Many people think that prison
ministry is just "jailhouse religion"
to a group of criminals.
While that may be true in some cases, the men,
women, and teenagers we work with are generally good people who
made a bad choice or mistake. More than 75% of
jail cells are occupied with drug addicts or
alcoholics.
They suffer greatly from guilt, loneliness,
and fear. Most have lost everything, and feel that there
is no hope for them.
When we enter a prison unit, we let these
brothers and sisters know that there IS hope and that there ARE
people who care about them. Their lives CAN be
changed.
We have tracked many of those we work with on
a long term basis, both in prison and out, and know that
the changes have become permanent.
While we all must suffer the consequences for
our actions, the mercy, grace, and love of Jesus should be
available to all. As Jesus Himself
said in Matthew 25:31-40, . . . . "whevever you did
this for the least of these, you did it for Me. . . .
The incarcerated youth are especially heart
breaking. So many come from broken homes.
Ministering to them and mentoring them is crucial for them to
have a future.
But
what about when they get out of prison?
More than 6,000 ex-offenders are released each year in
Tarrant County alone. With no place to go, no one to care for
them, and only the clothes
on their backs, most will not be able to survive and will be
re-incarcerated.
We can change this cycle by
providing aftercare services.
Housing,
clothing, transportation and employment assistance are
important, but spiritual and personal mentoring are even more
so. With aftercare, the chances of success are increased
by as much as 80%.
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