ANNOUNCEMENTS
INMATE COOKS GIVE BACK...
Marco Salazar, (wearing black and chef's hat) Executive Chef de Cuisine at the San Antonio Food Bank, teaches inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Torres Unit about knives and cutlery used in a professional kitchen. About 11 to 12 inmates or trustees from the Torres unit are in a program at the San Antonio Food Bank called the Community Kitchen that teaches them a skill that will allow them to start anew when they are finished serving time. The inmates also take part in a program called Kids Kitchen where they prepare about 800 to 900 meals a day that are delivered to after school programs such as Communities in Schools and the Y.M.C.A.
Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS / SA
Read more....
Support Group
(This group meets every Tuesday from 7-8:30 PM at Community Bible Church, Portable 6-B. Child care is available when you pre-register online. For additional information and to register, please visit www.CommunityBible.com and go to the "Pastoral Care" tab)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Briscoe Unit Kairos #8
The Briscoe Unit Kairos #8 will be coming up April 11-15, 2012. We are in need of the following;
· Inside Team volunteers (need security clearance training)
· Outside Team volunteers
· Cookies, placemats, posters and other forms of “agape”
· Prayer Partners
· Meal Sponsorship
· Financial Support
For more information on the Kairos Ministry please see http://www.mykairos.org/involved.html
Or you can contact Paul Newsome at paul@newsomesprinklers.com,
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25: 38-40
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IDENTITY – MANHOOD – PURPOSE
As formerly incarcerated men, have you ever struggled with these questions?
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where did I come from?
What is my unique purpose in life?
What type of group is willing to accept me, not based upon my past, but upon who I am today?
How am I going to make it in society?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, the I.M.P. lessons are for you.
I.M.P. stands for: Identity – Manhood - Purpose
At I.M.P. we will discover the answers to the above questions and learn how to live Successfully and Victoriously as Men of God.
The lessons are offered free of charge through Faith Outreach Center International and you are encouraged to bring others with you.
If you need further assistance in finding the location, please call the church at:
210-734-7423 or Dwayne McKinney at 210-287-3340.
Hope to see you there.
San Antonio, Texas 78228
For additional information, please visit our website: http://www.faith-outreach.org/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We need YOU!
Barabbas Ministries is in need of Godly men to volunteer at the Dominguez Faith Based Dorm for following positions:
Monday - Friday: 9am-11am, 3pm-5pm, and 7pm-9pm each day
Facilitators for the Wed - Fri 3P- 5pm slot
Teachers for the Mon - Fri 9am-11am and 3pm-5pm slot.
Commitment level is one 2hr session a week or every other week for six months.
Requires TDCJ volunteer current status (We can help you with scheduling this)
You will be trained
Also we are in need of a volunteer administrative assistant to assist in maintaining a data base & case files for the men that we serve in the dorm and to work with the volunteer team leaders within the ministry to help us plan for their release.
This job can be done at home, and does not require an in- prison clearance.
Requires computer skills such as excel, word, PowerPoint, and optionally Microsoft office as it applies to internet coordination of online conferencing. You will be trained.
Please contact Charlie Mann
(210) 367-6549
clmann@gvtc.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Information
The Dominguez Unit Faith Dorm opened on Oct. 25, 2010. The program for inmates will be 90 days in length - then, Lord willing, we will graduate 58 men the first session. The next session will began on October 1, 2011. We still need men to teach and facilitate. The classes are Monday through Friday each week for six months. We have time slots open for teachers for the morning, afternoon and evening classes. You will be trained. Please contact Carol Morton for more information regarding this amazing opportunity to serve those who need YOU so much.
Teachers:
Teachers lead short 1 to 2hr classes. These classes are given on basic Biblical facts for new believers and/or Biblically-based life skills. All classes have at least one facilitator to assist the teacher. Curriculums are designed to be both teacher and student friendly. Although there is room for imagination, all the curriculums are laid out in such a manner as to allow you to simply follow the guidelines and let the Spirit do the rest. All curriculums have abundant scripture references so the Word of God can do its work too. For example you may teach/lecture for 20 minutes, then you & the facilitator will assist the men doing an exercise for 20 minutes, and then the students may take a simple quiz for 20 minutes.
We are teaching men inside prison so you must be able both physically and spiritually to go inside a prison. Teachers should be mature believers who have known Christ as both their Lord and Savior for at least three to five years. PLEASE NOTE, this has nothing to do with your age! We have men and women in their twenties and some in their nineties that are mature believers. Also note any kind teaching experience is helpful but not necessary. If you’ve been a supervisor at work or raised (or are raising) kids or something similar that is all you need. Remember this is life to life, heart to heart teaching.
Facilitators:
Facilitators assist the teachers; but more so, they assist the students in doing their exercises and assignments. And through this they are showing & encouraging the students as to how to do the work themselves.
Facilitators also should be mature believers who have known Christ as both their Lord and Savior for at least three to five years. AND AGAIN PLEASE NOTE, this has nothing to do with your age too! Also like teachers any kind teaching or facilitating experience is helpful but not necessary. The major difference here is this is more of a small group or one on one task. Much of the facilitators’ task is to simply encourage and/or tutor. And always keep in mind you’re going to be the front end of a mentoring relationship later. This will either be as a referring facilitator who will be both recommending a student to a mentor and giving that mentor key insights about the student. Or as a facilitator that’s transitioning into a mentor and preparing to follow that student out of jail to finish discipling him. This too is life to life and heart to heart but I believe it is a little closer relationship than teaching. Technically speaking though facilitating is easier than teaching in that it requires less preparation.
