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December 2009
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Bridge of Hope eNews |
| A Bridge of Hope from Prison to New Life | |
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Welcome to the inaugural edition of the "Bridge of Hope eNewsletter."
We hope you find it informative and inspiring.
Feel free to send us any news or photos for submission in the next
issue, as well as any suggestions for improvement. We'd also
welcome new members on our newsletter team, so if you've always
wanted to work on a newspaper, we'd be glad to have you. Yours in Christ, Chrissy Ragan - Editor |
In this issue... |
| GREETINGS | ||||
Robert Dorrough, Jr.
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A
Message of Hope from our Executive Director
by Robert Dorrough, Jr. For some of you, this time of the year is exciting and fun. You are thinking about whom you might spend time with for Christmas, what you are going to buy them or better yet, what they might get you. But for others, this time of the year brings a profound sadness. You are behind bars, missing your family and friends. No matter where you are during this season of the year, the message of Christmas provides hope as you remember the following: Christ’s Birth – Matthew 1:21 tells us that the virgin Mary would bring forth a Son to be named
Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. There is further encouragement in
verse 23 as we learn that His name would also be Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” What a great
message of hope to know that God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to be with us and
to also save us from our sins! |
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| ANNOUNCEMENTS | ||||
Scherry Taylor
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New semesters - Volunteers, enjoy your holiday break. The next
semesters of both the men's and women's dorms will be starting up
again early next year... orientation week starting on 1/4/10 and the
first day class on 1/11/10. We're starting rather quickly so
the five-month semesters will end on 6/4/10 and give everyone a good
summer break. If you've considered volunteering, the start of the semesters is a good time to start, so let us know if you'd like to get involved in a life-changing experience, both for you and the inmates. Men - We especially need more male volunteers! In addition to Travis dorm 14A6, we are finally starting the long delayed second men's dorm (14D1). Orientation week for this dorm will start on 2/1/10, with the first day of class on 2/8/10. The first semester will be shortened and will also end on 6/4/10. We still need almost almost a full staff of volunteers for this second dorm, so you have a lot of flexibility in the position and time at which you serve. We need teachers, group leaders, and coaches. Randy Maroney is in charge of staffing this dorm, so contact him if you're interested (rmaroney@thegodofhope.org, (512)626-2863). TDCJ Training - TDCJ is looking forward to us starting the second men's dorm and is facilitating that by offering a special state training class just for folks who want to become "approved" volunteers with The God of Hope Ministries. That training class will be Saturday, 1/30/10, 8am - noon, at the Travis Unit. To participate in this training, you must have your approval letter from the state, and to get the approval letter, you must send in an application. The application is available here. Please print the application, fill it in, and send it to our office. It will take several weeks to receive your approval letter, so send in your application right away. Re-training - Existing volunteers - remember that your TDCJ training to be an "approved" volunteer is only good for two years. Before the end of that time, you must be re-trained. So, if it's been at least 18 months since your last training, please take advantage of the 1/30/10 training at the Travis Unit. You don't need an approval letter, but please let us know you're planning to attend. We need at least 15 participants for TDCJ to put on the 1/30/10 training. God of Hope Training - In addition to TDCJ training, God of Hope will be offering volunteer training on a more regular schedule in 2010. This isn't required training, but is highly recommended to help us all be more effective in prison ministry. This training will be at 7pm on the second Thursday evening of each month. The first God of Hope training for 2010 will be Thursday, 1/14, at Austin Ridge Bible Church. Each training session will also be an opportunity for prospective volunteers to come explore whether prison ministry may be a fit for their calling and gifts. New admin assistant - We are very happy to have a new God of Hope admin assistant, Scherry Taylor. Scherry is presently working afternoons, but at the beginning of the year she will be full time. Among other things, Scherry is handling volunteer applications, so let her know if you have any questions about the volunteer approval process. You can contact her at (512)891-1649, staylor@thegodofhope.org. | |||
| NEWS | ||||
 Bridge of Hope Celebration |
Bridge of Hope Celebration
by Melody Kump and Nub Donaldson [Note: Nub is recovering well from his recent heart attack and quadruple by-pass surgery. This week his doctors approved him to start driving again. He's already working on next year's God of Hope budget. Thanks for all your prayers.] On Nov. 8, close to 450 people attended the first celebration and fundraising event for The God of Hope Ministries, which was held at Texas Disposal System’s (TDS) exotic game ranch. Thanks to the Lord and our wonderful volunteers, the event was a great success! We had four goals:
We had a great time in spite of the rain. The silent and live auctions were wildly successful. As always, Randy Maroney’s BBQ was beyond comparison. Our volunteers were absolutely fabulous. This event would not have happened without their dedication and hard work. The best part—we all had a great time!
