Charities and faith

PROGRESS • FEBRUARY, 26, 2017

CHARITIES AND FAITH What’s inside?

“There’s so much going on now, but we come in here on Sunday and it’s just us together, nothing else.”

— KASEE YAR

U.S. CITIZEN WHO FIRST CAME TO THE COUNTRY AS A REFUGEE FROM THAILAND 14 YEARS AGO

Finding a new place to

WORSHIP Encouraging others Sentence to Service crew leader helps people find a place in society.

Page 2

A revitalization project A Habitat for Humanity program in A.L. aims to rebuild homes, community.

Page 3

A jailhouse ministry Grace Christian Church shares message of Jesus Christ in the jail.

Page 3

Hay Tha, a United States citizen who originally came to the U.S. as a refugee from Thailand, leads a prayer during a Karen worship service at the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Refugees meet for services at former Baptist church

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

Dedicated to service Associate pastor at First Lutheran Church helps re-establish local Key Club.

Page 5

K

aren people have been fighting for independence from Burma for more than 60 years. Since 1962, Burma has been a military dictatorship. The military has reportedly tortured, raped and killed thousands of Karen people. Many died under conditions of forced labor and month-long walks to refugee camps. In 1989, Burma was renamed Myanmar, but because of the name’s negative military overtones, most minority ethnic groups — like the Karen — refuse to use the new name.

Many of the Karen have been displaced to refugee camps in Thailand over the years and still today, where there are limited sources of food and clean drinking water, and where safety is not always guaranteed. Many have come to the United States as refugees, and some 4,000 Karen refugees now live in Minnesota.

See WORSHIP, Page 2

PROGRESS • FEBRUARY, 26, 2017

CHARITIES AND FAITH What’s inside?

“There’s so much going on now, but we come in here on Sunday and it’s just us together, nothing else.”

— KASEE YAR

U.S. CITIZEN WHO FIRST CAME TO THE COUNTRY AS A REFUGEE FROM THAILAND 14 YEARS AGO

Finding a new place to

WORSHIP Encouraging others Sentence to Service crew leader helps people find a place in society.

Page 2

A revitalization project A Habitat for Humanity program in A.L. aims to rebuild homes, community.

Page 3

A jailhouse ministry Grace Christian Church shares message of Jesus Christ in the jail.

Page 3

Hay Tha, a United States citizen who originally came to the U.S. as a refugee from Thailand, leads a prayer during a Karen worship service at the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

Refugees meet for services at former Baptist church

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

Dedicated to service Associate pastor at First Lutheran Church helps re-establish local Key Club.

Page 5

K

aren people have been fighting for independence from Burma for more than 60 years. Since 1962, Burma has been a military dictatorship. The military has reportedly tortured, raped and killed thousands of Karen people. Many died under conditions of forced labor and month-long walks to refugee camps. In 1989, Burma was renamed Myanmar, but because of the name’s negative military overtones, most minority ethnic groups — like the Karen — refuse to use the new name.

Many of the Karen have been displaced to refugee camps in Thailand over the years and still today, where there are limited sources of food and clean drinking water, and where safety is not always guaranteed. Many have come to the United States as refugees, and some 4,000 Karen refugees now live in Minnesota.

See WORSHIP, Page 2

PAGE 2 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

The area Karen community has been renting the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea for about one year. The group Karen worshipers of all ages attend a weekly prayer service previously worshipped inside of a trailer in Stoney Creek Estates. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE at the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea.

WORSHIP Continued from Front Page

A local community of Karen refugees now call Albert Lea home, even more so after finding a newer, more adequate space for Sunday worshipping.

Initially, the local Karen population had its Sunday worship services in a trailer inside of the Stoney Creek Estates trailer park. The group has since sold that trailer and is now renting space in the former First Baptist Church on Clark Street in Albert Lea. The group has rented space in the church for about one year, and pays for the rental from a group fund that each of the families in the group pay into monthly.

Each Sunday, there’s Sunday school at the church at 11 a.m. and a church service from noon to 2 p.m. There are two classes for Sunday school, one for preschool-age children and one for elementary school-age children.

The church services are led differently each week. One week elders lead the service. Another week could be led by the women’s group of the church or by one of the Sunday school classes. Music plays an integral role in the service, with guitars, drums and piano often being used throughout.

