Recently, while in the Gospel of Matthew, I read the story about Jesus feeding 5,000 people (14:13-21). In it, Jesus tells His disciples to feed a large crowd that had gathered in hopes of receiving healing from Him. The disciples reply that they have “only five loaves of bread and two fish.” Jesus takes that small offering, gives thanks, and blesses it, proceeding to feed the entire crowd with food left over.
This miracle reminds me of the work we do each day serving the incarcerated and their families. We bring our offering—made possible by your prayers and generosity—and Jesus blesses and multiplies it in so many ways.
We recently heard from Jorge, who went to prison when his daughter was only 4 years old. He shared with us the continuing impact he’s seeing from taking his own small step of faith by signing up his daughter for Angel Tree Christmas many years ago. The bridge that was built through that first gift has helped build a relationship that has lasted throughout his now-22 years in prison. In addition, his exposure to Prison Fellowship through Angel Tree led him to eventually join the Prison Fellowship Academy, where he says he’s now learning “how to live in community, how to live with people, and how to love one another instead of dividing.”
Today across the country, parents in prison are attending Angel Tree Parent Days and taking that same step of faith by signing up their own kids to receive a gift and the Gospel this Christmas. We held one of these events at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, where men in prison not only heard about the ways they can continue to parent from inside prison, but also received a tamale lunch and a reminder that Jesus loves them. More than 500 people registered their children for Angel Tree Christmas that day. That’s 500 opportunities for parents’ small offerings to be multiplied for generations. You helped make every single moment of that incredible day possible.
Some of my favorite stories of multiplied impact come from the ways our Academy participants care for their own community. The Prison Fellowship Academy is built on six Values of Good Citizenship, and “community” is one of them. This month at McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina, a group of six Academy participants pooled their commissary resources and made 45 peanut butter sandwiches which they distributed to their fellow participants. Given many prisoners’ limited access to resources, this was a huge act of generosity! As they handed the gift to each member of their community, they said, “I hope this gives you a little encouragement today.” The small offering of two slices of white bread and a thin layer of peanut butter was a significant sacrifice this group willingly made in order to build community. The recipients were amazed by the kind gesture and immediately began to discuss other ways they could bless others.
Jesus is multiplying the impact of small offerings in prisons and families across the country, and I am so grateful to be able to witness and share these stories of faithfulness with you. We are seeing men and women transformed, prisons changed, and families restored through the work the Lord has given us to do. These are truly miracles, and we are thankful that you’ve joined us on this journey of faith.
As I wind down my final months as CEO of Prison Fellowship, I would ask you to pray that the Lord would continue to multiply our impact of changing lives and generations. To God be the glory!
Praising Him,
JAMES J. ACKERMAN President and Chief Executive Officer
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