(Photo credit CBI)

USA (MNN) — Several years ago, Crossroad Bible Institute started the Manga Messiah program. This program was originally designed to be a Bible study for children of inmates.

Dr. David Schuringa, president CBI, says that the Manga Messiah program has been used as a beautiful blessing from God.

This program has stretched to a detention center for the families of undocumented immigrants in Arizona. This helps with many of the Spanish-speaking children who rush into the country seeking protection. CBI is very excited they are able to share the love of Christ with them.

This program is especially helping young people come to Christ.The Manga Messiah program is impacting a juvenile detention center in Arizona. CBI receives testimonies regulrarly from young people talking about prayer requests and praises for the Lord.

Although this was designed to just be for children of inmates, it has started changing and taking forms CBI never anticipated. This program has been translated to Spanish so that more families and immigrants can access the story of Salvation.

It is a composite story of the life of Christ that is extremely accessible and easy to understand.

The program at Crossroad tends to follow an evangelistic event with the story of Salvation. After that, the students are able to be disciples for a longer amount of time with the Manga Messiah program. These baby Christians are taken by the hand and taught how to walk and then run right after giving their life to Christ, Schuringa says.

In other places like Australia and Canada, CBI is using the Manga Messiah program for adults who have trouble speaking English. The program not only breaks the Gospel story down so they can understand it, but it also helps them with their English-speaking skills and literary understanding.

CBI is considering writing a second course because they are not sure if the first one is enough. Whether or not they will write another one is undecided, Schuringa says.

Why should people care about the Manga Messiah program or the people it is impacting? Because Jesus cares. Schuringa says that Jesus cared for the least of these, and it is our job to be like Jesus and care for and love the least of these.

To find out more ways to pray and obtain information about the Manga Messiah project, click here.

(Photo by CBI)

USA (MNN) — New courses at Crossroad Bible Institute are being offered in the reentry program.

Through partnerships with nearly 1,500 reentry agencies, Crossroad Bible Institute staff helps thousands of men and women access the resources they need for success after imprisonment. This service is available to all returners and is free of charge.

Areas of assistance common to the program include access to housing, employment, job preparation, community support, rehab centers, and surrounding churches.

CBI offers three tiers of discipleship courses for students in order to prepare them for reentry. Tier 1 goes through the Biblical Foundation Series and focuses on great truths of the Bible and a survey of the Bible.

What’s new? In addition to the third and final tier of study, research, and academic arm of CBI, Center for Advanced Studies has made significant progress on the new Tier 2 Five-Star Reentry Formation Program which will includes courses on the Christian work ethic, financial stewardship, family values, addiction recovery, and community involvement.

Two of the new Five-Star Reentry courses, All Work Is God’s Work and It All Belongs to God, were completed this year and will be designed and piloted in the coming months.

Students, teachers, and staff are looking forward to the new program that will teach practical and foundational principles for biblical living.

The Center also produced other resources aimed at providing practical guidance for churches, reentry agencies, prison ministries, and the general public. The Seven Secrets for Success in the Work-place leader’s manual was released this year and was piloted by prison chaplains and reentry agencies.

CBI president Dr. David Schuringa also completed work on his newest book, Seven Secrets for Kicking the Habit, which can be found on CBI’s Web site.

How can you get involved? CBI encourages those who want to get involved to become a CBI instructor, volunteer, recruit a CBI student, attend a seminar, or visit the Crossroad Inmate Art Gallery. You can also help financially here.

Pray that the new courses would continue to advance the Gospel and give churches a heart to help those in prison.

Though nothing had yet been independently verified, a report from Kenyan newspaper The Star of al-Shabaab militants torturing their hostages during the four-day siege circulated rapidly on Friday and was picked up by multiple news agencies.

The report quotes a forensic doctor involved in helping police clear the Westgate Mall, and describes unspeakable acts of torture performed on victims. Meanwhile, Reuters tells of new al-Shabaab threats declared via Twitter.

“The mesmeric performance by the #WestgateWarriors was undoubtedly gripping, but despair not folks, that was just the premiere of Act 1,” the group tweeted.

Last week’s mall massacre slaughtered nearly 70 people, including friends of the prison ministry Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI). Crossroad’s President Dr. David Schuringa says a vital friend of CBI Kenya was wounded in the mall massacre, and two of his children were killed.

“It seems like we’re hearing about disasters and shootings and stuff every day on the news, you know? And the danger of that is that you can get kind of numb to it all,” Schuringa says.

“But, when it’s real live people that you know, then you realize this is terrible, this is awful stuff, that people are being killed and children are being killed.”