There are typically 60 to 80 people at the service each week, with some coming from as far as the Twin Cities to worship.

The local Karen community has two separate Sunday schools — one for younger preschool-age children and another for elementary school children. The Sunday school classes Music is a large part of Karen worship services in Albert Lea. Prayers and break to attend the weekly worship service before going teachings often alternate being accompanied by guitar, piano or drums. back to school.

Helping offenders find their place in society CREW LEADER HAS UNIQUE BOND WITH PEOPLE IN SERVICE PROGRAM

By Jarrod Peterson

jarrod.peterson@albertleatribune.com

Janelle VanEngelenburg started out working for the Department of National Resources in 1990.

The Alden native and Riverland graduate worked for the DNR for five years, but would always get laid off during the winter months.

How she got started with the program, Sentence to Service, was kind of a fortunate accident.

“The guy who previously had the job had openheart surgery,” VanEngelenburg said. “So they called and asked me if I would be willing to do the job. I didn’t know what to expect. But I did it, and I really liked it.”

VanEngelenburg said she likes the variety of jobs her position provides, and maybe that’s a reason why she is starting her 21st year as the

crew leader of the program.

“We have such a variety of jobs that we do,” VanEngelenburg said.

“And that keeps things interesting.”

Sentence to Service is for people who have committed crimes and who are required to work in the community as part of their sentence.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections website, the value of projects completed is over $5.5 million a year. It also saves nearly 30,000 jail days and $1.6 million annually because offenders are out working and not using a jail bed, which on average costs about $55 a day. Nearly 80 percent of Minnesota’s counties participate in this program.

In 2016, VanEngelenburg’s crews worked 169 days and the jobs ranged Janelle VanEngelenburg helps put food away in early February at the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Albert Lea. from helping at the JARROD PETERSON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

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Salvation Army, to splitting wood, cleaning highways and everything in-between.

They worked 5,681 hours.

Despite not having a college degree, VanEngelenburg said the ability to put herself in an offender’s shoes is what helps her with her job.

“I really try to have a lot of empathy for these people,” VanEngelenburg said. “I don’t think that’s something you can learn in school. It’s a difficult thing to do. I have some really good success stories, though. It’s all about helping them find their niche in society and motivating them.”

At the end of the day, VanEngelenburg is trying to motivate offenders and work as a team to help them see what they can do when they apply themselves through these jobs.

VanEngelenburg has a

unique bond with her workers — something she can’t explain.

“I don’t know what it is,” she said. “I’m not going to toe the line with them. They know where I stand. They have to do their hours, so we might as well have some fun while we work.”

Being an offender is not an easy thing when going about daily life, but VanEngelenburg wants them to know that when they are done with this program, they belong somewhere in society.

“I have told them that there has to be a place for you,” she said. “I get that not everybody can go to college and get a degree. I get it. But you need to value your life. Otherwise, what do you get up in the morning for? It is about building every day. I want them to Janelle VanEngelenburg is the crew leader of the local Sentence to Service program. She has been doing it for 21 years. apply themselves.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | PROGRESS 2017 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 3

Program rebuilds both homes and community

A ministry inside the jail walls

By Sarah Stultz

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

Habitat for Humanity in Freeborn and Mower counties has been approved for a new program aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods.

Brigitte Fisher, the organization’s executive director, said the local chapter is one of only two affiliates in the state to be approved for the program.

In collaboration with other partners, it will target specific neighborhoods in need, while looking at information such as housing stock, poverty level and other factors.

The program started in Austin in the fall after receiving designation from Habitat International and is expected to begin in Albert Lea in the spring.

The process begins with what Fisher described as a windshield survey. She and others will drive around and survey and photograph each home in the targeted neighborhood — looking at aspects such as roofs, yards, sidewalks and driveways, to name a few.

“We take that information and work with the city to determine what the large needs are,” she said.

“Are there properties that would be easily brought up to speed with some volunteer labor, or is it more extensive?

The second part of the process is a residential survey that will go out to every resident in the neighborhood who is able to be reached. This will be done by going door-to-door.

“We’re talking to the residents about their neighborhood,” Fisher said. “What do they think about the neighborhood? What do they see as strengths? Who do they see as leaders? Do they feel safe? Do they feel transportation is adequate? Do they have access to the things they need?

