Transforming Hearts and Lives A call to share the Gospel with prisoners and rescue their children in the name of Christ
Prison Fellowship International
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat . . . I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35–36)
01 00
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Jesus was a Prisoner. He was arrested, taken away by soldiers, and held captive. He understands what prisoners feel—anger, fear, loneliness, alienation, and abandonment. He understands their situation. And He invites them to join Him on a journey of hope, grace, mercy, and forgiveness —a journey that will lead them to Him. Prisoners and their children need to hear about Jesus. More than anything, they need to know God loves them and He can change their lives forever.
Prison Fellowship International
But prisoners are one of the least-reached groups in the world. They are locked away, isolated, and vilified. They are often overlooked. Many prisoners serve their entire sentences without ever hearing about God’s mercy and forgiveness. How will they hear the Good News? And who will rescue and care for their children, who are often abandoned and in hiding when a parent is incarcerated?
In response, we developed a groundbreaking initiative to take the Gospel of Mark to hundreds of thousands of prisoners. We also launched a unique program to care for the children
Prison Fellowship International is committed
of prisoners who suffer due to their
to sharing the Gospel with prisoners.
parents’ incarceration.
We are also committed to caring for the children left behind due to the imprisonment of a father or mother.
Our vision over the next five years is to invite 1 million prisoners to begin or renew a relationship with Christ and His
This is our passion. We do it because that’s
Church. We aim to care for 100,000
what Jesus tells His followers to do: “For I
children of prisoners—children who are
was hungry and you gave me something
hungry, alone, missing out on school,
to eat . . . I was in prison and you came
and living in crumbling shacks and other
to visit me” (Matthew 25:35–36).
dangerous places.
Prison Fellowship International is the
With God’s help, we will ramp up our
largest prison ministry in the world.
ministry in an unprecedented way, because
We have a bold and ambitious new vision.
although prisoners may be forgotten by
God is calling us to exponentially grow
society, they are never forgotten by God.
our outreach to prisoners and their children.
We invite you to join us in achieving our bold new vision and focused mission.
02
03
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Uniquely Equipped for Prison Ministry “Go into all the world and preach the gospel,” Jesus told us in Mark 16:15. Prison Fellowship International is uniquely positioned to answer this call of the Great Commission—through our history, ministry impact, geographic reach, leadership team experience, and ability to scale. We have:
The world’s most extensive prison ministry
Self-funded, selfgoverned affiliates in two-thirds of the world’s countries
Local staff and volunteers—a grassroots, culturallydiverse, faith-unified movement
Long-standing, effective relationships with governments, providing us with unparalleled access to prisons
A new and innovative evangelization program that innately appeals to prisoners by addressing their specific psychosocial and spiritual needs
Awareness of all aspects of prison outreach: institutional realities of prisons; diverse cultural, religious, and social contexts; and the need for respect for all Christian traditions
Prison Fellowship International
Why Now?
The Facts
Most of all, we have the vision, passion, leadership, sense of urgency, and readiness to scale up our outreach.
8.7 million prisoners
Prison officials are asking for us to come and work with inmates, and we know through experience the only thing that truly transforms prisoners’ lives is when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Children are waiting for our help to receive food, education, and better housing. We are actively working in these areas and are ready to do so much more with your support. It is time to act.
are incarcerated outside the United States—they have no hope and are lost without the Gospel
80% of these prisoners
will re-offend and go back to prison within three years without a change of heart
10 million children of prisoners are without a parent and are at risk of abuse and exploitation
1 million children of prisoners live in horrific circumstances— abandoned, begging in the streets, trafficked, or even sharing a prison cell with their incarcerated parent
04
05
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Redeeming Prisoners’ Lives Through the Gospel “For the first time in my life I feel like that empty space inside my heart that I have tried on my own to fill is not empty anymore ... my wish is to be a servant of the Almighty God, inside and outside prison. I feel blessed and happy now that Jesus is in my life.”—A prisoner who participated in The Prisoner’s Journey Bible study course
Prison Fellowship International
Prison Fellowship International is excited to expand our breakthrough evangelization program for prisoners. Called The Prisoner’s Journey, it is designed to introduce the person of Jesus Christ to prisoners and invite them to begin a journey of personal and spiritual transformation.
A Unique Outreach to Prisoners The Prisoner’s Journey takes a radically different approach to Bible study for prisoners. Unlike other study programs, it is a comprehensive, end-to-end endeavor. It includes everything from a plan for promoting the program to provision of ongoing discipleship opportunities after the course is finished. It is a structured, repeatable, and scalable program. The Prisoner’s Journey is easy to use, meets the requirements of most prison authorities, and can be implemented by any of our national affiliates in prisons within their own countries. The Prisoner’s Journey was created to reveal the Gospel without addition or manipulation.
