study team members Kelly Dob, Mardy and Bill Lawrence, and Pat Lawrence as they faithfully serve the women every Monday evening at Arizona State Prison Complex Perryville’s San Pedro Unit.
     
Featured Article
 

 

Transformation by the Numbers
 
Sheveal Beasley shoplifted to feed her drug habit and landed behind bars. The cycle had begun, and it would be years before it came to a stop.
 
News and Views
 
    You've Got to Want it for Yourself
   
   
    Incarceration Costs More than We Thought
       
    Friends of HOPE
       
    4 Reasons to Hire Ex-Offenders
   
 




 
 
 
 
 

 

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Humility Paves the Way
 
 
Recently at Prison Fellowship we had an entire day devoted to corporate prayer. Prayer has always been a part of what we’ve done during the years, but this day was different. We could feel that God desires to draw us in even closer, that He wants to do something fresh and new.

I was reminded of the words of the Lord in Isaiah 43: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?”

I believe in my spirit that God wants to accomplish a revival in the prisons and in each of our hearts.

And how do we maintain this revival? How do we nurture it? When we consider the great revivals of the past – the Welsh Revival, the Azusa Street Revival – at the center were broken people calling out to the Lord. It’s humility – not our righteousness – that paves the way for revival.

A humble heart is tender towards God, and He responds when it cries out to Him. And that may be why He sometimes allows hard things into our lives – to bring forth the fruit of humility. As God does great things in our midst, we don’t ever want to forget what He’s brought us through. We can do nothing without His intervention. But as we keep humble, contrite, tender hearts, there is no end to what He can accomplish not merely in our own lives, but for our children’s children. We will see not merely the revival of our hearts, but the awakening of a culture and generation.


But for the Grace of God,
Garland Hunt
President, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for Chaplain Chris Von Lobedon at Shutter Creek Correctional Institution in Coos County, Oregon.
    for Oregon Department of Religious Services Director Gary Sims.
    for the group of nationally focused mentoring organizations meeting in the DC area. Pray for their focus and for increased effectiveness in reaching children of the incarcerated.
    for the women at Casa Aurora (Bakersfield, CA), that God will bring healing to their minds and hearts.  Pray for volunteer Alicia Matta as she faithfully ministers to the women.
    for the Reentry Seminar at ASPC Lewis, Bachman Unit, in Buckeye, Arizona, on January 28 and 29th.
     
Featured Article
 

 

Young Volunteer Gets 'Tough with Inmates
 
Jessica Greer hails from rural North Carolina. She likes to sing and play the guitar. And she loves to go to prison.
 
News and Views
 
    Visiting Prisoners Reduces Recidivism
   
   
    Political Games and Prisoners
       
    When is 'Enough' Enough?
       
    Federal Government to Provide $20 Million to Help Create Jobs for Ex-Prisoners
   
 



 
 
 
 
 

 

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Thank You!
 
 
I want to personally thank the volunteers and donors that participated in our 2011 Angel Tree Christmas program.  Because of you, almost 400,000 prisoners’ children received a gift from their incarcerated parent and great hope through the Gospel.

That’s almost 400,000 children who feel closer to their absent mom or dad, closer to a local church, and closer to Jesus Christ!

Akeylah is one of the many precious angels whose Christmas was brightened by your generosity. At nine years old, she’s the youngest in her family of five. So she doesn’t remember any special moments with her dad before he went to prison.

But when friends like you invited her to an Angel Tree® Christmas party at a nearby church, Akeylah treasured that moment because she felt important to the father she’s only known as a prisoner.

“I got lots of presents from my dad, and it’s lots of fun!” she said.

“I don’t know how to describe it. I was really happy that I got something from him, and know that he’s ok,” she said. “I have a great time with my family.”

Akeylah is now learning to follow her Savior. “It’s important to never give upon [God],” she said. “Don’t doubt about anything. And read the Bible, go to church, and tell people how to become a Christian.”

Akeylah is one of countless children whose lives have been touched by your efforts. This new year, please keep these families in your prayers as they seek to renew their lives through the power of Jesus Christ.

You shared the true meaning of Christmas with so many who have never experienced the love of our Savior. So from the bottom of my heart to yours, thank you for serving the littlest victims of crime with your joyful and generous spirit!

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for the Spirit to illuminate minds and transform lives through the weekly Bible study at the Hollywood Work Release program in Florida.
    for the Lincoln County Ministry Team as they share the Gospel with inmates in Newport, Oregon.
    for the Clark County Ministry Delivery Team in Vancouver, Washington.
    for families and inmates of TUMI/Reentry as they attend today’s Family Embraced Event at South Bay.
    for the Tri-Cities Ministry Delivery Team as they prepare to offer reentry ministry in Washington.
     
New This Week
 

 

When Dad Comes Home
 
An Angel Tree party in Florida offered a bit of healing for 200 kids in attendance, but they weren't the only ones to benefit.  
more
 
Choice Fruit
 
Two-and-a-half years into his marriage, John Pursell found himself under the proverbial garden tree.
  more
 

 
News and Views
 
    No Free Lunch for Texas Inmates
   
   
   
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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Sharing the Light of Christ
 
 
Every year, Patty and I bring gifts to one or two children through Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program. For me, it just wouldn't seem like Christmas without Angel Tree. The same is true for a young man named Robert.