“Instead of saying here’s what you need, it’s working from the inside out.”

For example, if someone doesn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, she and others could reach out to local law enforcement or form a neighborhood watch group.

If someone thinks there needs to be more access to

fresh foods, they could put in neighborhood gardens.

She said the program will form a neighborhood coalition.

“The point is to get them engaged as much as possible,” she said.

Fisher, who has been with the organization for four years, said she thinks the program, which goes back to Habitat for Humanity’s roots to build up communities, will be successful in Albert Lea because people here are excited for collaboration and to work together to bring change. She said she is excited for the opportunity to impact more peoples’ lives.

Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities and hope. It is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

The organization is probably most known for its home-building projects.

“Building a home is wonderful, but it is very difficult to find enough volunteers to pull off a six month-plus grueling project,” Fisher said.

Having said that, however, she said if the organization had the resources to build a home in Albert Lea, it would love to do so.

It will take further financial support and many dedicated volunteers.

In the meantime, the organization will continue to participate with the Rock the Block initiative during the summer.

Fisher is in Albert Lea in the Vitality Center two days a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

By Sam Wilmes

Three members of a local church are helping Freeborn County inmates establish themselves as productive members of society by showing them faith in a higher power.

Grace Christian Church members Jim Fisher and the Revs. Jill and George Marin minister with the church’s bilingual ministry, Beyond The Walls.

George Marin brings his iPod and Bluetooth Bose speaker to play music ranging from Elvis Presley to gospel to Spanish.

“When they are from a different culture or they speak a different language and they see that you are attempting to connect with them, man, that just builds an immediate bridge,” he said. “An immediate bond is formed.”

Ministry is part of Grace Christian’s mission of spreading Jesus Christ’s message by reaching out to all people, he said.

“We are there because as followers of Jesus Christ, he said, ‘Go,’” George Marin said.

“It’s a huge passion for us at Grace.”

He said he is thankful for the jail’s contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, because it has allowed the church to reach inmates from 42 countries without having to go on expensive mission trips.

“It gives the American church a real up on the great commission, in that the world is coming to us,” he said. “These are

Jim Fisher and George and Jill Marin are making a difference in the lives of inmates with a message of faith, hope and love. SAM WILMES/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE ministry opportunities that we can fill without spending a lot of money.”

Fisher meets weekly with inmates to present his testimony of how devoting his life to Christ has helped him. He wants to encourage inmates and provide them hope that a productive life lives outside jail walls.

Fisher, who grew up without a father, shares with inmates the responsibilities of becoming a father and being a man of courage.

“With God, all things are possible,” Fisher said.

George Marin said Fisher is able to connect with inmates through talking about his childhood.

“Jim really connects with many of those men who do not have a father,” he said.

George Marin said the

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George Marin said he receives calls from parents of inmates from other counties who discuss his ministry.

Jill Marin leads a women’s ministry at the jail. A lot of inmates are broken, feel bad about themselves and have family issues, she said. To her, having someone stable visit with them is important. She has also led anger management classes, “It’s good to find positive ways to cope with anger, so it does not turn into a negative outcome for somebody,” she said.

The Marins, who have ministered at the jail for about 20 years, have also ministered at La Mesa prison in Tijuana, Mexico.

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ministry gives inmates a father they have been missing, and he sees the impact Fisher’s ministry has on the inmates when he visits the jail the last Thursday of each month. For a service in January, inmates were kneeling on the floor during the ministry.

“It is that message of fatherlessness that really seizes the attention of a lot of these men that we deal with, because we introduce God as their father, then somebody like (Jim) or myself as a mentor in their life,” he said.

He said Fisher’s message goes beyond criminal cases.

“He’s not there to talk to them about their case, he is there to talk to them about their standing with God, and their eternity,” George Marin said.

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PAGE 4 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | PROGRESS 2017 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 5

The Rev. Sean Forde serves First Lutheran Church as an associate pastor. KELLY WASSENBERG/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

A life dedicated to serving others FIRST LUTHERAN ASSOCIATE PASTOR HELPS RE-ESTABLISH KEY CLUB

By Kelly Wassenberg

kelly.wassenberg@albertleatribune.com

The Rev. Sean Forde and his family gathered for a family photo at the church during the Christmas season. From left, Joshua, Rebecca, Sean, Susan and Aaron Forde. PROVIDED Forde said one of his greatest joys was working as the faculty adviser of the club. Here in Albert Lea, he is serving in a different capacity. Forde will be a liaison between the Kiwanis Club and the Key Club itself.