This course takes Jesus at His word when He said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). In countries where we are piloting The Prisoner’s Journey, we already see tangible impact. The change in prisoners’ lives is miraculous—just listen to Percy, who is serving a 60-year sentence in a South African prison: “Before I started my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, I traveled the path of destruction and death … Having committed abominable and wicked atrocities against my fellow human beings, I ended up in prison ... Jesus is the beginning, a mighty good God, and in Him all is new. The things that I used to do, I do them no more!”
Our executive director in South Africa reports that a difference in the prison environment is apparent within months of introducing The Prisoner’s Journey. About 1,200 prisoners were enrolled in the program by midOctober, and “we are seeing that there is less violence, less fighting, and fewer riots—a different prison culture—in prisons where The Prisoner’s Journey has been offered. As soon as there’s a heart change, there’s a life change.”
06
07
Transforming Hearts and Lives
The Prisoner’s Journey unfolds in the following phases: The Prisoner’s Journey
Preparation
The Course
Discipleship
(2 months): This course, based on the Gospel of Mark, is run by trained leaders. Prisoners are invited to explore a relationship with Jesus. They learn about who He is, why He came, and what He calls them to do. A public graduation ceremony affirms the prisoners’ achievements in completing the course—something that can be very powerful for a person who views himself or herself as a failure in life.
(3-4 months): In this phase, national affiliates create and utilize plans to determine how many prisons and prisoners they will reach. They order materials, hire staff, train volunteers, and liaise with prison officials.
(ongoing): Program coordinators and national affiliate leaders choose one of five pre-qualified programs following the course. The overarching goal of The Prisoner’s Journey is to invite prisoners to know Jesus, and this does not end after the eight-week course is completed. The discipleship phase provides prisoners with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Jesus and learn how to live the Christian life.
Promotion (2-3 months): In this phase, affiliates begin to introduce and promote The Prisoner’s Journey inside selected prisons. A number of promotional activities take place, culminating in a large, in-prison invitational event. The theme of the promotional activities is simple: “You are invited on a journey to meet and get to know a fellow prisoner—Jesus of Nazareth.”
Evaluation (ongoing): Tools are supplied to evaluate all aspects of The Prisoner’s Journey. This step is critical to ensure the program accomplishes our goals.
Prison Fellowship International
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)
08
09
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Reaching the World Prison Fellowship International works in more than 125 countries. There are 45,000 Prison Fellowship International volunteers around the world. These volunteers are active in 31% of prisons in their countries. As a result, Prison Fellowship International has direct access to 2 million prisoners. 10 million children have an incarcerated parent.
Albania Angola Antigua and Barbuda Armenia Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belize
Benin Bermuda Bolivia Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon
Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Curaçao Czech Republic
D.R. Congo Dominica Ecuador El Salvador England and Wales Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland Gambia
Georgia Germany Ghana Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea-Bissau Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras
Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Israel Italy Jamaica Kazakhstan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Latvia
Prison Fellowship International
Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Lithuania Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritius Mexico
Moldova Mongolia Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Northern Ireland
Northern Mariana Islands Norway Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Poland Portugal
Puerto Rico Russia Rwanda St. Vincent and the Grenadines Scotland Senegal Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Solomon Islands
South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Swaziland Switzerland Tanzania Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago
10
U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United States of America* Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe
* Ministry activities within the United States are conducted by Prison Fellowship Ministries.
11
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Rescuing Children of Prisoners Chenda, 11, had no parents and no one to care for him. Thin and tired, he had barely anything to eat. His father was sent to prison and, just three months later, his mother died. Chenda dropped out of school and was forced into child labor in order to survive. “Now that I don’t have my mother, I am so sad,” he said. “I have to work for other people. They just use me and beat me and get angry because I don’t have parents.” Chenda’s days began at a brickyard in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He did eight hours of back-breaking work each day, carrying bricks under the hot sun. It was dangerous. At the end of each day, Chenda received 25 cents, enough to buy a handful of rice. He longed to return to school but that was not possible unless someone intervened. With his father in prison, he lived as an outcast. “I miss my mother so much,” Chenda said. “She always told me that she loves me.”
Prison Fellowship International
Prison Fellowship International understands the needs of prisoners and their families. The needs of children of prisoners differ from those of children sponsored by other organizations.