At 10, Robert watched his dad handcuffed and driven away to prison. To keep the family afloat, Robert’s mom packed up and moved them from their comfortable home in the country to a gang-ridden urban neighborhood. She warned her children that Christmas might not look like much that first year without their dad.

On Christmas morning, Robert woke up to find a bare room and his mother crying on the couch. Wrapping his arms around her, Robert told his mom that he did not mind that they didn’t have any gifts; that they were not all that important.

But her tears were tears of joy. Looking out on their front porch, Robert saw gifts piled high, some with labels with his dad’s name on them. They were Angel Tree gifts, given by volunteers from a local church. But Robert did not know that at the time. All he knew was that his dad loved him and remembered him.

Robert became a committed believer and eventually signed on as the youth pastor of the same church that provided those gifts that Christmas morning. And every year, he and his wife sign up to purchase gifts for Angel Tree children.

Doesn’t that give you a marvelous picture of what the Advent season is really all about? God entered into our darkness with light in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. And that light, the Light of the world, changes us and enables us to spread the light to others.

To learn more about how you can continue to spread the light of hope to the hopeless through Angel Tree, call 1-800-55-ANGEL (800-552-6435), or visit www.angeltree.org. Even if you are unable to make a donation, pray that families would be reconciled and lives would be transformed this Christmas through Angel Tree. As the saying goes, all the darkness in the world cannot overcome the light of one small candle. This Advent, light a candle and spread the light.

 

Yours in His Service,
Chuck Colson
Founder, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    that God would break incarceration cycles of released prisoners; may they seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
    for discipline and focus for Randy Schulz, Field Director for WA, as he works to establish solid reentry ministry throughout the State.
    for bridge churches, as they open their arms to returning ex-prisoners and help them successfully transition to the community.
    for blessings on the Whatcom, Columbia Basin – Hope Unshackled, and Pierce County Community Reentry Teams in Washington State.
    for Lee Robbins as he leads the Corrective Thinking course for young offenders at PhillipsTransitional Centerin Buford, GA.
     
New This Week
 

 

The Girl Next Door
 
Nine-year-old Bailey is a lot like many little girls her age, but her heart carries some unimaginable burdens.  more
 
Seeing Prisoners' Souls
 
While serving as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Drayton Nabers saw something in prisoners that some of his colleagues did not.  more
 

 
News and Views
 
    Tears of Sadness
   
    Your Voices Were Heard - Second Chance Act Funds Restored
       
    Theo Teams up with Angel Tree This Christmas
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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"I Want to Make a Life"
 
 
The 2005 PBS documentary Aging Out followed several former foster children as they moved out on their own. One of the teenagers, David, was taken from his paranoid schizophrenic mother when he was less than a year old.

For the next 18 years, David jumped from one foster home to the next. He was in and out of juvenile detention facilities for violent behavior. He became addicted to drugs and landed in jail. Upon release, David journeyed across the country, spending the next year homeless on the streets of Seattle.

“I want to make a life that I can call a life, something that I can be at least a little bit proud of,” David says. “I'm definitely not proud of my life right now.”

Societal orphans like David are desperate for someone to pay attention to them, to notice them as treasures and not throwaways. And that’s just what God calls us to do - to embrace the Davids of this world with the hope of Christ and the promise of a real and lasting home.

When I visit prison and meet men and women whose hearts are breaking because they can’t be with their families this Christmas, I often think of their children and wonder where they are. Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program affords us the opportunity to reach out to these sons and daughters with the love of Christ, letting them know that they are valued by their earthly parents, as well as their Heavenly Father. And by loving these children, we end up sharing Christ’s love with prisoners as well.

 

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for the new men starting IFI-Texas Group 48 Orientation in December.
    that service will be continued for transformational ministry students being transferred to work release at Demilly Correctional Institute in Florida.
    that the Lord will use Prison Fellowship to minister to broken families of the incarcerated, providing for more than just Christmas gifts.
    for Angel Tree children to come to Christ and grow as disciples through mentoring relationships.
    for strong collaboration between Cedar Creek Corrections Center (WA) staff and the PF in-prison team as they seek to strengthen reentry preparedness.
     
New This Week
 

 

Serving to the Max: Q&A with an Award-Winning PF Volunteer
 
PF-certified volunteer Don Walker recently received the Pete Spackman Volunteer of the Year Award from the Corrections Corporation of America for his service to some of America's most hardened criminals. He spoke with Prison Fellowship recently to share about his experiences  more
 
Still Looking for the Perfect Gift?
 
Need Christmas gifts for your loved ones? How about a selection of riveting books that have the potential to change how they see the world?  more
 

 
News and Views
 
    UPDATE: Most Underserved Angel Tree Counties (12/2)
   
    How to Change a Life
       
    Soul Singer Dwele Supports Angel Tree
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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December 1, 2011


Your Kingdom Come!

Dear Praying Friends,

My prayers are too small - and I assume most of yours are too. Consider how Jesus taught the Disciples before us. Jesus called on His Father to cause His rule and reign to come to the place where we live.

Now, we can make a few assumptions. Jesus was praying in God's will - Jesus tells us “He and the Father are one” and “the Father's thoughts were and are His thoughts.” It is a good assumption to understand this prayer as what God wants to happen will happen.