“The Key Club is a student-led service organization — and it’s the largest student-led service organization,” Forde said. “They plan and fund projects to better their homes, school and communities and through these projects they can see their joys, their failures, their high points, their low points.”

He feels this experience helps students grow.

“They do the whole thing and what’s great about that is they have ownership within the club,” Forde said.

“Everything is voted upon so that if they say they’re going to do something, it’s

The Rev. Sean Forde and his wife, Susan, moved to Albert Lea in September with their three children. KELLY WASSENBERG/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

up to them to see it through.”

Albert Lea High School teacher Jeremy Corey-Gruenes is the faculty adviser for the club, but like Forde and any other Kiwanis member who chooses to

become a Kiwanis adviser, he will only be there to provide occasional guidance and support.

“It’s teaching them leadership as they lead,” Forde said.

Forde said he thinks that learning to work together to accomplish a common goal is an invaluable experience.

“They’re able to see that they can do a lot of things, a lot of great things for themselves, for their families and their communities,” Forde said.

Forde also plans to serve his new community in other ways, but he’s not quite sure in what capacity that will be.

“We are asking God for guidance,” he said.

While the destination is in question, the path is not.

“Whatever it is we do, it will be God-led and Spirit-led.”

Forde, who is 48, first received the call to ministry in 1997, three years after marrying his wife, Susan.

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The sermon is over. The congregation prepares to stand before their pastor concludes the mass. He tells his parish, “The worship has ended, now the service begins.”

The statement is one of the Rev. Sean Forde’s favorite sayings as it reflects one of the values he holds most dear: the importance of having a servant heart.

As a man of God, the pastor has devoted his life to serving, yet he has no intention of confining his work to the four walls of a church. Since beginning his tenure at First Lutheran Church in September, he has reached out into the community and high school.

In just the few months since Forde and his family moved to the area, he joined the Noon Kiwanis Club and reached out to Albert Lea High School to re-establish a Key Club.

Forde, who moved to Albert Lea from Boca Raton, Florida, had experience with the Key Club at Zion Lutheran Christian School, where he served during his last calling.

on his master’s degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. During his third year of seminary he served at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka before the family returned to Florida in 2005.

He did, however, come back to Minnesota for three summers to earn his doctorate. For the last five years, Forde served as the campus chaplain for Zion Lutheran Christian School.

The couple’s three children moved with them and have also dedicated themselves to serving. Aaron Forde, 20, is a former lieutenant governor of the Key Club. Since moving to Albert Lea, he has started taking classes at Riverland Community College and coaches seventh- and eighth-grade boys’ basketball.

Joshua Forde, 18, is a senior at Albert Lea High School and has served as the president of a Key Club.

The couple’s youngest child, Rebecca, 16, is a sophomore at Albert Lea High School. She was a past member of the Key Club and, like Joshua Forde, has joined the organization once again.

Forde said he feels blessed to have been taught the importance of serving others, and is compelled to encourage others to do the same — whether they’re his children, his parishioners or members of the community.

“To get people to give of themselves for the sake of others, that’s Biblical,” Forde said.

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PAGE 6 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

PAGE 2 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

The area Karen community has been renting the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea for about one year. The group Karen worshipers of all ages attend a weekly prayer service previously worshipped inside of a trailer in Stoney Creek Estates. COLLEEN HARRISON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE at the former First Baptist Church in Albert Lea.

WORSHIP Continued from Front Page

A local community of Karen refugees now call Albert Lea home, even more so after finding a newer, more adequate space for Sunday worshipping.

Initially, the local Karen population had its Sunday worship services in a trailer inside of the Stoney Creek Estates trailer park. The group has since sold that trailer and is now renting space in the former First Baptist Church on Clark Street in Albert Lea. The group has rented space in the church for about one year, and pays for the rental from a group fund that each of the families in the group pay into monthly.

