THE PEN PAL MINISTRY

What are your spiritual gifts?

Encouragement?

Mentoring?

A love to share God’s word, and what he’s done in your life?

Do you love to write? Have you thought about serving but haven’t yet found where God could use your gifts he’s blessed you with?

After reading, The Purpose Drive Life, by Rick Warren, then watching the movie, The Passion of the Christ, my heart was screaming to find my purpose in life. I knew without a doubt that purpose would be to serve God…but where?

A mother of four, and not a whole lot of money, and a husband with a fireman’s schedule, I searched for a place to serve the Lord. To save you the long version, God lead me to the Prison Pen Pal Ministry.

Write letters to those incarcerated from my home, on my own time…now that I could do! Serving through letters allows me to work around my husband’s schedule, and taking care of the kids, and my home.

Through getting involved with serving, I’ve also had the privilege of going to Louisiana (Angola) State Penitentiary in, Angola Louisiana. There I stayed for eight days, and when I left the prison gates, my heart was heavy. I had met so many great men of God, there and didn’t want to leave. The Lord is doing some amazing things in Angola.

I’ve also been blessed to go into Cook Count Jail, a couple of times. The men that are serving there on the jail team are joyfully doing the work of God. You can’t go there without being moved by Gods’ love.

The serving didn’t stop there. I’ve also been blessed to go into Warrenville, on more then one occasion. God just keeps tugging at my heart. The volunteers that are serving there are so giving. I have no doubt that he Lord is smiling down on them.

Whether you are currently serving or not, if you feel a call to serve our wonderful Lord through the Prison Pen Pal Ministry, you can sign up through the Willow Creek Community Church website, or directly through, Christian Pen Pals. You can find both links on this website.

Who knows what incredible journey God will take you on? If there was only one thing I was allowed to say about the prison and jail ministry, it would be that I have truly been blessed by those I’ve been allowed to serve, and those I’ve serve with, more then I could ever have dreamed possible.

The Lord is amazing!

Invite to 8/1/09 Jail Prison Ministry meeting

Hello to all our pen pal volunteers

In recent months the leaders of the prison and jail teams through Willow Creek Community Church have been gathering the first Saturday of the month for a meeting. It’s a time for those of us in the ministry to get to know one another, see what other prison and jail ministries are doing, to discuss what’s been going on in our ministry, and what we’d like to see for the future.

Maybe you’d like to hear what others are doing in the prison and jail ministries through Willow? Maybe you’ve felt a nudge from God to get more involved? Or maybe you’d just like to meet others serving in the same ministry as God has blessed you to serve in? Whatever your reason, we’d love to have you join us and see where God may lead you in the amazing ministry.

Out next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 1^st, 10AM until 12PM. We’ll be meeting in room 206, Barrington campus (unless a room change is made, which will be posted on the monitor as you enter building C, or located in other places around Willow.) If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. If you think you’ll be able to attend, please let me know so we can have an accurate count to accommodate everyone.

God bless, and I hope to see you there.

Kim

Coordinator for the Adult Prison Pen Pal Ministry through Willow CCC

Kim Morris

847.516.2476

kimmc64@comcast.net

Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries

What a great Vision & Mission http://socpm.org/ http://socpm.org/socp_smryi.htm

Vision Statement - To transform the incarcerated from lost sheep, to fully armored, God glorifying Soldiers of Christ so they can live the purposeful life God created them for.

Mission Statement – To unite Christ based ministries who can provide the resources to accomplish the vision statement of Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries

And such a wonderful call to network:

To believe that one ministry can do all this on one person’s vision is impractical. It will require the networking of many ministries. Some ministries will share commonalities in their visions and mission statements. While others will contrast greatly in their visions and mission statements, with one exception, they all are to glorify God. It is networking the unity of common vision statement and uncommon vision statements, common mission statements and uncommon mission statements together, for the glory of God that details Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries mission statement.

Thank you for building such a firm and Biblically solid ministry;

Please visit the sites above or you can get there by clicking on the Title of this entry or the Link off to the side.

Companions Journeying Together, Inc.