We can also very safely assume that this will happen, is happening, and that God desires it to happen. Jesus taught us that when we pray in His name and according to the will of the Father things happen! When we want what God wants and see the power of Jesus as the only way it can happen - and the way it can happen - the supernatural is manifest.

I was speaking to a mom of a recovering addict and an ex-felon. I complimented her on her faith and courage and her love for her very own prodigal. He's home, sober, working, and following Jesus. I put this in the “miracle” column. When I told her she was a model of faith she looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Why am I a model? God says pray in his will and believe. I did and God acted.” I received her wise rebuke and stood corrected.

She just asked God to reveal His rule and reign in her son's heart and life. She simply did as Jesus taught. She took God at His word - He is not willing that any should perish. She believed Jesus - faith moves mountains. She did not confuse her small stature or her son's huge mistakes as indicators of the future - God is bigger! She followed Jesus and God gathered her son home.

I need to pray BIGGER! Will you join me? Please? I want God's Kingdom to come. I desire to see more and more and more people come to Jesus so that the expression of God's holiness will drown out the clamor of chaos and the din of murmuring voices and grumbling crowds. I want the love of Jesus - sacrificial and safe, warm and healing, hope-filled and honest - to overwhelm the hopeless extracting of joy from the masses across our country and around our world!

Pray boldly! As we prepare to celebrate the first incarnation of the Father, plead with God to reveal Jesus in the second incarnation of His great love - the Church of His Son. Ask God to send the power of the Kingdom in its fullness here and now in the lives of the lost, the lonely, and the forgotten and ask God to deliver it through you and me!

Thank you for praying - Great things are and will continue to happen!

Blessings,

Jim Liske
CEO
 
 
Pray for
Chuck Colson and Jim Liske as they travel:
 
 

Prayer Letter from Jim Liske is published by Prison Fellowship:

 44180 Riverside Parkway,
Lansdowne, VA 20176.

 

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December 1, 2011


Your Kingdom Come!

Dear Praying Friends,

My prayers are too small - and I assume most of yours are too. Consider how Jesus taught the Disciples before us. Jesus called on His Father to cause His rule and reign to come to the place where we live.

Now, we can make a few assumptions. Jesus was praying in God's will - Jesus tells us “He and the Father are one” and “the Father's thoughts were and are His thoughts.” It is a good assumption to understand this prayer as what God wants to happen will happen.

We can also very safely assume that this will happen, is happening, and that God desires it to happen. Jesus taught us that when we pray in His name and according to the will of the Father things happen! When we want what God wants and see the power of Jesus as the only way it can happen - and the way it can happen - the supernatural is manifest.

I was speaking to a mom of a recovering addict and an ex-felon. I complimented her on her faith and courage and her love for her very own prodigal. He's home, sober, working, and following Jesus. I put this in the “miracle” column. When I told her she was a model of faith she looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Why am I a model? God says pray in his will and believe. I did and God acted.” I received her wise rebuke and stood corrected.

She just asked God to reveal His rule and reign in her son's heart and life. She simply did as Jesus taught. She took God at His word - He is not willing that any should perish. She believed Jesus - faith moves mountains. She did not confuse her small stature or her son's huge mistakes as indicators of the future - God is bigger! She followed Jesus and God gathered her son home.

I need to pray BIGGER! Will you join me? Please? I want God's Kingdom to come. I desire to see more and more and more people come to Jesus so that the expression of God's holiness will drown out the clamor of chaos and the din of murmuring voices and grumbling crowds. I want the love of Jesus - sacrificial and safe, warm and healing, hope-filled and honest - to overwhelm the hopeless extracting of joy from the masses across our country and around our world!

Pray boldly! As we prepare to celebrate the first incarnation of the Father, plead with God to reveal Jesus in the second incarnation of His great love - the Church of His Son. Ask God to send the power of the Kingdom in its fullness here and now in the lives of the lost, the lonely, and the forgotten and ask God to deliver it through you and me!

Thank you for praying - Great things are and will continue to happen!

Blessings,

Jim Liske
CEO
 
 
Pray for
Chuck Colson and Jim Liske as they travel:
 
 

Prayer Letter from Jim Liske is published by Prison Fellowship:

 44180 Riverside Parkway,
Lansdowne, VA 20176.

 

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Help Dispel the Sting of Incarceration this Christmas
 
 
I celebrate Advent - a period of preparation for the coming Christ - every day as soon as I awake! Each day I wake up with thanksgiving for Jesus coming to Earth so we could know Him and follow Him. How cool is that?

Angel Tree gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate Advent and to look to the coming of hope and the power of Heaven. Every year prisoners who can't shop sign up their kids so we can shop for them. When you and I show up at the door of a house, the sting of incarceration is dispelled briefly by the gift we carry and hope is revealed because we chose to care when we get nothing in return.

For my friends Doug and Katrina and their kids, Angel Tree was the time of the year that told them the rest of the year was going to be OK. As Doug served his time he knew his church was serving his family through Angel Tree. His kids were able to retain a connection to their dad. His wife felt a bit less abandoned. Christmas seemed a little bit more normal. Their church continued serving the family until Doug came home. Christmas lasted all year.