Each Sunday, there’s Sunday school at the church at 11 a.m. and a church service from noon to 2 p.m. There are two classes for Sunday school, one for preschool-age children and one for elementary school-age children.

The church services are led differently each week. One week elders lead the service. Another week could be led by the women’s group of the church or by one of the Sunday school classes. Music plays an integral role in the service, with guitars, drums and piano often being used throughout.

There are typically 60 to 80 people at the service each week, with some coming from as far as the Twin Cities to worship.

The local Karen community has two separate Sunday schools — one for younger preschool-age children and another for elementary school children. The Sunday school classes Music is a large part of Karen worship services in Albert Lea. Prayers and break to attend the weekly worship service before going teachings often alternate being accompanied by guitar, piano or drums. back to school.

Helping offenders find their place in society CREW LEADER HAS UNIQUE BOND WITH PEOPLE IN SERVICE PROGRAM

By Jarrod Peterson

jarrod.peterson@albertleatribune.com

Janelle VanEngelenburg started out working for the Department of National Resources in 1990.

The Alden native and Riverland graduate worked for the DNR for five years, but would always get laid off during the winter months.

How she got started with the program, Sentence to Service, was kind of a fortunate accident.

“The guy who previously had the job had openheart surgery,” VanEngelenburg said. “So they called and asked me if I would be willing to do the job. I didn’t know what to expect. But I did it, and I really liked it.”

VanEngelenburg said she likes the variety of jobs her position provides, and maybe that’s a reason why she is starting her 21st year as the

crew leader of the program.

“We have such a variety of jobs that we do,” VanEngelenburg said.

“And that keeps things interesting.”

Sentence to Service is for people who have committed crimes and who are required to work in the community as part of their sentence.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections website, the value of projects completed is over $5.5 million a year. It also saves nearly 30,000 jail days and $1.6 million annually because offenders are out working and not using a jail bed, which on average costs about $55 a day. Nearly 80 percent of Minnesota’s counties participate in this program.

In 2016, VanEngelenburg’s crews worked 169 days and the jobs ranged Janelle VanEngelenburg helps put food away in early February at the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Albert Lea. from helping at the JARROD PETERSON/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Burial vaults • Grave Markers Flowers/Wreaths • Perpetual Care

CEMETERY ASSOCIATION 17544 Hwy. 65, Albert Lea

373-3560

www.hillcrestcemetaryassociation.com

Salvation Army, to splitting wood, cleaning highways and everything in-between.

They worked 5,681 hours.

Despite not having a college degree, VanEngelenburg said the ability to put herself in an offender’s shoes is what helps her with her job.

“I really try to have a lot of empathy for these people,” VanEngelenburg said. “I don’t think that’s something you can learn in school. It’s a difficult thing to do. I have some really good success stories, though. It’s all about helping them find their niche in society and motivating them.”

At the end of the day, VanEngelenburg is trying to motivate offenders and work as a team to help them see what they can do when they apply themselves through these jobs.

VanEngelenburg has a

unique bond with her workers — something she can’t explain.

“I don’t know what it is,” she said. “I’m not going to toe the line with them. They know where I stand. They have to do their hours, so we might as well have some fun while we work.”

Being an offender is not an easy thing when going about daily life, but VanEngelenburg wants them to know that when they are done with this program, they belong somewhere in society.

“I have told them that there has to be a place for you,” she said. “I get that not everybody can go to college and get a degree. I get it. But you need to value your life. Otherwise, what do you get up in the morning for? It is about building every day. I want them to Janelle VanEngelenburg is the crew leader of the local Sentence to Service program. She has been doing it for 21 years. apply themselves.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | PROGRESS 2017 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 3

Program rebuilds both homes and community

A ministry inside the jail walls

By Sarah Stultz

sam.wilmes@albertleatribune.com

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

Habitat for Humanity in Freeborn and Mower counties has been approved for a new program aimed at revitalizing neighborhoods.

Brigitte Fisher, the organization’s executive director, said the local chapter is one of only two affiliates in the state to be approved for the program.

In collaboration with other partners, it will target specific neighborhoods in need, while looking at information such as housing stock, poverty level and other factors.

The program started in Austin in the fall after receiving designation from Habitat International and is expected to begin in Albert Lea in the spring.

