Giving hope to the downtrodden and as a means to uplift those who desire it is one of the core duties of American Christian organization Prison Fellowship. On September 11, the organization partnered with Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum artist, Lecrae to present a HOPE event. This event will mark the first prison event to be held since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Prison Fellowship is a nonprofit organization with Christ as its core message, dedicated to the service of former prisoners, current prisoners, and their families. It is the largest in the nation presently.
Among the list of its performers for the event is The Birdsongs, a Christian rock band and Lecrae. The two-hour event began at 5:30 pm with an opening performance from The Birdsongs. The aim of the event was to bring hope and restoration to men incarcerated at St. Clair Prison in Springville, AL.
Also in the list of performers at The HOPE event was Lecrae who rendered a live performance that touched the hearts of many persons. The event did not end without the outpouring of impactful words to the men who watched the event maintaining a physical distance.
Ahead of the event, the President and CEO of Prison Fellowship, James Ackerman, acknowledged the fact that they were thrilled to have Lecrae and The Birdsongs join them and perform for their first HOPE event. This event is the first since Covid19 pandemic began. He also stated that their God-given talents are very important at a perfect time because the prisoners were not having visitors as before due to the pandemic.
Furthermore, he stated that beyond performing for the prisoners, they will also talk with them about God and His unfailing power. More so, God will use Lecrae to touch lives immensely and give hope to the downtrodden.
This will not be the first time that Lecrae will be honoring the invitation of the Prison Fellowship Ministry. He has a record of partnering with them in the past. Often, he connects his music and messages along with prisons. Hence, his relationship with Prison Fellowship was not unexpected.
In his message, Lecrae talked about when he dropped his album 'Anomaly' and it became the number one album in the country, his tour destination was Rikers Island and LA County Jail. He made that decision to visit the prisons because he wanted the prisoners to know that they are still remembered.
Those visits to the prisons made an impact on the musician who felt he has kept hope alive for them. More so, he admitted that his mission tallys with that of Prison Fellowship. Hence, he saw the need to partner with them to re-create that sense of value, meaning, and worth for prisoners. Likewise, it is an avenue for them to discover the purpose of their lives and keep their hope alive.
In addition, Lecrae stated that he wants everyone to know that restoration is possible; change is always possible and you are not hopeless with God.
It will be recalled that the gospel act also partnered with Prison Fellowship Ministry on Mothers Day 2020. The event was part of a concerned release campaign to create awareness about the tragic death of Andrea High Bear.
Bear was the first woman to die of COVID-19 in the Bureau of Prisons. Bear died after she delivered her child while on a ventilator. Also, the event was to implore its followers to take action to ensure this never happens again. Lecrae also posted a video to his followers to pass the message across.
This necessitated almost nearly 600 advocates to send over 2,000 letters to President Donald Trump. The letters were also addressed to their federal lawmakers imploring them to include measures to prevent and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in corrections facilities. Likewise, to ensure those with a criminal record have access to these services.
Restoration, Lecrae's new album was released to prisons nationwide through J-Pay. This was a week before it was available to the general public. 5,000 copies of his forthcoming book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion, But Gained My Faith, would also be distributed free of charge to people in the system. In addition, 700,000 masks have been planned to be distributed through the funds Lecrae is expected to raised for the benefit of the prison system.
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