Don't miss the chance to celebrate the image of God in you by giving away the love you've received. Don't miss the chance to enjoy Advent, and to introduce others to the coming of the promised Savior.

Go to www.angeltree.org. There is still time to get in on the fun! I'd hate to have Christmas without you.

 

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for mentoring organizations that have lost grant funding for their programs; that they might continue mentoring children of the incarcerated.
    for continued progress in the Washington State DOC in their effort to facilitate the development of solid release plans for those in their facilities.
    for mentoring organizations to connect with local churches where appropriate to help with Angel Tree Christmas parties.
    for the Operation Starting Line event this Saturday, Dec. 3, at Southwestern Correctional in Lancaster, OH.
    for the Christian Camp and Conference Association National Conference Dec. 5-9 in Asheville, NC. Pray for strengthened relationships with partnering Angel Tree camps and for more camps to catch the vision for expanding their ministry to reach children of the incarcerated.
     
New This Week
 

 

A Window on Love
 
Prison came as a relief to Kathy Davis, a homeless alcoholic and drug addict. “I didn’t know how to get out of what I was doing,” she explains. “I saw it as my way into a normal life.”  more
 
VIDEO: The Gift Doesn't Stop Here
 
Cary White shares his powerful testimony about finding Christ, becoming a pastor behind bars, and ministering to others inside and outside the walls.  more
 

 
News and Views
 
    From Boys to Men
   
    For Former Prisoners, Sentence Lingers after Release
       
    Jesus and Justice
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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We need your help to reach all 400,000 prisoners’ kids this Christmas before it’s too late.
Your gift will have double the impact thanks to a matching grant!
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Angel Tree
Deliver a gift and the Gospel to a prisoner’s child
before it’s too late!
 
YOU CAN HELP!
$12.58
will help TWO children
$25.16
will help FOUR children
$50.32
will help EIGHT children
DONATE NOW
 
Dear Friends,

Christmas is almost here! That means you have one LAST CHANCE to reach the remaining 52,146 children who are hoping that their mommy or daddy will remember them this holiday.

We still haven’t reached our goal of serving 400,000 prisoners’ children. So many little ones are at risk of missing out on an Angel Tree Christmas this year . . . unless you help.

Your gift will have TWICE the impact

A generous friend has promised to provide a matching grant of $328,000—half the cost of what we need to reach these children—but only if you help provide the other half.

Please help us unlock these matching funds with your gift today!

Your generosity will have double the impact. Each $12.58 gift you send will deliver the Gospel and a gift on behalf of an incarcerated parent to not one but TWO children in need!

Heal the hearts of hurting children today

Time is running out. Please don’t let any child feel forgotten this season.

This is your last chance to deliver God’s love to a lonely child. We need your prayers and support to share Jesus with every hurting little heart.

Will you remember a prisoner’s child with your gift today?

Make an eternal difference in the life of a little girl or boy and open their eyes and heart to the best Christmas miracle of all – the birth of Jesus Christ!
Blessings,
signature
Jim Liske
Chief Executive Officer
$12.58 will help TWO children   DONATE NOW
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UPDATE: Most Underserved Angel Tree Counties
 
 
It is almost Thanksgiving, and the campaign to reach out to the families of incarcerated parents is in full swing.

During the Christmas season, Prison Fellowship assists churches in ministering to the families of incarcerated parents in their communities through its Angel Tree program. Local church volunteers purchase and deliver gifts and the Gospel to children in the name of their parent behind bars. Thousands of families are served every year by church members who generously give of their time and resources.

We have been greatly blessed with so many churches committed to serving families in their communities, and we are well on our way to reaching our goal of serving 400,000 children this year.  However, some areas are still in need of support. On our website you can find a recently-updated list of the 50 most underserved counties in the United States. (The list will be updated right up until Christmas, so be sure to visit the Prison Fellowship blog to see how things are progressing.)

If you live in or around one of these counties and would like for your church to participate, or if your county is not listed, but you want to see what need might exist around you, visit http://www.angeltree.org/christmas to see how you can get involved.

 

At His Feet,
Garland Hunt
President, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for mentoring organizationsthat have agreements with Prison Fellowship to renew their relationships withus to serve Angel Tree children.
    that the Lord would begin torestore men and women to their children. May His fruits abound in the lives ofthese families.
    that God will raise committed men and women tolead Bible studies at Glades Work Camp, Loxahatchee Road Prison, Atlantic and West Palm Beach Release Centersin Florida.
     
New This Week
 

 

Love without Conditions
 
A few days before Christmas 1999, in Sandy Creek, New York, Denise Hall opened the front door to let the dog out. That's when she saw the packages on the porch.What's this? she asked. more
 
Pat Culp's Bottom Line
 
Ms. Pat can’t remember the names of all of the prisoners she’s ministered to over the past 19 years, but she does remember their victories. more
 

 
News and Views
 
    What Happens in Prison Doesn’t Stay in Prison
   
    Tough Decisions
       
    The Justice Between Us
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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Jacob felt the weight of the world on his shoulders when his dad went to prison.
But that all changed when Angel Tree gave him the gift of hope one Christmas!
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Angel Tree
Lift the burdens of a prisoner’s child by giving them the gift of hope this Christmas!
 
