Newsletter
June 2007
Dear Friend,
It's an awesome thing to watch the Holy Spirit at work in men's lives.
During the past month, I have been ministering with three men. One is finishing his sentence. Two others are now on the street. PJ is sober after more than a month outside. He's putting his life back together one day at a time, taking each challenge as it comes. DM was released to the streets (literally) on Saturday of the long Memorial Day weekend with a promise of housing on Tuesday. Praise God, he was there sober, smiling and ready to go when I picked him up at 7:00 AM at the subway station. Last week he spoke with his daughter for the first time in over ten years. I called him Sunday morning to check in and was told--"I can't talk now, I'm going to church." God is good.
We were blessed last month with so many opportunities to share the Gospel. Through God's grace, we ministered to 375 men and women at 8 facilities. I was blessed to give the keynote message at the annual Vermont Prison Ministry Conference in Rutland thanks to Pastor Pete Fiske, and Murray Merlin of The Church at Prison. Finally, the Lord blessed me with an opportunity to speak and witness at a Prison Ministry class at Andover Newton Theological School. Be careful what you pray for, God answers prayers!
Our current Board of Directors are finishing their term. If you are passionate about helping released prisoners stay out jail, we invite you to join the Board. It's an exciting time for the ministry. Let me know if you're interested.
It is a time of change in Prison Ministry. Organizational ties are shifting. New names and faces are everywhere--including the Department of Corrections. Through it all, the call on my heart is clear--serve the prisoner: man or woman, inside and out. Pray for me. Pray for us as we seek the will of the Lord. Pray for the prisoners and for their families. Pray for the administration and for the many ministries that serve with us.
Thanks for your encouragement, your support and your gifts. They make a real difference in real lives in real communities. They make a real difference in my life. I could not do this alone.
Thank you.
Much grace and many blessings,
Mark Hemenway, President
P.S. New England Prison Ministries, Inc. is no longer part of Vision New England. Our name is new. Our address is new. Everything else is the same. Your continued financial support is critical. Remember, make your checks out to New England Prison Ministries, Inc., and send them to P.O. Box 1785, Lowell, MA 01853.
Thanks.