In the message below, I am also talking to my own church members. I can understand you not wanting to go to the jails. There are many times that I don't feel like going... But you know what? I know that Jesus didn't want to go to the cross for us, but He went. I have been serving as chaplain for about 4 Years now as a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church. I have let it be known that I need at least one person to help me. Surely there is at least one man and one woman that would be willing to visit the inmates once a week, for an hour or so...

If this church will do this for the inmates, so can many others..

 

A group of ladies at St. Mark Lutheran Church believe the word of God can save souls, and that’s why they are sending more than 100 Bibles to prisoners.

The ladies asked their congregation on Sunday to assist them in marking 120 Bibles for inmates of the Coffield Prison, near Palestine.

When marking a Bible, a person highlights certain verses with notes on which verse to turn to next. The verses tell the story of salvation, said Marlene Parker, who is organizing the Conroe church’s efforts.

“This is the first time our ladies’ group has done this,” Parker said. “We were surprised when the prison chaplain said the prisoners prefer the King James or New King James Bibles.”

The St. Mark ladies chose to send the books to the Coffield Prison because members of the congregation know one of the inmates there.

The Bibles were purchased through church donations, but they were bought at a discounted price.

 With 1% of Americans behind bars, perhaps there needs to be an emphasis on prison ministry. Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship Ministries is a good example of what can be done.

Whether or not your church feels called to have a prison ministry, you should be thinking about how this statistic affects your congregation now and in the future. It is likely there are members of your church who have friends and family in prison. They are probably affected by it, particularly in the case of a child with an imprisoned parent. With such a high rate of imprisoned Americans, how will your community’s culture be affected in the future as some of these inmates get the opportunity to reenter society? <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

    God Wants Your Help
    The Inmate's Need Your Help 

    We are trying to furnish a FULL CRIMINAL JUSTICE MINISTRY to Inmates, their Families, and also provide Chaplaincy Service to the Law Enforcement Officers if they request our service. We serve in the Izard, and Sharp County jails.  We are also available for After-care for the inmates when needed.
    There is a GREAT NEED for men and women who are willing to go into these jails and tell the inmates how they can know for sure that if they died they would go to HEAVEN. But they don't need to stop there. They need to go on and give AN INVITATION for them to be saved. Also needed are people to go into the Inmates homes and assist them in any area of need.
    Jails & prisons NEED CHURCHES that will send these men and women into these institutions and pay their expenses. The reason most churches are not involved in Jail/Prison Ministry is simply because it has never crossed their mind. Others, because they don't want to get to close to inmates. They feel like they had an oppertunity to attend church before they were locked up.
    GOD HELP US ALL THAT HAVE THIS ATTITUDE. After all, we were all in times past the children of wrath. Eph. 2:3, Those behind bars need JESUS too.

Churches should set the example

Statistics show that about 95 percent of all inmates are at some point released back into society. Many of the inmates are simply unable to cope with life on the outside. Most of our churches take the attitude that this is just the way it is in today's culture. Regardless of what we attribute this problem of crime to, the truth of the matter is that "today's inmates" will be "tomorrows neighbors".
The question is, "what are we going to do about it"? There is one thing for
certain, Jails and Prisons are not working. They are designed to punish, not
cure the inmates problems. Today, there are ten times as many prisons as
there were twenty years ago.
So its not hard to see that Prison is not working. Trying to rehabilitate these
men and women through behavioral science is a wasted effort.
But the church says, "what else can we do with them"? This is a very dumb question.
It's The Churches Place To Tell Inmate's about Jesus!

Christ Didn't Give Prison Guard's The Great Commission
There is only "one answer" to this problem. That answer is to "TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS". Now I ask you! Is this a job for the government, or is this a job for the church??? The church is here to represent Christ to the rest of the world. Its not the job of the prison system, the police officers, or the parole/probation officers.
There is only one way for a person to be rehabilitated, That is for Jesus
Christ to take away the old heart of stone, and give them a heart for Him.
The only way that is going tohappen is for the church to send volunteers into the jails and prisons to tell them about Jesus. How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of
Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher. Rom.10:14,

The CHURCH CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT CRIME. I don't know of any other plan of crime prevention that will have any effect at all on this
problem. Church, "CHRIST IS COMING SOON" and you are the only hope that these men and women have.