Mentors:
Mentors are Disciples of Jesus Christ per the biblical definition, that being “a learner who applies the ways of Christ” or “not only a pupil, but an adherent or imitator of Christ”. Mentors are men who will be following the students out of prison and continuing the discipleship process with them on the outside. All work in a minimum of two man teams. Ideally they will have started inside as a facilitator but that isn’t always possible. At least one of the team should have started inside as a facilitator. Working on the outside is much more involved than inside. This is much more of a heart commitment than any other position that requires a lot of practical involvement. Also the mentor process is very similar to after they get out to the facilitators process. Many times you will just encourage and coach. You will be an accountability partner, a coach, a life tutor, and sometimes the only source of harsh truth this man has. For example it recently took three mentors “working together and separately” to get one man employed.
Also like teachers and facilitators they should be mature believers who have known Christ as both their Lord and Savior for at least three to five years. Also like teachers any kind teaching, facilitating, or mentoring experience is helpful but not necessary. This is a life to life, heart to heart, and an in your face ministry involving a very close Christ centered relationship w/ someone.
Mentor training is mandatory because it will not only prepare you but will enable you in practical ways too. This training is available on-line which is a great help!
Helpers:
Helpers are individuals that will do the tasks that a sorely needed but sometimes just tedious and straightforward. They are things like drivers, baby sitters, GED coaches (not teachers), administrative helpers, etc. They are very important and many times a source of encouragement not recognized enough.
Helpers experience level requirements vary normally to match the task, for example an engineer could be a GED math coach. We are however going to strongly recommend the TDCJ Safety Class or PFM VIP training as a basic requirement to just prepare them for meeting w/ the individual or their families. (See the separate sheet with minimum regulatory requirements and recommended training.)
Again, if you feel that you might be interested in serving in one of these positons, please contact:
Charlie Mann
(210) 367-6549
clmann@gvtc.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can you share a prayer?
If you have an hour or two a week to spare, you can become a Prison Ministry Partners Share-A-Prayer volunteer. We pray for each request individually by name and need, so we need your help.
How can you help? First, put on your heavenly armor. We cannot take it for granted that it is on, we must positively make sure it is. Because putting it on is not just a recommended procedure...it is heavenly commanded!
Daily we face the battles that come our way through intercession for inmates, their family members, our PMP Partners, our mentors, our volunteers, etc., so we must be properly equipped and prepared. When the devil and his cohorts look at us, they must see us as ARMED...& DANGEROUS!
Second on the agenda, is Motive. That's right, what is the motive for our intercessions? Our only motive must be to bring praise, honor and glory, to our heavenly Family, whether our intercessions are answered the way we want them to be or not.
3rd) Praise. What is praise? Is it something more than just saying "Praise the LORD?" Praise is defined as "to endorse, elevate, pay tribute to, bestow honor upon, appreciate...etc." Praise comes naturally when we know our heavenly Family. Then it becomes a way of life solidly backed by the Scriptures.
To know our Commander, is to love Him and His Family!
4th) The Bible speaks clearly, and with a warning, that if we want the Father to even hear our prayers, we must get rid of the sin that so easily besets us (Psalm 66:18). But what is sin? I imagine most of you reading this, will respond, "Sin is the transgression (breaking) of the law.", and you are right, the Bible clearly states that. But there is another equally clear, and I believe more important definition of what defines sin. JESUS, our precious Savior and Redeemer, said it in John 16:9 "...because they believe not on Me."
5th) Sincerity, or desire. Christians need heartfelt concern for what or who we pray for. We are to be filled with a hunger and desire for the salvation of the lost, and give the glory to GOD's name.
6th) Faith. Genuine faith comes only one way, and that is the result of knowing our heavenly Family on a one-to-one, person-to-person basis. And there are only two methods of establishing that kind of faith: reading the Bible, and prayer.
7th) Persistance. Some people will tell you it isn't necessary to tell the Father more than once what you're praying for and then leave the matter with Him. Yet JESUS taught that our Father does hear persistent prayers--the kind that are in dead earnest. When the Father's will, name, and glory are at stake, nothing should stop us from pressing our petitions, our intercessions, more persistently.
8th) According to the Father's will. How can we know for sure what we're asking is okay? Do all our prayers need the words "if it be Your will" tacked onto them? The Bible is very specific when it says: "JESUS...came to seek and to save the lost." ~Luke 19:10; or "GOD is...not willing that any should perish..." ~2 Peter 3:9.
The 9th item on the agenda is Obedience. There are those who will tell you obedience doesn’t matter, just love. But look at this from a secular military perspective. The soldiers are trained; drilled daily and consistently in the necessity of instantly obeying orders--punishable by prison if they refuse. Likewise, obedience to our Commander-in-Chief is imperative; both our spiritual and physical lives are at stake.
If you can devote any time to help Prison Ministry Partners pray for all of their projects, efforts, volunteers and the ones we serve, please contact our new Prayer-Share director, Pastor Steve Rodriguez at BeOneWithGod@hotmail.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a volunteer, you may minister in a facility that does not yet receive Inside Journal. If you know a prison chaplain or religious services coordinator who would like to receive a shipment of the next edition, he or she can write to Inside Journal, P.O. Box 1790, Ashburn, VA 20146-1790. The chaplain must include his or her name, institution, address, and desired quantity (any multiple of 50, up to 1,500 per facility).