A Unique Outreach to the Children of Prisoners More than 7 million children outside the United States have lost one or both parents to imprisonment. One million of these children are living in dire circumstances. They are hungry, frightened, and alone. Many are forced to beg for food or work from dawn to dusk, like Chenda. Another 10,000 children are growing up in filthy, densely crowded prison cells with their parent, where they’re vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. They have nowhere to turn. All of these children are “the least of these,” the ones Jesus tells us to care for. That’s why Prison Fellowship International created a unique program to care for these children whose lives are at stake and who need urgent help. In fact, children of prisoners frequently fall between the cracks of what other child-
focused programs provide. Their specific needs include:
profound effect on their emotional and psychological well-being.
Assurance of safety and protection in dangerous living conditions. With at least one parent in prison, the remaining parent’s ability to provide care is stretched thin. The children face a high risk of being trafficked into the sex trade, forced into child labor, or being drawn into gang life and the violence of the streets.
Special assistance to maintain an ongoing connection with the incarcerated parent. In the developing world, it is difficult and costly to visit someone in a distant prison. But children need their parents, and they suffer if the relationship is ruptured.
Extra support to combat social stigma, build confidence, and help them excel in school. Children of prisoners are rejected by their peers simply because they have a parent in prison. This has a
Prison Fellowship International has a bold vision and plan to dramatically expand the care we provide to innocent children of prisoners. By showing them someone cares, we help them rebuild their trust in people —and in a heavenly Father who loves them.
12
13
Transforming Hearts and Lives
What is the Children of Prisoners Partnership? The Children of Prisoners Partnership is a child-focused program specifically for children of prisoners outside the United States. No other organization has tackled the needs of this group of children on such a large scale. Prison Fellowship International seeks to ensure that these children receive four essential supports:
Safety
Education
Our caseworkers regularly visit children to ensure their urgent needs are being met, including the need for safety and protection.
We encourage school attendance and provide assistance with school uniforms and supplies so children develop the skills they need for a brighter future.
Good Health
Spiritual and Social Support
We ensure children have enough nutritious food to eat and receive essential medical care to restore health and hope.
Children receive Christian guidance to help heal the emotional and spiritual wounds caused by rejection and loss, and to help build their confidence.
Prison Fellowship International
We designed and launched our child-focused program in 2013. Currently, we are offering programs in eight countries: Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Rwanda, and Zambia.
Here’s how we know we are already making a difference: In Cambodia, our
In Costa Rica, a
“We’re finding
volunteers and staff searched for a father whose wife was in prison and who was struggling to care for their children, ages 1 and 6. We discovered their home was little more than a tarp stretched over a bed, located next to an open sewer.
grandmother’s home burned down. This woman was raising her two grandchildren in poverty while her husband was in prison for dealing drugs.
similar stories in different countries as we enroll children in sponsorship,” says our program manager. “Often the grandmothers look after their grandchildren, and they burst into tears when they learn that help has arrived. They tell us: ‘We never knew that anyone would help us.’ Their tears and gratitude are overflowing.”
Our caseworker got the family into an apartment and we subsidized the rent payments. We also helped the father find work. As a result of our intervention, there was an immediate positive impact on the health and safety of these two children. . . . . . . ..............................
In Zambia, every child in the program is going to school and has uniforms and school supplies. Before being brought into the program, many children were not able to afford school. . . . . . . ..............................
Prison Fellowship International helped the family into a safe home, and we monitored the children to ensure they were receiving food and education.
14
15
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Next Steps to Reach Prisoners and their Children “As a condemned convict, I used to have sleepless nights. But through The Prisoner’s Journey, I realized that Jesus Christ has paid the ransom for my sins, and for the first time since coming to prison, I have peace.”—Ayo, a prisoner in Nigeria
The Prisoner’s Journey
Our initial pilots of The Prisoner’s Journey in South Africa and Nigeria revealed prisoners are eager to sign up for the course and prisons are asking for us to come and implement it. The next step is to translate The Prisoner’s Journey materials into five more languages and test the program in 15 countries in 2015. In 2016, we aim to scale The Prisoner’s Journey to 60 countries. By 2020, we envision it in 100 countries, working with 2,500 dedicated volunteer leaders. We see a movement of Christ’s hope spreading through the world’s prisons
and transforming lives forever. Prison officials, along with our volunteers, appreciate The Prisoner’s Journey. Through it they experience the Gospel’s impact. “The beauty of The Prisoner’s Journey is that it does not discriminate—anybody can participate because it only presents facts about Jesus Christ. It is not preaching,” said the deputy controller of prisons
in Nigeria. Our ambitious goal is to reach 1 million prisoners outside the United States with the life-changing Gospel message by 2020. The limiting factor for expanding The Prisoner’s Journey is not interest or ability, but resources. Please prayerfully consider supporting this impactful, transformative ministry of Prison Fellowship International.