Click on title to see this site.

A friend of mine, who was in DOC sent this to me. I thought some might be interested.

I added it to the Links as well.

Companions Journeying Together, Inc., provides a forum to personally impact the emotional, spiritual, and social lives of the incarcerated and their families. Our vision is for a society that lives by the principles of restorative justice.

Felony Franks (felon run hot dog restaurant)

Just stumbled upon this, might be of value for recently released prisoners.

Cook County - Miracles of Grace

Click title to see the video series for Miracles of Grace - a Cook County Ministry

From the streets of Los Angeles, a former gang member was transformed by a miracle of Gods grace. In hopes to reach out to the same kind of lost and hurting men he began the American Baptist Cook County Jail Ministry. Andy Gonzalez started a powerful ministry that inspired the lives of thousands including inmates, officers, and volunteers.

Even after Andys death in 1996, these miracles still continue through the Cook County Jail Ministry. Today, nearly 50 volunteers minister to jail inmates in 7 of 11 divisions at Chicagos Cook County Jail.

The Heart of Prison Ministry

Why those involved in prison ministry do what they do. And why, if you are considering it, will want to listen to where God is leading. And why overcoming of obstacles is worth the frustrations, and wait.

CRUCIAL TIME: A PRISON MINISTRY

This is a good video regarding what an all-around Ministry can be.

Key words for me were: Persistent ( in launching the ministry); Inclusive (of other churches) Desperate (for contact); Gathering (Volunteers): Instill (love and give hope); and Re-Entry (and a method).

Bill Glass Champions for Life - Cook County Jail 9/11-13

For more information click above title

Chicago/Cook County, IL WOC (W),Sept. 11-13, 2009

Registration deadline: August 05, 2009

Project Admin: Sarah Ingroum
Email: sarahi@billglasscfl.org
Phone: (972) 298-1101 ext. 7327

Fatherhood...how did we get HERE?

Good seminar today for jail volunteers, and the topic was on Fatherhood, generally...and the tragedy that is our prison society today, who had no fathers at home, and whose own kids are following in dad's footsteps by going to prison themselves. How to break that cycle? How to get the generally irresponsible behind bars to desire responsibility? The only motivation that seems to work is to appeal to them about their kids.

How did we get here? Absent fathers, even in Christian homes? Everything points to the beginning as the Industrial Revolution, where instead of fathers and sons working together side by side each day, whether on the farm, or in the shop...dads suddenly left each day to go to work, leaving sons at home, wondering where dad goes each day. And dad then comes home at night, beat, disconnected from his home and family, seeking rest to prepare for the next day.

Fast forward...suddenly, men slots are empty. They're not around for gov't meetings, church meetings, community activities, etc. so someone has to fill the role. And women, God bless them, do...but they're not the ones Father called to lead, generally. So our institutions become feminized. And what happened to Mom? When dad left for work, ALL the responsibility for the home and family life fell on her, instead of being shared. Mom and dad got isolated, separated, lonely.

Fast forward...we become more productive, so men don't have to spend so many hours working. But entertainment options skyrocket. There are pro sports to follow, tv's to watch, on and on until today where some screen vies for our attention most of the time. We long ago set the kids aside since we're too tired, don't know how to carry out our father roles, let mom have them, and wallow in our self centeredness with our excuses of being tired, needing time for us, etc.

And we don't father our kids. At least I don't. I'm shocked at how I care, but not enough to do something, to change, to die to self so that I can give more freely to them. It's more like management...trying to help them get along and get along with them! until they're out. Instead of leading them...

None of this is news to most. Just trying to digest it all, waiting for that motivation to come, where I'll actually change.

It isn't just the prisoners who've lost track of how to father.

Welcome to the Prison and Jail Blog

I hope this is a useful tool for everyone. I hope this can become a networking tool as well as an informational tool. May it serve you, the dedicate and may it serve those seeking to be involved. May new volunteers and new leaders be inspired here.

As we go forth, in the manner that would make James proud, to proclaim Christ both in word and in deeds.

God Bless

Welcome to the Prison & Jail Ministry Blog