YOU CAN HELP!
$12.58
will help TWO children
$25.16
will help FOUR children
$50.32
will help EIGHT children
DONATE NOW
 
Dear Friends,

Prisoners’ children are the littlest victims of crime. And they long to know that somebody . . . anybody cares about them this time of year.

They need you. Help a lonely boy or girl feel remembered and loved today!

Your support will help give a prisoner’s child a Christmas gift from their incarcerated parent and the Good News of God’s love. And thanks to a generous matching grant, your gift will be doubled to reach not just one, but two children in time for Christmas!

A son burdened with a father’s responsibility

9-year-old Jacob’s world turned upside down when he woke one morning to find his daddy gone.

His mom turned to him with tears in her eyes: “You’re the man of the house now.” Years passed before Jacob learned that his dad was sentenced to serve 8 years in prison for selling drugs.

Like many prisoners’ kids, Jacob had to grow up much more quickly than a child ever should. That's why your gift today gives hope to hurting children during this difficult time of year.

For 3 years, Jacob didn’t have much contact with his dad . . . until one Christmas when a local church invited Jacob to an Angel Tree Christmas Party.

Jacob couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the gift with his name on the tag. "To Jacob. Love, Dad," the tag read. The “man of the house” couldn’t keep up the tough guy act any longer. The tears began to flow as he tore through the wrapping paper.

“A pinball machine!” Jacob yelled. He couldn’t remember the last time his dad remembered him on Christmas!

Your gift will give a child a future and a hope

You make it possible for kids like Jacob to have hope in a Savior when the weight of the world is on their shoulders. His story is just one of countless examples of the power of one simple gift . . . a gift that you can give today!

Deliver eternal hope to lonely prisoners’ children this Christmas. Remember – every $12.58 you give will reach TWICE as many kids for Christ!
Blessings,
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Jim Liske
Chief Executive Officer



 
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My Mom Deserves It!
 
 
Ed had been in prison for over 20 years in a state far from his family. He saw family members infrequently and lost touch with all his friends. He was re-entering his community well beyond the age of 40 with his mom as his only support system.

Ed began following Jesus while in prison after hearing about Jesus’ love and grace at a Prison Fellowship event. He was then discipled – learning how to live a life in obedience to God’s guidelines.

Ed was excited to put these truths into action upon his release. He was offered a job as caretaker of his mother’s church. He served there for three years until church leaders who lacked an understanding of the challenges facing an ex-prisoner dismissed him from the church staff. He was also asked to leave the congregation.

“For over 20 years my mother has sat alone in church," Ed told the church leaders, "and for over 20 years she has had to travel to see her son once a year. I vowed that after I was done with my sentence she would never sit in church alone, and that I would be by her side every Sunday. I will leave this church if you force me but I am asking that for my mother’s sake you don’t – allow her to have her son next to her every week in Church. She deserves that.”

The church leadership relented and allowed Ed to remain as a member of the church. He now even volunteers at the church. And every Sunday morning, he sits next to his mother during worship services.

Ed went to prison a selfish and angry man. A relationship with Jesus transformed his soul, his heart, his mind, his body, his family, his church, and his mom’s world. How cool is that?

 

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for God to send strong men of integrity to lead group mentoring at Bright Futures Dorm, Sago Palms.
    for the chaplain at Glades Correctional Institute and his volunteers; for blessings of encouragement, refreshing and vision.
    for open doors and more programming at Pompano Transition Center, FL.
    for God to provide more laborers in the vineyard.
    for Sam and Debbie Bass and their team as they lead the two weekly Friday night Bible studies, at Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, WA.
     
New This Week
 

 

Lifting the Curse
 
"I was born to Sixto and Yolanda Carrion in the age of heroin." Thus begins the story of the Dr. Rev. Michael Carrion, an energetic man hustling between meetings in the Bronx, where he is the senior pastor of a church and the CEO of a charter school.  more
 
Texas Inmates Are All Business
 
With more than thirty years of experience in the construction industry, Roger Orr should have no problem landing a job. But a four-year prison record could bar his way. That’s why Orr plans to start his own business.  more
 

 
News and Views
 
    Angel Tree Founder to Speak in Michigan December 1
   
    UPDATE: Most Underserved Angel Tree Counties (11/10)
       
    Performing for Angel Tree
       
 
 
 
 
 



 

Little Charity found faith in Jesus with Angel Tree’s help.
Now you can share your faith this season through your very own Angel Tree Christmas cards!
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Get Angel Tree Christmas cards when you help
a child like Charity
Dear Clair,

Charity never knew her real daddy. He went to prison for murder when she was only 3 years old.

Then Angel Tree visited her one Christmas morning with a present from the real father she didn’t know. That simple gift changed her life forever.
  “Angel Tree is where my faith began. And now I know the greatest way to return that gift is to further God’s kingdom by telling people about Christ,” Charity said.  

Spread the Good News through these unique Angel Tree Christmas cards!

You can light the fire of faith in a child like Charity this Christmas! Your financial support will give the precious gift of Jesus to a child who feels lonely and abandoned.