Another CBI Kenya ministry partner says their cousin was taken hostage by al-Shabaab terrorists.

“Continue to remember us in your prayers,” requests Jefferson Gathu, director of CBI Kenya.

Violence and severe instability surrounding the Westgate Mall attacked forced Gathu and his family to flee Nairobi last week.

“He needed to get out of the area with his family, because he lived pretty close by that mall there,” Schuringa explains.

“They were just right in the thick of it.”

A U.S. woman and her five children also escaped the terror unscathed. Philip and Katherine Walton credit God for protecting their family during the attack.

“It defies logic that they survived but we’re a family of deep faith and take a lot of comfort from knowing that God protected them,” they told The Telegraph, a UK news agency.

Not knowing what awaited them, Katherine Walton took her five children — Blaise, 14; Ian, 10; Portia, 4; Gigi, 2; and Petra 13 months — to Westgate Mall for a casual Saturday afternoon. As the siege began and the Waltons’ world quickly turned upside-down, Katherine describes a scenario to the Associated Press that only could’ve been written by the Lord.

She and the three little girls had taken cover with two other women behind a promotional table as heavily-armed terrorists roamed the mall and indiscriminately fired round after round. On separate occasions, Katherine says she and the girls were hiding in plain view, and yet were never seen.

A gunman on a higher floor locked eyes with her, but didn’t shoot, Katherine tells AP reporter Jason Straziuso.

“I swear he looked down and saw us but he just backed up and disappeared,” she states.

Two more walked close to where the family was hiding, but didn’t go quite far enough to see them behind the temporary sales display where they had taken cover.

“I don’t know how they couldn’t have heard,” Katherin said. “My 13-month-old, every time the bullets started going, she screamed and screamed and screamed, and the sound echoed and echoed and echoed.”

She credits God for keeping the family safe.

“I know that He did, because how could we have been so in plain view and not to have been seen?” Katherin told The Associated Press. “One of the more intense thoughts was this voice inside my head: ‘They’re not here to hurt you.'”

Though Scripture says God never leaves us, it seems He is closest in times of crisis.

“Our faith sustains us, and our faith brings us through,” states Schuringa. “And, we realize ultimately, God is in control.”

Please cover CBI and the nation of Kenya in prayer as this crisis continues. Pray for peace and stability, and that the message of salvation is lifted up.

“Only in the cross is there hope, so the main thing is to be praying that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the cross be lifted up, because that’s the only way that peace can come,” says Schuringa.

In addition, CBI Kenya is raising financial support for families of their partners who have suffered loss. If you’d like to help, send support through CBI headquarters at the following address:

Crossroad Bible Institute
P.O. Box 900
Grand Rapids, MI 49509-0900
USA

Be sure to include a note designating your gift for CBI Kenya and the Westgate Mall emergency.

“If they bring it to us and designate it for that field, we’ll make sure that it goes to that field,” says Schuringa.

Though nothing has yet been independently verified, a report from Kenyan newspaper The Star of al-Shabaab militants torturing their hostages during the four-day siege circulated rapidly on Friday and was picked up by multiple news agencies.

The report quotes a forensic doctor involved in helping police clear the Westgate Mall and describes unspeakable acts of torture performed on victims. Meanwhile, Reuters tells of new al-Shabaab threats issued via Twitter.

"The mesmeric performance by the #WestgateWarriors was undoubtedly gripping, but despair not folks: that was just the premiere of Act 1," the group tweeted.

Last week's mall massacre slaughtered nearly 70 people, including friends of the prison ministry Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI). Crossroad President Dr. David Schuringa says a vital friend of CBI Kenya was wounded in the mall massacre, and two of his children were killed.

"It seems like we're hearing about disasters and shootings and stuff every day on the news, you know? And the danger is that you can get kind of numb to it all," Schuringa says.

"But when it's real, live people that you know, then you realize this is terrible, this is awful stuff, that people are being killed and children are being killed."

Another CBI Kenya ministry partner says a cousin was taken hostage by al-Shabaab terrorists.

"Continue to remember us in your prayers," requests Jefferson Gathu, director of CBI Kenya.

Violence and severe instability surrounding the Westgate Mall attack forced Gathu and his family to flee Nairobi last week.

"He needed to get out of the area with his family, because he lived pretty close by that mall there," Schuringa explains.

"They were just right in the thick of it."

A U.S. woman and her five children also escaped the terror unscathed. Philip and Katherine Walton credit God for protecting their family during the attack.

"It defies logic that they survived, but we're a family of deep faith and take a lot of comfort from knowing that God protected them," they told The Telegraph, a UK news agency.

