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