Every $12.58 you send will be DOUBLEDto reach a prisoner’s child with a gift from their incarcerated parent and the Gospel message!
For any gift you give, we’ll send you a set of 5 child-drawn Christmas cards that feature stories of Angel Tree families whose lives have been gracefully restored through our Savior!
DONATE NOW
Give faith, hope, and charity to a child

Charity remembers the impact that special Angel Tree Christmas had on her life 13 years ago:
  "The greatest gift I ever received was the Gospel. And now that I know my dad, I love him more than anything."  

Give faith, hope, and love to little boys and girls this Christmas!
Blessings,
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Jim Liske
Chief Executive Officer
  $12.58
will help TWO children		     $25.16
will help FOUR children		     $50.32
will help EIGHT children
 
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We Are All Recovering from Something
 
 
Restoration. It is great to witness things – lives, relationships, ministries – being restored, isn’t it? The thing about restoration, though, is that as joyous as the process can be, it very often signifies the completion of a period of purging, pruning and purifying. All of which can be rather hard and humbling.

I guess in some ways we in the Kingdom are in a perpetual state of restoration. I recall a conversation with a former inmate who said to me quite pointedly, “We’re all recovering from something, and reentering from somewhere.”

His statement has stayed with me. We are always recovering and rebuilding, but not without hope, faith, and humility. I think that is why I am so inspired to be joining Prison Fellowship as we celebrate 35 years of equipping local churches to transform prisoners. Our hope, faith, and humility have brought us to this point.

Our partnership with the Church is the cornerstone of our work, and will continue to ground us, smooth our way, and cement Prison Fellowship’s place as a beacon of God’s love and mercy for another 35 years. I am excited about that. I hope you are, too.

There are 2.3 million prisoners in America’s prisons and jails. I am convinced that every one of them can experience lasting life change with Christ’s touch. The Church can spread revival in prisoners’ hearts, and raise churches – and Christian leaders and evangelists – behind the walls.

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for the Operation Starting Line meeting in ColoradoSprings today, and for Angel Tree “Going Beyond Christmas” meetings scheduled in Coloradothis week.
    for Jeff Kirkman, director of religious services in Idaho, as he works closely with Prison Fellowship indeveloping ministry across the state.
    for a larger space in theGlades Correctional Institute facility to open up for the inmates to meet.
    for Ada County in-prison coordinator Howard Pollock as he facilitates nearly a dozen Bible studies in Boise area prisons.
    for the recruiting efforts ofcollaborating mentoring organizations to have success in recruiting believingmentors for Angel Tree kids.

 
     
New This Week
 

 

The Big Threes
 
What makes staying out of prison such a challenge for ex-prisoners, and how can they get help to succeed? For returning prisoners and those determined to assist them, the benchmarks of successful reentry come in threes.  more
 
VIDEO: Living outside the Box
 
The United States knows how to build a box that imprisons those convicted of crimes. Prison Fellowship leads the way in teaching inmates how to live outside the box—through faith—whether behind bars or back in their communities.  more

 
 

 
News and Views
 
    What Are You Known For?
   
    VIDEO: Inmates Ready for Business
       
    A Night of Executions
       
    Is Revolution Possible in America?
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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The Church inside Prison Walls
 
 
My father had a severe dislike for daisies. Growing up on the farm, I can remember walking through the fields with my siblings and pulling out daisies by the roots. If we missed one, or if new a new daisy emerged in a day or two, my siblings or I would be dispatched to remove it.

Dad was not anti-flowers. He did, however, understand the power of the daisies’ ability to spread and take over a farm. Dad knew if left alone to propagate, daisies would spread wildly until the whole field was covered with white. We pulled them before they could take over!

The Church of Jesus is designed to be just like daisies. Led by Spirit-filled men and women, the Church is designed to be a movement that grows and overwhelms evil. The Church is to be planted and empowered to grow, spreading and growing until the edges of each individual church’s influence connect across the country and world.

Please pray that God would continue to raise up churches that will partner with Prison Fellowship to plant the church inside the walls of America’s prisons, provide discipleship of the inmates so they can lead the churches inside the walls, and prepare men and women upon release to join the movement of the local church in their home communities.

The church has the power to spread and sweep over the world. That is why the local church is God’s “Plan A” – and it is a good plan!

For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
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Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    for Steve Kirkeby as hecontinues to disciple men at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton, Oregon.
    for the Pierce County ReentryTeam as they assist former prisoners returning to the Tacoma, Washington,area.
    for fruitful conference calls with our collaboratingmentor organizations.
    for Hearts of Hope, aprisoner’s family support and advocacy ministry in Pierce and King County, Washington,that they are protected and guided as they grow.
    for the development andimplementation of a Family Support Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 
     
New This Week
 

 

A Different Plan
 
Joe Bruton knows how to welcome prisoners back into society. He has walked that road himself - twice. But his two experiences could not have looked more different.  more
 
Top Eight Things Volunteers Are Not
 
Compassion is a valuable asset in a prison ministry volunteer. But without appropriate boundaries, volunteers can be tempted to assume roles that are ultimately detrimental to the prisoners or ex-prisoners they serve.  more

 
 

 
News and Views
 
    What Are You Known For?
   
    Guitars and Fed Raids
       
    VIDEO: Dynamic Evangelism: Participating in Angel Tree
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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Welcome to Prison Fellowship's new weekly newsletter! You are receiving this mailing as a subscriber to either our Frontlines or Inside Out newsletters. If you know of others who would be interested in the news and stories here, please forward this newsletter, and encourage your friends to fill out the short "Stay Connected" form on the Prison Fellowship homepage.

