Appeal 2015

One of the most challenging parts of my job as the Executive Chaplain of Providing Hope Ministries is not working with the inmates it is the constant pressure of ensuring that we have the needed funds to operate.

As a U.S. Army Recruiter the bulk of my job was to cold-call High School students and to encourage them to look at military service as a viable option for the future. More times than not I was greeted with angry parents and/or indifferent students who were NOT Interested. 

As a recruiter you learned to embrace the art of rejection. It takes _______ no’s to get to a yes, so get back on the phone! I get the shakes just thinking about it.

“Why do you bring that up now?” you ask.

While I am no longer recruiting future U.S. Army soldiers I am now responsible to raise awareness and funds to support Providing Hope so that we are able to continue the important work of meeting the spiritual needs of the inmates at the Luzerne County Division of Corrections. This has proved a difficult, but worthy task over the several years.

I firmly believe that cold calling churches and individuals is the least effective means to raise awareness and support. The simple truth is that not everyone sees prison ministry as a priority. Each and every one of us is inundated with a plethora of requests for support. 

As a former pastor I know what it was like to get the phone calls and the mail from all different organizations asking for financial assistance and most if not all were worthy causes.

I am of the firm belief that in today’s culture a more effective means to raise awareness and financial assistance is letting other people that have a passion for prison ministry tell their friends. So that is what I am asking you to do…

Keep this in mind, what makes county prison ministry so important is that the men and women that are incarcerated are more than likely coming right back to your neighborhoods within two years. 

To put that into perspective in 2014 a total of  4,840 individuals were processed into the Luzerne County Division of Corrections and in that same twelve month period 4,871 men and women were out processed to return to their homes or to serve a longer sentence at a State Institution. 

What that basically means is that for an average of $15 per inmate Providing Hope Ministries is able to provide for the spiritual needs of the inmates that desire it. If you are interested in supporting our ministry you can do that in two different ways 1.) Mail your donation to: P.O. Box 2103, Kingston, Pa. 18704  2.) Visit www.jub.org and go to the donation page click on Providing Hope and donate.

Thank you, for your consideration to financially support us and please share this post with your friends. Take a minute to “Like” our Facebook page and sign up for our blog at www. Providinghope.blogspot.com. You can also find us on twitter @providinghope.

If you are a pastor or ministry leader I am available to come and share with your congregation or group about the exciting world of prison ministry. I look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings,

Dr. Jim Wilbur

Executive Chaplain

A Great Year!

   I want to first of all thank all the churches, organizations and individuals that have tirelessly supported our efforts each and every year. I am blessed to have the most incredible staff of employees and volunteers that understand the importance of Prison Ministry and what it means to the Kingdom of God and to our local area.

   This last year was not without it challenges that is for sure, however as 2012 is in our rear view mirror I am once again amazed at how God works. We were blessed once again to be provided  substantial financial grants from two organizations that work through the Luzerne Foundation. those two organizations are the Logos Fund and the Shekinah Fund. These grants enable us to move into 2013 without having to  make any major changes to our current ministry focus and to continue the great work.

   A difficult thing to do in ministry is to define and add up "success" because God is the one who causes growth. Ministers are entrusted with the "foolish" things like preaching the Word of God. Since I have been the Executive Chaplain for Providing Hope Ministries I have kept certain data to keep track of activity and trends. These numbers do not necessarily define and delineate success, but they do show that we are faithful to what God communicates in Roman 10. It is our central and primary goal to Proclaim the Gospel Of Jesus Christ to all who hear.

   The Proclamation of the Gospel is our primary mission and truthfully if we are not proclaiming the central message to all we are declaring what the Word of God says to those who believe in the Historic Biblical Jesus Christ. Declaring who they are IN CHRIST. It can be said our core message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we communicate that message by proclaiming and declaring to all who have ears to hear.
At the same time recognizing that even those who can't hear the message of freedom, the failure to hear does not disqualify them from experiencing the reality of the grace of God. We are to extend the grace of God even to the ones we find the hardest to love. The ones we find the hardest to love are the ones that God seems to "So Love".

   In 2012 we had over 6,000 inmates in our classes and services in a correctional facility that has an average population of 750. The average class size was 10 inmates. That means that our core group of volunteers spent over 450 hours in 2012 ministering to the prisoners. The inmates were furnished with over 356 Bibles and 267 Bible studies. Our chaplains answered over 1677 inmate requests for a variety of needs. All of these services are on a voluntary basis and any interest has to be initiated by the inmate.

   So again, I want to say thanks to all for an incredible year. It is an honor to lead this ministry and to work with such a diverse group of people who share a common and unrelenting love for God and a desire to glorify Him forever. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and support. We still need your help as we continue to Proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ in a dark place.

Blessings,
Rev. James Wilbur, D.Min.
Executive Chaplain