Not knowing what awaited them, Katherine Walton took her five children– Blaise, 14; Ian, 10; Portia, 4; Gigi, 2; and Petra, 13 months–to Westgate Mall for a casual Saturday afternoon. As the siege began and the Waltons' world quickly turned upside-down, Katherine describes a scenario to the Associated Press that only could have been written by the Lord.

She and the three little girls had taken cover with two other women behind a promotional table as heavily-armed terrorists roamed the mall and indiscriminately fired round after round. On separate occasions, Katherine says she and the girls were hiding in plain view, and yet were never seen.

A gunman on a higher floor locked eyes with her but didn't shoot, Katherine tells AP reporter Jason Straziuso.

"I swear he looked down and saw us, but he just backed up and disappeared," she states.

Two more gunmen walked close to where the family was hiding, but didn't go quite far enough to see them behind the temporary sales display where they had taken cover.

"I don't know how they couldn't have heard," Katherine said. "My 13-month-old, every time the bullets started going, she screamed and screamed and screamed, and the sound echoed and echoed and echoed."

She credits God for keeping the family safe.

"I know that He did, because how could we have been so in plain view and not have been seen?" Katherine told The Associated Press. "One of the more intense thoughts was this voice inside my head: 'They're not here to hurt you.'"

Though Scripture says God never leaves us, it seems He is closest in times of crisis.

"Our faith sustains us, and our faith brings us through," states Schuringa. "And we realize, ultimately, God is in control."

Please cover CBI and the nation of Kenya in prayer as this crisis continues. Pray for peace and stability, and that the message of salvation is lifted up.

"Only in the cross is there hope, so the main thing is to be praying that the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the cross be lifted up, because that's the only way that peace can come," says Schuringa.

In addition, CBI Kenya is raising financial support for families of their partners who have suffered loss. If you'd like to help, send support through CBI headquarters at the following address:

     
Crossroad Bible Institute
P.O. Box 900
Grand Rapids, MI 49509-0900
USA

Be sure to include a note designating your gift for CBI Kenya and the Westgate Mall emergency.

"If they bring it to us and designate it for that field, we'll make sure that it goes to that field," says Schuringa.

Kimberly McCarthy graduated from CBI’s discipleship program in 2006. (Image courtesy CBI)

Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was a 2006 graduate of Crossroad Bible Institute. In 1997, she was convicted of murdering her neighbor, retired professor Dorothy Booth. According to the state of Texas, a confrontation developed when McCarthy broke into Booth’s house with the intent of robbing her to pay for cocaine.

African Americans like McCarthy comprise 12-percent of the Texan population. However, they make up 37-percent of those executed in Texas since the Supreme Court lifted a moratorium on capital punishment in 1976.

In addition, 60-percent of women executed in Texas have been African American. Of the 283 people currently on death row in the state, 39-percent are African American.

“Unless someone is going to have the audacity to say that African Americans are morally inferior or something, it’s obviously an injustice,” says CBI President Dr. David Schuringa.

“Yes, Kimberly, under the influence of drugs, committed some horrific crimes. But if a white person who does those things is not subject to the death penalty, then she shouldn’t be either.”

McCarthy’s execution is particularly sad for the CBI community.

“Her instructor spoke very highly of her and her work, and so it saddens us because we feel like we’re losing a member of the family, you know?” says Schuringa.

How should Christians address the death penalty in light of the Gospel and Christ’s redemptive work on the cross?

“It doesn’t really matter if you’re for or against it; people have strong arguments either way. But if it’s not being administered justly, then we need to declare a moratorium on it and stop the executions,” Schuringa states.

“A lot of time as Christians, we’re concerned only about changing the hearts of sinful people. And that’s very important, but also, there are sinful systems in place that were created by sinful hearts.”

Schuringa suggests three responses for the Body of Christ: pray, learn, and speak.

“If the people of God are in prayer, if they’re getting educated and studying the issues, and where possible, take action, we could see some change,” he says.

Click here to learn more about the issue on CBI’s website.

Texas leads the United States in capital punishment executions. Since 1976, over 1,300 people have been executed and more than a third were in Texas. The Lonestar state executed more people last year than it sentenced to death.

Pray for justice in the United States’ legal system, and ask God to comfort the family members of death row inmates.

Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was a 2006 graduate of Crossroad Bible Institute. In 1997, she was convicted of murdering her neighbor, retired professor Dorothy Booth. According to the state of Texas, a confrontation developed when McCarthy broke into Booth's house with the intent of robbing her to pay for cocaine.

McCarthy's execution is particularly sad for the CBI community.

