Almost 2.2 million Americans are incarcerated, but with your help, Prison Fellowship® is active in all 50 states. One way we reach prisoners is through Inside Journal. This quarterly newspaper is written to inform and inspire men and women behind bars, and it gets distributed to hundreds of correctional facilities across the country.
I CAN'T CARRY ON ALONE
Many prisoners will never attend a chapel service of a Bible study. But Inside Journal can make it into the darkest corners of prison—a noisy, crowded bunk; a lonely cell in solitary; or a Death Row unit. Chaplains put in the library or slide it through bars. Prisoners pass copies to one another, offering it as a source of comfort, inspiration, and insight. And readers respond, with moving letters that share their stories and their earnest desire for a relationship with God. Noah, a prison in Arkansas, recently had this to say:
“I'm looking to strengthen my walk with the Lord. I was talking with an inmate at this unit and he gave me the Inside Journal to read and some of the stories in it touch my heart and when I got done reading that about “Don't Do Your Time Alone” I was in tears and on my hands and knees, for I am going to be 59 years old on the 7th of September and have been a lonely person most of my life and in an out of prisons since 1982.
ALL SIGNS POINT TO GOD'S PURSUIT
Each issue (offered both in English and Spanish) explains the Gospel in a fresh way, offers encouragement and motivation, and shares practical advice for the daily struggles of prison life:
“When I came to the hole [solitary confinement], I can't tell you how I felt. Lost? Alone? Stupid? So many different feelings. I can tell you that I no longer fit in when it comes to prison. I'm a seasoned convict, and I cried even though eyes were on me. I felt like I betrayed myself. How did I let this happen? Day in, day out, my anxiety filled the room and threatened to overwhelm me. …
—Ronald, incarcerated in California
YOU ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE LIVES OF MANY
Founded in 1990, Inside Journal is a trusted resource that supports the ongoing work of prison chaplains and supports prisoners in their journey toward restoration. A prison chaplain in New York explains the impact of Inside Journal in her letter:
Thank you for partnering with us. Because of your support, Prison Fellowship is able to distribute more than 165,000 copies of Inside Journal in English every quarter, and an additional 13,000 copies in Spanish.
Our Spring 2017 edition of Inside Journal, which encourages readers to become better parents, to get to know their Heavenly Father, and to sign their children up for Angel Tree®, will be posted online soon. If you are a chaplain or prison ministry volunteer interested in receiving a sample copy or a bulk shipment for distribution, contact insidejournal@pfm.org.
SUPPORT THE WORK OF PRISON FELLOWSHIP
The letters we receive as a result of Inside Journal continually remind us that God is present and active in America's prisons. But Inside Journal is just one way we seek to restore those affected by crime and incarceration.Through our programs, and with the help of friends like you, we offer incarcerated men and women encouragement, training, and support, so that lives can be transformed.
LEARN MORE