Thank you for your continued support of this ministry!
 
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The Evil Retreats
 
 
I recently met with a friend of mine who was released from prison three years ago. His story is a tale of self-destruction, addiction, and imprisonment that resulted in several years behind bars.

Fortunately, his story is also a story of grace and hope and joy – a story of a life touched by caring Christians who never gave up on him.

While in prison, a Jesus-following family visited him monthly. A church cared for and assisted his wife. His little girl received gifts from Angel Tree. He was discipled by volunteers and attended Bible studies during his incarceration.

Upon release, a Christian man who owned an electrical company assisted him in getting his master electrician's license. He has gained custody of his daughter and reconciled with his mom.

Now my friend is assisting others re-entering society from prison. He is sober, following Jesus more closely each day, advancing at work, and leading others.

"I am where I am because of Jesus and His church," My friend told me. "I saw it while I was still in prison and it has just kept going."

Changing the atmosphere of a prison is as simple as carrying the love of Jesus in our hearts and souls to a place where hope is in extremely short supply. For my friend a simple visit was a sign of hope that he could be sober, employed, a dad, and a man of God!


For God's Kingdom,
Jim Liske
CEO, Prison Fellowship
 
divider
 
Weekly Prayer Report
 

 

Prison Fellowship invites you to join us in praying for the work being done in prisons throughout the country, and for the lives being touched by this ministry. This week, please pray:
    that God would fund materials for a third generation of Malachi Dads in Glades Correctional Institute (Florida).
    for Larry and Bonnie Perin as they oversee Angel Tree Sign-Up events in Northwest prisons.
    for God’s glory to manifest in the lives of all 30 men in the Florida Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI); for the courage and faith to be “change elements” in the prison where they live now, and in their communities when they go home.
    for the seminar scheduled for Sept. 23-25 at the Westville Correctional Facility in Indiana.
    that the men at Bright Futures Dorm, Sago Palms, would grow closer as a community of believers bonding together to take a stand for Christ.

 
     
New This Week
 

 

Getting Out's the Easy Part
 
When a prisoner is locked up, the world he leaves behind does not stand still. Nor does his family.  more
 
Lifting Them Up
 
The fourth annual Coach Parks Angel Tree football camp at Stanford University recently gave 173 boys a chance to walk with giants.  more

 
 

 
News and Views
 
    Call to Action: Help Get Inside Journal into All 50 States
   
   
    Attica: Forty Years Later
     

 

 
 
 

 

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Prison Fellowship Fires 72,
Citing Economy

BY ADELLE M. BANKS                                                                                                ©2011 Religion News Service  

Prison Fellowship, a prominent evangelical ministry to inmates, has laid off dozens of employees, citing the faltering economy.
 
A total of 72 staffers were let go as part of a restructuring that included new leaders as of July 18. Jim Liske, a former pastor in Michigan, began as CEO and Garland Hunt, a former Atlanta pastor, is now president.
 
"Like many nonprofits in the wake of this economy, Prison Fellowship has had to deal with shrinking resources and rising costs," said Frank Lofaro, executive vice president of the ministry.
 
The ministry was founded in 1976 by ex-convict and Nixon aide Chuck Colson. Lofaro declined to disclose the current total number of Prison Fellowship staffers.
 
"Prison Fellowship is not focusing on its recent staff reductions but rather on the new season it is embarking on for the ministry,"
Lofaro said in a statement.
 
The ministry, which turns 35 this month (August), works with about 8,500 churches and 14,000 volunteers to support prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.



 
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Keep Your Heart (5)

...put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and...be renewed in the spirits of your minds...
 --Ephesians 4:22, 23

 

All this focus on affections might lead some to believe that right thinking doesn't have much of a part in the life of faith. As long as we're feeling the right way, toward the right objects, and with the right degree of intensity, then all must be well in our walk with the Lord. Well, no. The heart must engage the mind in our souls if affections are to perform their proper work. As Edwards put it, "Holy affections are not heat without light; but evermore arise from some information of the understanding, some spiritual instruction that the mind receives, some light of actual knowledge."

 

Edwards further wrote, "Knowledge is the key that first opens the heart, enlarges the affections, and opens the way for men into the kingdom of heaven..." Of what does this knowledge consist, and where shall we go to obtain this knowledge? Since right knowledge is the key to having a right heart, we need to be as diligent in developing our minds as in nurturing and guarding our hearts. But we need to know where to look and what to look for.

 

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
 --Proverbs 3:5-8

The Church for "The Rest Of Us" On the corner of a busy intersection near my house, a local church recently displayed a large banner advertising their upcoming sermon series. The banner was simple: a pure white background behind a picture of a man from the waist down, wearing rumpled and tattered blue jeans and canvas sneakers. Next to this image of laid-back informality, in bold red and black typeface, were the words "The Church For The Rest Of Us."

 

As I drove past the banner I couldn't help but wonder, who are "the rest of us"? Though in truth I suspected I already knew what they meant.