The process begins with what Fisher described as a windshield survey. She and others will drive around and survey and photograph each home in the targeted neighborhood — looking at aspects such as roofs, yards, sidewalks and driveways, to name a few.

“We take that information and work with the city to determine what the large needs are,” she said.

“Are there properties that would be easily brought up to speed with some volunteer labor, or is it more extensive?

The second part of the process is a residential survey that will go out to every resident in the neighborhood who is able to be reached. This will be done by going door-to-door.

“We’re talking to the residents about their neighborhood,” Fisher said. “What do they think about the neighborhood? What do they see as strengths? Who do they see as leaders? Do they feel safe? Do they feel transportation is adequate? Do they have access to the things they need?

“Instead of saying here’s what you need, it’s working from the inside out.”

For example, if someone doesn’t feel safe in their neighborhood, she and others could reach out to local law enforcement or form a neighborhood watch group.

If someone thinks there needs to be more access to

fresh foods, they could put in neighborhood gardens.

She said the program will form a neighborhood coalition.

“The point is to get them engaged as much as possible,” she said.

Fisher, who has been with the organization for four years, said she thinks the program, which goes back to Habitat for Humanity’s roots to build up communities, will be successful in Albert Lea because people here are excited for collaboration and to work together to bring change. She said she is excited for the opportunity to impact more peoples’ lives.

Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities and hope. It is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

The organization is probably most known for its home-building projects.

“Building a home is wonderful, but it is very difficult to find enough volunteers to pull off a six month-plus grueling project,” Fisher said.

Having said that, however, she said if the organization had the resources to build a home in Albert Lea, it would love to do so.

It will take further financial support and many dedicated volunteers.

In the meantime, the organization will continue to participate with the Rock the Block initiative during the summer.

Fisher is in Albert Lea in the Vitality Center two days a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

By Sam Wilmes

Three members of a local church are helping Freeborn County inmates establish themselves as productive members of society by showing them faith in a higher power.

Grace Christian Church members Jim Fisher and the Revs. Jill and George Marin minister with the church’s bilingual ministry, Beyond The Walls.

George Marin brings his iPod and Bluetooth Bose speaker to play music ranging from Elvis Presley to gospel to Spanish.

“When they are from a different culture or they speak a different language and they see that you are attempting to connect with them, man, that just builds an immediate bridge,” he said. “An immediate bond is formed.”

Ministry is part of Grace Christian’s mission of spreading Jesus Christ’s message by reaching out to all people, he said.

“We are there because as followers of Jesus Christ, he said, ‘Go,’” George Marin said.

“It’s a huge passion for us at Grace.”

He said he is thankful for the jail’s contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, because it has allowed the church to reach inmates from 42 countries without having to go on expensive mission trips.

“It gives the American church a real up on the great commission, in that the world is coming to us,” he said. “These are

Jim Fisher and George and Jill Marin are making a difference in the lives of inmates with a message of faith, hope and love. SAM WILMES/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE ministry opportunities that we can fill without spending a lot of money.”

Fisher meets weekly with inmates to present his testimony of how devoting his life to Christ has helped him. He wants to encourage inmates and provide them hope that a productive life lives outside jail walls.

Fisher, who grew up without a father, shares with inmates the responsibilities of becoming a father and being a man of courage.

“With God, all things are possible,” Fisher said.

George Marin said Fisher is able to connect with inmates through talking about his childhood.

“Jim really connects with many of those men who do not have a father,” he said.

George Marin said the

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George Marin said he receives calls from parents of inmates from other counties who discuss his ministry.

Jill Marin leads a women’s ministry at the jail. A lot of inmates are broken, feel bad about themselves and have family issues, she said. To her, having someone stable visit with them is important. She has also led anger management classes, “It’s good to find positive ways to cope with anger, so it does not turn into a negative outcome for somebody,” she said.

The Marins, who have ministered at the jail for about 20 years, have also ministered at La Mesa prison in Tijuana, Mexico.

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ministry gives inmates a father they have been missing, and he sees the impact Fisher’s ministry has on the inmates when he visits the jail the last Thursday of each month. For a service in January, inmates were kneeling on the floor during the ministry.

“It is that message of fatherlessness that really seizes the attention of a lot of these men that we deal with, because we introduce God as their father, then somebody like (Jim) or myself as a mentor in their life,” he said.

