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South Pacific (MNN) — Ten years ago, Crossroad Bible Institute began bringing the hope of Christ to spiritually-devoid prisons in "the land down under." In 2002, the prison ministry established a satellite campus in Australia and a New Zealand campus in 2006. As CBI President Dr. David Schuringa reflects on a decade of service in the South Pacific, he remembers CBI's goal.
"We seek to do more than get a decision for Christ," Schuringa says. "We want to see a life changed for Christ."
Now the ministry is reaching out to a new group of inmates. Using a program developed for the children of prison inmates called "Manga Messiah," CBI is helping highly-illiterate prisoners learn about Christ and become His disciple. Schuringa adds that CBI would like to use Manga Messiah as a sort of "predecessor" for some adults before they enter regular discipleship programming.
"We geared this whole thing for the children of prisoners," explained Schuringa, "but they are experimenting with great success in the South Pacific using this with certain adults."
Since establishing bases in Australia and New Guinea, the prison ministry has expanded into Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon islands. Schuringa says island prisoners were especially desperate for spiritual education.
"On some of these island nations, there was no religious programming at all–not even poor religious programming!" he says jokingly.
Island prisons like the one on Tonga do not have any type of Bible study program at all, nor a chaplain. You can help CBI reach lost souls in prisons throughout the world by clicking here to make a donation. You could even disciple a prison inmate by correcting his or her coursework and sending notes of encouragement.
