The Prison Fellowship is said to be the world’s largest evangelical prison ministry. Usually, it partners with famous Christian musicians including Grammy Award-winning rapper Lecrae. They achieve this yearly in the month of April which they regard as “Second Chance Month.”
Prison Fellowship is an organization that has brought healing and restoration for prisoners (including their families) and hope for the downtrodden for more than 40 years. More so, they bring light to the restrictions and stigmas associated with incarceration as many former prisoners are making positive results with their lives.
In an interview with Christian Post, Prison Fellowship Senior Vice President for Advocacy & Church Mobilization, Heather Rice-Minus said;
“Today, there are 44,000 documented social stigmas and legal restrictions limiting ex-prisoners access to education, jobs, housing, and other things they need to reach their full potential. We use Second Chance Month to raise awareness about these barriers and unlock brighter futures for people with a criminal record.”
She said one of the aims of the organization is to ensure that the stigmas and restrictions people who have paid their debt to society are reduced. More so, it seeks to support these individuals to live up to their full potential.
Over the years, the organization has partnered with churches and famous Christian musicians including Lecrae who has special interest in prison ministry. He has been known to speak and perform at Prison Fellowship’s Hope Events in prisons. Lecrae also takes his time to sit and preach to the imprisoned men.
In addition, he spoke to Christian Post about his partnership with Prison Fellowship. He said it is a passion for him and there are things that are important to people and some of them may entail dealing with different needs in society.
Besides, he said this partnership is close to his heart because he has friends and families who have been imprisoned before and even presently. He is also aware of how difficult it can be for such people. Hence, he sees the need to support them.
Vera Institute of Justice reports that in the United States, the number of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails were 1.8 million in mid-2020.
Prison Fellowship and Lecrae are keen on assuring people who are incarcerated that there is hope in Christ because prison does not amount to them being written off.
"As a believer, I think we get the biggest second chance of all, in that we've fallen short of God's glory, and He gives us an opportunity to live up to the expectation that we were created for. That's a big thing for me. I don't feel like there's anything I've ever done that can make God throw me away. So I don't want any person who's committed any crime to feel like they've been thrown away,” he said.
In conclusion, Rice-Minus stated that Prison Fellowship upholds the biblical principle of redemption in Christ because we serve a God of second chances.
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