 

My suspicion was confirmed 4 days later when I received a slick promotional flyer in the mail from the same church containing more information about the sermon series. The mailer sported the same image of rumpled blue jeans, and the same promise that this church was for "the rest of us." It further explained that this was a church for people who are unpretentious, down to earth, and imperfect. In fact, the flyer assured me that perfect people were "not allowed" in this church.

 

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Keep Your Heart (4)

O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
 --Psalm 97:10

 

We have seen that both kinds of affections are necessary for healthy Christian faith. We must engage, focus, and nurture those affections that incline us toward something or someone - such as love. And we must engage, focus, and nurture those affections that cause us to draw back from something or someone - such as hate. In Edwards' understanding of the affections, "hate" is not a four-letter word. It is a perfectly valid and useful affection which, when properly understood, can, with other similar affections, help us to know a greater measure of true and lively faith in God.

 

We need to explore this a bit further, especially since, in our day, it is not fashionable, or, at least, not considered to be part of our Christian calling, to harbor affections such as hate, anger, sorrow, and the like. These come, as we know, but contemporary Christian teaching, not understanding these affections as God intends, tries to deny, gloss over, or eradicate them, preferring instead to concentrate on more "positive" affections such as love, compassion, and joy. This is why we seldom hear about any place for hate or fear or dread or sorrow in the preaching and teaching of the church, but only happiness, peace, joy, and love.

 

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The Road to Anarchy
Diane Singer
WorldView

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
 --Proverbs 6:16-19

What would Dr. King say? "A Martin Luther King Moment!" blared a recent headline for a story about the protests by teachers (and other public employees) in Wisconsin as they have been rallying to oppose a bill aimed at reigning in the state's deficit. I never got past the headline, so I don't know who said it. I am, however, pretty certain that Martin Luther King would not be comfortable with his name being used as a cover for some of the activities now taking place in Wisconsin. To understand why, first read King's words to his critics related to why he broke the law that landed him in a Birmingham jail:

 

Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.


 

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Some schools are creating gay-straight alliances for reasons other than just to prevent bullying. Our children are being taught that heterosexual and homosexual behavior is morally equivalent. Chuck Colson addresses what schools should really be teaching our children.

 

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Two Kinds of Affections
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March 2, 2011  
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Keep Your Heart (3)

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
--Luke 6:45

 

The heart is, besides the mind and the conscience, that sector of our immaterial spirits in which affections are generated and harbored. Affections are the sentiments, feelings, attitudes, and so forth that characterize and move us, what Jonathan Edwards called the "more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul." Affections are the fruit of the heart, and the heart is the heart of it all when it comes to determining the condition of our faith in God.

 

Edwards is most helpful in analyzing the nature of the affections. He explains that "the affections are of two sorts; they are those by which the soul is carried out to what is in view, cleaving to it, or seeking it; or those by which it is averse from it, and opposes it." He continues, "Of the former sort are love, desire, hope, joy, gratitude, complacence. Of the latter kind are hatred, fear, anger, grief, and such like..." Thus, we might say, our hearts generate and harbor affections which incline us toward certain people, things, situations, and so forth, as well as affections which cause us to draw back from or to avoid these same.

 

Both kinds of affections are valid and useful. It's not that we want our lives to be characterized only by what we might construe as the positive affections - love, joy, gratitude and so forth - while we work hard not to have working in us any of what we might regard as the negative attitudes - hate, anger, grief, and the like. Edwards insists, and he is correct, that both kinds of affections exist in us, are valid, and are intended to shape us in the direction of holiness. The key is to understand the different kinds of affections, to make sure they are properly focused, and to keep watch over our hearts so that their condition continues as God, Who looks on our hearts, intends.

 

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Keep Your Heart (2)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
 --1 Samuel 16:7

 

The heart is the place to look to determine the state or condition of one's faith -whether it be true or false, lively or feeble. The Lord Himself looks on the heart, to see what's brewing there, to observe the "bent" or "inclination" of a person's soul, and to respond in ways appropriate to what He sees there - whether to reject the person, as He did with King Saul, or to receive and bless him, as He did with David.

 

The Lord is looking on our hearts, and, so, we should be looking on them as well, keeping good watch on our affections and guarding against anything that might corrupt our hearts and compromise our faith. Jonathan Edwards wrote, "true religion consists, in a great measure, in vigorous and lively actings of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart..."

 

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Emotional Response
Chuck Colson
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Moral Sentiment Is Not Enough

Are you prolife? Many of you listening to "BreakPoint" probably are. But can you explain why you're prolife?

 

It turns out, most Americans cannot. When sociologist James vison Hunter interviewed people for his book Before the Shooting Begins, he discovered that most Americans base their moral beliefs entirely on private feelings.

 

Take a young man named Scott, a former Catholic. Scott argues fiercely that the fetus is a human being, yet he insists that abortion should be legal. The fetus is a person to me, Scott said, but it "might not be a person to that mother."

 

What Scott fails to see is that personhood is an objective fact: The fetus either is or is not a person, regardless of what you and I think.

 

But Scott is typical of Americans today. They base their moral views on sentiment, not conviction. On the prochoice side, Hunter asked an architect named Paul why he supports the right to abortion. Paul became agitated. "I don't want to get into philosophical or theological wrangling," he said. "My feelings are based on experiences that are mine alone, and you can't tell me they are wrong."


 

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