When our founder, Chuck Colson, launched the first Prison Fellowship Academy, originally known as IFI, more than 25 years ago, his goal was to provide an opportunity for people to learn the values foundational to true life change and break the cycle of incarceration once and for all. That remains our goal, and we see it happening every day.
Mike Spilker is a great example of the success we see from the Academy.
After years of drug addiction resulting in a string of felony convictions, Mike found himself facing a 9-year prison sentence. Determined to overcome his addictions and criminal behavior, he joined Celebrate Recovery, a substance abuse recovery program, and began attending in-prison church services. Eventually he found the Academy, where he learned the biblical values of community, affirmation, productivity, responsibility, restoration, and integrity, and was finally able to overcome his addictions and criminal thinking.
Mike’s sentence was ultimately shortened to four years, and he was released from prison to start a new life. Now he has a great job, he’s helping others overcome their drug and alcohol addictions, and he's giving back to his community. Mike is a living monument to Chuck’s original vision for the Academy.
However, while Mike ultimately succeeded, overcoming the stigma of his felony convictions was difficult, as it is for the hundreds of thousands of people getting out of prison each year. Even though God had transformed Mike’s life, Mike faced difficulties finding a rehabilitation program that would accept him and an employer that would look beyond his past to see the man he had become.
There are 44,000 legal barriers that prevent people coming out of prison from rebuilding meaningful lives. That’s one of the reasons the work our advocacy team does is so important.
Prison Fellowship believes seeking justice means restoring entire broken systems as well as individual lives. That’s why we advocate for a criminal justice system that prioritizes fairness, rehabilitation, and community safety.
From making sure punishments are fair to unlocking second chances, our advocacy team, church partners, and grassroots advocates are making a real difference in communities. Amid polarizing rhetoric around criminal justice, it’s more important than ever that followers of Jesus pursue a biblical vision of justice, firmly rooted in the dignity and value of everyone made in God’s image.
We pursue this vision in part through Second Chance Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the barriers that people face when they rejoin society and to open doors of opportunity for people who have paid their debt to society. Prison Fellowship launched the first Second Chance Month in April 2017 alongside many partners, and we’ll be celebrating again this year. We’d love to have you be part of this year’s effort. Will you commit to
praying
for a groundswell of support to help the 70 million Americans with a criminal record achieve their potential?
Through your ongoing, generous support, Mike and many others can live out their God-given purpose. The Lord is changing lives through the ministry He’s given us, and we’re grateful that you’ve joined us. God’s blessings to you and your family!
Celebrating Him,
JAMES J. ACKERMAN President and Chief Executive Officer
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Prison Fellowship P.O. Box 1550, Merrifield, VA, 22116-1550 US
