Inmate dads target of evangelistic outreach

USA (MNN) — Crossroad Bible Institute is an organization provides Bible correspondence classes to those who are in jail and prisons. The goal is to see these forgotten people come to Christ and ultimately discipled. That ministry is expected to grow in the upcoming weeks and months because of a new partnership with Prison Fellowship.

Crossroad Bible’s Doctor David Schuringa says, “They’ve come to us and asked us now to partner with them with respect to Project Angel Tree.” Project Angel Tree provides Christmas gift to children of prison inmates. He says, “For the last 25 years there really has not been any affective way to follow up on those Angel Tree parents. They would like to see these Angel Tree dads offered our discipleship program. And so, we’ve already sent off to them 150,000 applications to start distributing to Angel Tree dads.”

So, with the help of prison chaplains, Crossroad will be distributing their enrollment forms to those fathers who sent Angel Tree gifts to their children. Schuringa says while Project Angel Tree is a great ministry to the families of inmates, there’s more that should be done. “The next logical step of course would be to reach the Angel Tree dad with the Gospel so that upon release he can bring home the gift of faith.” He says this is important because, “the children of inmates are five to six times more likely, than the average kid, to go to prison. So, we need to reach those kids or we’re just going to have a whole other generation of problems.

Crossroad Bible Institute is expecting a huge response. Schuringa says they’ll need more funding to mail the lessons and more volunteers. He says, “There will be a tremendous need for new instructors. For listeners who would like to be trained, it’s something any Christian can do. (They will be) correcting the Bible study lessons in a very safe and secure way, returning those lessons corrected to them and writing letters of discipleship.”