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God of
Hope Honored at "In the City For the City"
by Michael Kump On Nov. 15, the Austin Bridge Builders Alliance (ABBA) sponsored the 2009 "In the City For the City" event, bringing together 148 Christian ministries from all over central Texas. The event covered the entire Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended, learning how these ministries are working together to demonstrate God's love in tangible ways to our community. God of Hope was proud to be one of three ministries to receive special recognition as a ministry contributing significantly to the generous and caring climate of our city. As part of the award presentation, a special video was created to showcase the work of God of Hope. View video.
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| FROM THE LADIES AT THE LOCKHART UNIT | ||||
Linda Dueker
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Women's Baptism by Linda Dueker The afternoon of Nov. 17 marked an exciting time at the Lockhart Prison, when a local church conducted a baptism service for more than 15 women. Several of the women who participated and acknowledged the grace of their Lord and Savior were from our faith-based dorm. The day was rather chilly for an outdoor baptism but enthusiasm was high, regardless. After being baptized the women huddled together in the sun and applauded each subsequent baptism. One of our ladies commented later that coming up out of the water and seeing the beautiful blue sky was wonderful, though the view was marred by barbed wire. Still, she would rather be where she is and who she now is than to be on the outside the way she was. Four God of Hope Ministry volunteers were blessed to be present that day: Robert Dorrough, Jr. (Executive Director), Linda Dueker (Women's Director), Laura Hall (Dorm Coordinator), and Maggie Pearson (Volunteer). The following women from the dorm were baptized: Christina, Genoveva, Fergie, Jessica, Melody and Rhonda. Congratulations, ladies, on your obedience in public acknowledgment of your identification with Christ. May your walk with Him be full of grace and love, and may your lives draw others to Him. |
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Laura Hall
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Women's
First Graduating Class by Laura Hall It was a glorious day of celebration on Nov. 21, when 41 women graduated from the first class of the Lockhart Faith-Based Dorm. Family members of the graduates, volunteers and friends of The God of Hope Ministries were in attendance to join in recognizing the achievements of these women and all they had learned over the last six months of intensive Bible study. It was evident that the lives of the inmates and the volunteers had been changed through the process as participants prayed, read scripture, shared testimony and received acknowledgements for their hard work. Those in attendance were wowed by Lindsey Kane of Lindsey Kane Ministries as she shared some of her story along with songs she had written. Linda Strom of Discipleship Unlimited presented words of challenge and encouragement in a commencement address to the graduates. Following the ceremony, there was a wonderful time of fellowship and refreshments with all in attendance. You can see the rest of the graduation pictures here.