Prison Fellowship International
16
Children of Prisoners Partnership
Prison Fellowship International’s goal is to launch our ground-breaking program in countries around the world to care for children of prisoners. We are committed to reach 100,000 children in need by 2020. It takes approximately three years to get this unique children’s program up and running to the point where it is self-sustaining through sponsors’ monthly contributions.
Prison Fellowship International invites potential partners to help us launch programs for the children of prisoners by underwriting the program cost during this launch period.
During those first three years, we still need to care for the enrolled children and pay for program costs.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative, urgentlyneeded response to the dire plight
of children of prisoners, who fall through the cracks of other sponsorship programs and who desperately need help and love Please prayerfully consider partnering with Prison Fellowship International to help rescue these forgotten children.
17
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Investing in Transformation Prison Fellowship International has a bold, faith-based vision and plan. But to carry out our plan successfully, we need to invest in organizational transformation.
We need the resources of time, talent, and treasure from committed partners like you to wisely and strategically invest in our national ministries and help to build their ability to provide quality programming. We need to invest in our staff, and work with them to strengthen their capacity in areas like financial management, volunteer recruitment and training, board development, fundraising, and program management, monitoring, and evaluation. This investment promises a big return—it helps grow local impact in a significant way, reaching more beneficiaries more quickly in the name of Christ.
It is a rescue mission. Investing in transformation is a challenging, risky, and courageous decision. But the required investment to successfully launch, sustain, grow, and realize the vision of Prison Fellowship International will help lay the foundation for prison ministries worldwide to help many more prisoners and their children. It nurtures indigenous ministry—it builds on local resources and talent, involves local volunteers and churches, and reflects local context and culture. We believe this is the best way to create strong, sustainable programs for prisoners and their children.
Prison Fellowship International seeks Kingdom-minded individuals, churches, and funding institutions who have an interest in working together with us to launch impactful programs and who can clearly see the future potential. If you have an interest in a particular country or region, or if you’re someone who understands the need for startup capital and you’re excited by what the future of Prison Fellowship International holds, we invite you to partner with us.
Please prayerfully consider investing to build capacity in our staff, systems, and operations.
Prison Fellowship PFI:Transforming International Lives
Your Involvement in this Launch Effort We hope that you will enthusiastically and prayerfully partner with us in serving Christ through international prison ministry.
Together...
... we have the power and presence to reach inside a prison and share the life-transforming love of Jesus with people who are rejected by society.
... we have the ability to protect and care for a vulnerable child of a prisoner who is hungry, who lives in a shack or a slum, and who is forced to work instead of going to school. We can change that child’s life.
... we can have the joy of fulfilling the Great Commission. “Go and preach the gospel to everyone,” Jesus said, and that includes prisoners, who are among the last groups to be reached with the Gospel in our time.
... we can help develop leaders in global prison ministry, and strengthen the body of Christ worldwide.
... we can help reach many more prisoners and their children in the name of Christ by investing in our vision and the up-front capacity needs of our ministry.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with Prison Fellowship International as we passionately reach out to prisoners and their children around the world so that we may all experience lives transformed and futures restored.
18
19
Transforming Hearts and Lives
Chuck Colson’s Vision for International Prison Ministry Prison Fellowship International was born out of the experience of Chuck Colson, former aide to President Nixon. Convicted for a Watergate-related offense, Colson served seven months in prison. During that time he saw and experienced the difference faith in Jesus Christ makes in people’s lives. He became convinced that the real solution to crime is found through spiritual renewal. When Colson walked into freedom, he had a new mission in life: To reach out to men and women behind bars, and give them the opportunity to turn their lives around through Christ. In 1979, he founded Prison Fellowship International, extending the mission and work beyond the United States, and following God’s call to proclaim the Gospel worldwide and alleviate the suffering of prisoners and their families. We are the largest, most extensive association of national Christian ministries working within the criminal justice
field. We engage 1,000 full-time staff and board members and train, equip, and mobilize 45,000 volunteers in more than 125 countries and territories. Each of our national ministries is indigenous, primarily volunteerbased, and trans-denominational, enabling us to minister to prisoners and their families in culturally relevant ways. Prison Fellowship International is called and dedicated to communicating the redemptive love and transforming power of Jesus Christ to prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims of crime around the world.
We believe all people have value, deserve mercy, and are loved equally by God—even the most outcast. With your support, we can restore hope and share God’s redeeming grace with prisoners and their families around the world.
Prison Fellowship International PO Box 17434 Washington, DC 20041, USA 703-481-0000 www.pfi.org
info@pfi.org