Today we remember a dark day in history. We mourn the lives senselessly taken, and we honor the sacrifice of the brave men and women who died saving others. 9/11 was a sad turning point in our nation’s story. But our hope lies in a God who does not change, and who will one day set all things right.
As I approach the last few months of my tenure at Prison Fellowship, I’ve been reflecting on just how much the ministry has changed—and stayed the same—during my time here.
I arrived at the ministry in 2016 at a pivotal juncture. We had lost our founder, Chuck Colson, in 2012, and the organization was struggling to move from being founder led to mission led. As a longtime turnaround CEO, I was brought in to help the team make this shift, as well improve its overall culture, which had become unhealthy.
As the team and I began the hard work of tearing down silos, revitalizing programs, and building a long-term strategic plan, we began to see results. Slowly but surely, we found our true north and everyone in the ministry focused their efforts on reaching common goals.
Since then, we have worked diligently on four major initiatives: 1) growing the footprint of the Prison Fellowship Academy, 2) ensuring that all our programs are operating at peak efficiency and meeting their primary goals, 3) rebuilding the network of churches engaged in serving the incarcerated and their families, and 4) improving the culture of the organization.
As I shared a couple of weeks ago, the Academy is core to our mission at Prison Fellowship. Prior to COVID-19, we were seeing expansion of the Academy model, with new sites opening across the country. The pandemic brought much of that progress to a halt, but we were persistent in finding creative ways to continue the program, with virtual classes happening at a number of prisons.
Now that the prison doors have swung back open, we have once again been able to expand this life-changing program. This past fiscal year, we added 72 new Academy sites across a total of 41 states! Praise Jesus! In addition, graduates of the Academy are stepping into leadership roles and serving as change agents in their communities. Our founder often referred to these men and women as “living monuments”—people who have experienced the transforming impact of Christ and are now living out their God-given potential and giving back to their communities.
While I couldn’t have imagined it then, with the help of an amazing staff, faithful volunteers, and generous donors, Prison Fellowship is now stronger than it’s ever been. And I am committed to keeping this crucial work moving forward. Believing this will be Prison Fellowship’s most fruitful season yet, my wife, Martha, and I are offering a special $50,000 challenge to ministry supporters to help usher the ministry into this next chapter. Our goal is to challenge supporters like youto
join us in increasing our impact and making this next chapter our best yet by giving an incremental gift—one that will provide the foundation necessary for even greater ministry and transformation.
Over the next six weeks, I’ll continue to share about the remaining three initiatives noted above. During this time, and as we look forward to Heather Rice-Minus stepping into the leadership of Prison Fellowship, we covet your prayers for a smooth transition. Thank you for your faithful support and for ensuring that everyone in prison receives the opportunity to find restoration in Christ!
Glorifying Him,
JAMES J. ACKERMAN President and Chief Executive Officer
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