Newsletter
May 2007
Dear Friends,
As much time as I spend teaching inmates, they seem to find ways to teach me as well. Time and time again, I find myself humbled by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the men and women I see.
Arthur looked into my eyes as he leaned across the table, his hands grasping the pages of his Bible. "Mark, I want to spend my life getting to know God. Like, I really want to know Him and to love Him and to walk with Him. I don't know what I'll be doing or where I'll be when I get out, I only know I want to get closer to God and I'm going to commit my life to that."
I have heard these words from three inmates in the past two weeks. They came unasked for and without encouragement from men in different facilities and in very different circumstances.
God is blessing us way beyond anything we expected as New England Prison Ministries completes its first solo month. The past few weeks have been spent setting up management systems, interviewing accountants, and revising web sites and stationery. Nevertheless, in the midst of all the confusion and stress, ministry continues to grow.
During April, we shared the Gospel with 350 men and women at 8 facilities, including a rare visit to the jail in Barnstable County. 73 men from the Billerica House of Correction have applied for mentoring. Our 8 mentors are working with 15 men at various points in their sentence. Last week we had a kick-off meeting for a mentoring program women being released from prison.
April was also conference season. Kate and I have been on the road almost every weekend in the past two months.
As exciting as all this activity is, we remember always that we serve the prisoner and that all we do is possible only through the grace and the power of Jesus Christ. Responses like Arthur's and the smiles we see when we meet our former students out in the world are the work of the Holy Spirit. We are merely the vehicles. Thanks for your gifts, your prayers and your encouragement. We invite you to join us on this journey, if you haven’t already.
Much grace and many blessings,
P.S. We are no longer a ministry of Vision New England. OUR ADDRESS HAS CHANGED!! Send your gifts to New England Prison Ministries, Inc., PO Box 1785, Lowell, MA 01853