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Melody
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What Christmas Means to
Me
by Melody
Christmas is a time of giving, a custom that’s celebrated each year. Gifts to open, children’s laughter throughout the house, carols to sing, meals to share among family and friends. But Christmas is more than that. It’s more than getting and giving. It's the love of our Father in heaven sending His Son, baby Jesus, as the Savior of the world. Before, we were out of touch with God and far from Him. Then Jesus came into the world. He came to seek and save the lost. He gave His life for our sins that we may have life through Him. What a beautiful Christmas. What a blessing. What a celebration of Jesus' birth to all mankind. In Christ's love, Melody |
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| FROM THE GUYS AT THE TRAVIS UNIT | ||||
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Graduates Spreading Godly Influence by
Randy Maroney Three years ago I overcame my apprehension and entered a This is about one of those experiences. I met Bert a year or two ago. Bert was the first black cowboy I had ever met. At 5 foot 6 inches and 145 pounds, Bert isn't at first intimidating, but soon you know he is resolved and quietly determined. Bert was somewhat withdrawn as a student, but I could sense that he was listening intensely and was very eager to learn about his Lord and Savior. Bert graduated and then remained in the faith-based dorm to serve as a role model for the incoming class. When that class graduated, Bert moved out to another dormitory in the adjacent building. A month after he left the faith-based dorm I visited Bert in his new, "general population" home with 55 other inmates. During that visit, I was pleased to learn Bert had started a Bible study with 4 other men in his new home. I went back less than a month later. Bert’s Bible study had grown to 22 men. I asked Bert if he needed any support from The God of Hope Ministries for study material or other items. His reply was "No. We just use our Bibles." A month later I dropped in again. The Bible study had grown to 33 men. One of the men came to me, introduced himself, and asked how he could transfer to the faith-based dorm where Bert had been for almost a year. The man’s last name was my grandmother’s maiden name. It turns out that this inmate is my cousin, several times removed. A month ago he was approved and transferred into the faith-based dorm, where he is now a very eager student. Bert's influence had prompted a relative of mine to get busy turning his life around. I could tell you story after story of the impact we have witnessed of our graduates being Godly men and sharing their faith wherever they are. I now have been privileged to meet children, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, fiancés, and even Satan-worshiping hardened criminals, all of whom have been touched by the love of Christ through our graduates. I never thought God was sending me into prison to help Him grow disciple makers, but that's exactly what He was doing. I never thought God was using me to impact people I had never met, both inside and outside prison, but indeed He was. God is using me in ways I never imagined. |
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Cracking the Code
by Andrew What do you do when you have a lot of time on your hands, want to keep your brain sharp, and review your Bible memory verses? Well, of course, you create Bible cryptograms to stump your fellow inmates. What are cryptograms? They're easily created by letting each letter in the original Bible verse stand for another letter. They're a lot harder to solve than they are to create. For example, solving the cryptogram XOLTL ROGF. gives "Jesus wept." - John 11:35 with the substitutions X→J, O→e, L→s, T→u, R→w, G→p, and F→t. Easy, right? Now, here's one for you to try. Hints: It's a Christmas verse and F→a. XOQY NOQW JFX NOQ JNFV, NOQW VQAMUEQH XUNO QSEQQHUYD DVQFN AMW. In case you get stumped, the answer is at the end of this newsletter. Here are a couple more Christmas cryptograms for you. You'll have to wait till the next newsletter to get their translation. (1) Hint: A→s KYG EBXH FKPX JUEB BKAEX KYG ZSWYG PKVH KYG DSAXMB, KYG EBX CKCS RHUYQ UY K PKYQXV. (2) Hint: R→p PLG QAT HVUQA LW ITBZB OAUVBQ GNB NB WLSSLGB: NWQTU AVB YLQATU YNUC GNB HTQULQATJ QL ILBTRA, HTWLUT QATC ONYT QLETQATU, BAT GNB WLZPJ GVQA OAVSJ LW QAT ALSC BRVUVQ. May God bless you all throughout these holidays! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Your loving brother in Christ. |
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Published by
The God of Hope Ministries 4220 Monterey Oaks Blvd. Austin, TX 78749 (512)891-1649 www.thegodofhope.org info@thegodofhope.org |
Communications team:
Chrissy Ragan - Editor Linda Dueker - Women's Director Ecky Malick - Ambassador of Hope Michael Kump - Communications Director Robert Dorrough, Jr. - Executive Director |
Special thanks to:
Diane Outland Sandhya Shardanand |
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Answer to the first of the Christmas cryptograms above: "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Matt 2:10 (NKJ) |