"Her instructor spoke very highly of her and her work, and so it saddens us because we feel like we're losing a member of the family, you know?" says Schuringa.

How should Christians address the death penalty in light of the Gospel and Christ's redemptive work on the cross?

"It doesn't really matter if you're for or against it; people have strong arguments either way. But if it's not being administered justly, then we need to declare a moratorium on it and stop the executions," Schuringa states.

"A lot of time, as Christians, we're concerned only about changing the hearts of sinful people. And that's very important, but also, there are sinful systems in place that were created by sinful hearts."

Schuringa suggests three responses for the Body of Christ: pray, learn, and speak.

"If the people of God are in prayer, if they're getting educated and studying the issues, and where possible, take action, we could see some change," he says.

Click here to learn more about the issue on CBI's Web site.

Texas leads the United States in capital punishment executions. Since 1976, over 1,300 people have been executed, and more than a third were in Texas. The Lonestar state executed more people last year than it sentenced to death.

Pray for justice in the United States legal system, and ask God to comfort the family members of death row inmates.

Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI) offers discipleship courses for prisoners internationally and throughout the U.S. At Westminster Seminary California, students learn how to disciple others by correcting CBI lessons.

Dr. Dennis Johnson is a professor of practical theology at Westminster, and he also facilitates the CBI program. Students in his Ministry of Discipleship course spend a semester serving as CBI instructors.

Each week, the seminarians correct lessons and return them to CBI students along with letters of encouragement. Copies of the materials are also given to Johnson for class evaluation.

Both sets of students–those studying at Westminster and those in prison–are growing through the experience.

"As I review copies of the lessons and letters that my students are returning to their CBI students, I can see how they are growing in their ability to encourage and coach brothers and sisters toward a fuller, deeper knowledge of Christ," remarks Johnson.

Johnson and CBI president, Dr. David Schuringa, hope students will walk away from the experience with a lifelong appreciation for the importance of prison ministry.

"Having taught at the seminary level for twelve years, I am thrilled to see seminary students involved in prison ministry," says Schuringa.

Pray that students will grow in their ability to disciple others as they become pastors, mentors, and teachers. Pray that they will bring a passion for the incarcerated to churches they will someday lead.

Over the weekend, some 38 graduates walked across the stage as Westminster's Class of 2013. They're joining over 900 alumni who are serving as pastors, teachers, missionaries, scholars, and leaders.

Pray for clear direction as graduates head into their area of calling.

"What they are finding is something that sounds almost unbelievable," Schuringa stated. "They're finding a zero recidivism rate, meaning that those who have taken the CBI program while incarcerated are not coming back!"

Prison officials in Papua New Guinea have seen the benefits of CBI's prison ministry and want to extend those benefits to other institutions, said CBI Australia fieldworker Terry West.

"The senior prison officials…actually begged me to have the program in all of the prisons," said West, who recently visited women inmates in Papua New Guinea's Bomana Prison.

About half of the women at Bomana have been convicted of murder. A senior official told West that since CBI courses were introduced in Bomana, the prison population had decreased, no prisoners had attempted to escape, and no released CBI students had reoffended.

"We have to understand that these inmates have nothing," he explained. "CBI came to Bomana and gave them hope."

Schuringa said the CBI program holds more than spiritual value. All CBI graduates have been successful in their parole applications and many find full-time employment upon leaving the prison.

"CBI certificates are highly valued by the parole boards," said Schuringa. "When they see that they've completed these CBI lessons, they say, 'Wow, these folks are serious about re-entry.' But not only that, these certificates are getting them jobs.

"CBI has become an all-purpose re-entry program, helping people change their lives while they're in prison, and paving the way for their life on the outside."

With CBI Australia growing and discipling more and more inmates in the South Pacific, Schuringa spoke of God's favor.

"This is something that's being done by the average person in the pew," he said. "[They're] a missionary in their own church, in their own home.

"That is why God is blessing the socks off it, because it is the Church at work."

There are currently 156 students in Papua New Guinea, and their lessons are corrected by 300 volunteers from CBI Australia. The ministry hopes to extend their work to a prison in the city of Lae soon.

They don't need donations to take this next step.

"What we need is prayer," Schuringa stated. "Those of you who are in that part of the world, if you love God's Word [and] have a heart for hurting people, you can be an instructor."

Click here to visit the CBI Australia Web site. Pray for prisoners and their families in Papua New Guinea and throughout the world.

"Pray that hearts can be changed, that lives can be changed, that cycles of despair and decline can be broken," requested Schuringa. "Prayer can be very specific, and it's the powerhouse for the ministry."