He said Fisher’s message goes beyond criminal cases.

“He’s not there to talk to them about their case, he is there to talk to them about their standing with God, and their eternity,” George Marin said.

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PAGE 4 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | PROGRESS 2017 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PAGE 5

The Rev. Sean Forde serves First Lutheran Church as an associate pastor. KELLY WASSENBERG/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

A life dedicated to serving others FIRST LUTHERAN ASSOCIATE PASTOR HELPS RE-ESTABLISH KEY CLUB

By Kelly Wassenberg

kelly.wassenberg@albertleatribune.com

The Rev. Sean Forde and his family gathered for a family photo at the church during the Christmas season. From left, Joshua, Rebecca, Sean, Susan and Aaron Forde. PROVIDED Forde said one of his greatest joys was working as the faculty adviser of the club. Here in Albert Lea, he is serving in a different capacity. Forde will be a liaison between the Kiwanis Club and the Key Club itself.

“The Key Club is a student-led service organization — and it’s the largest student-led service organization,” Forde said. “They plan and fund projects to better their homes, school and communities and through these projects they can see their joys, their failures, their high points, their low points.”

He feels this experience helps students grow.

“They do the whole thing and what’s great about that is they have ownership within the club,” Forde said.

“Everything is voted upon so that if they say they’re going to do something, it’s

The Rev. Sean Forde and his wife, Susan, moved to Albert Lea in September with their three children. KELLY WASSENBERG/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE

up to them to see it through.”

Albert Lea High School teacher Jeremy Corey-Gruenes is the faculty adviser for the club, but like Forde and any other Kiwanis member who chooses to

become a Kiwanis adviser, he will only be there to provide occasional guidance and support.

“It’s teaching them leadership as they lead,” Forde said.

Forde said he thinks that learning to work together to accomplish a common goal is an invaluable experience.

“They’re able to see that they can do a lot of things, a lot of great things for themselves, for their families and their communities,” Forde said.

Forde also plans to serve his new community in other ways, but he’s not quite sure in what capacity that will be.

“We are asking God for guidance,” he said.

While the destination is in question, the path is not.

“Whatever it is we do, it will be God-led and Spirit-led.”

Forde, who is 48, first received the call to ministry in 1997, three years after marrying his wife, Susan.

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The sermon is over. The congregation prepares to stand before their pastor concludes the mass. He tells his parish, “The worship has ended, now the service begins.”

The statement is one of the Rev. Sean Forde’s favorite sayings as it reflects one of the values he holds most dear: the importance of having a servant heart.

As a man of God, the pastor has devoted his life to serving, yet he has no intention of confining his work to the four walls of a church. Since beginning his tenure at First Lutheran Church in September, he has reached out into the community and high school.

In just the few months since Forde and his family moved to the area, he joined the Noon Kiwanis Club and reached out to Albert Lea High School to re-establish a Key Club.

Forde, who moved to Albert Lea from Boca Raton, Florida, had experience with the Key Club at Zion Lutheran Christian School, where he served during his last calling.

on his master’s degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. During his third year of seminary he served at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka before the family returned to Florida in 2005.

He did, however, come back to Minnesota for three summers to earn his doctorate. For the last five years, Forde served as the campus chaplain for Zion Lutheran Christian School.

The couple’s three children moved with them and have also dedicated themselves to serving. Aaron Forde, 20, is a former lieutenant governor of the Key Club. Since moving to Albert Lea, he has started taking classes at Riverland Community College and coaches seventh- and eighth-grade boys’ basketball.

Joshua Forde, 18, is a senior at Albert Lea High School and has served as the president of a Key Club.

The couple’s youngest child, Rebecca, 16, is a sophomore at Albert Lea High School. She was a past member of the Key Club and, like Joshua Forde, has joined the organization once again.

Forde said he feels blessed to have been taught the importance of serving others, and is compelled to encourage others to do the same — whether they’re his children, his parishioners or members of the community.

“To get people to give of themselves for the sake of others, that’s Biblical,” Forde said.

2352 Hendrickson Rd. Albert Lea, MN 56007 • 507.373.8888 Mon.-Fri. 9am-7pm • Sat. 9am-5pm

PAGE 6 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | PROGRESS 2017 | CHARITIES & FAITH | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017