by Jeremy Bates 
We support the Good New Jail & Prison Ministry because of the tremendous impact it has on peoples lives. This organization’s mission is to minister to the people of our communities that most of us have forgotten about. The shear number of lives changed every year through the local Chaplains is incredible and we’d encourage you to check out this group and consider supporting them as well.
WHAT WE DO
It all starts with our mission: Placing Christian chaplains in jails and prisons to minister to the spiritual needs of inmates and staff. Good News has developed several practical, life-giving programs that introduce inmates and staff to Christ and help them grow in their knowledge of Him and His Word. Here are a few of the programs we use to do this:
Serving Inmates:
Worldwide Ministry – Good News considers it a privilege to minister to serve 300,000 incarcerated men, women and youth daily in 22 states and 25 countries worldwide and more countries being added yearly. Our chaplains share the love of Christ to these inmates and staff, while facilitating the ministry of thousands of volunteers, too. In many foreign prison systems, inmates are not fed, clothed or provided medical care by the government. All of these essentials must be supplied through family or others on the outside. Good News international chaplains step in the gap, often serving as the “humanitarian” providers and the spiritual lifelines for inmates.
Building Firm Foundations:
The Bible Correspondence Course – Good News helps inmates gain a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God’s Word though our Bible Correspondence Course program. The curriculum developed and written by Good News, consists of 224 individual Bible studies, requiring the inmate to study the selected book of The Bible verse by verse.Books covered in this study begin with John, moving into 1 John, Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Peter, Genesis, Galatians and Acts. Some of the studies are also available in Spanish.
After the inmate completes each lesson a volunteer grader provides feedback to encourage the inmate in their progress. When an inmate completes the all the courses offered they are awarded a Study Bible for their further spiritual growth.
Discipleship Igniting Change:
Life Learning Program (LLP) – Good News knows all too well that a life of crime is a sad and destructive cycle. Without hope, guidance and most importantly God’s Word, lasting change is only a dream. Good News is committed to igniting this change, as GNJ&PM President Jon Evans explains:
“Good News life learning Programs offer a structured approach to teaching inmates the truths of God’s Word. As they grasp what God has done for them in Christ, a flame of hope for their future is ignited, and many begin to believe for the first time that their lives matter. The transformations being seen here are dramatic and we invite you to join us in bringing the power of the Gospel message through LLP’s intentional, relationship-based teaching and discipleship.”
The program is a biblically centered program designed to teach inmates how their world and personal view relates to every area of life. Key topics include:
- Acceptance as a person.
- Getting along with those around us.
- Forgiveness-What it means and what it accomplishes.
- How to handle “going to prison.”
- How to handle “getting out.”
- Responsibility and accountability to family, job and authority.
For more information please visit their website at https://goodnewsjail.org/.
