“The only lasting change in a man’s heart is if he has God. Otherwise whatever programs we offer the inmates are only going to make them into more intelligent criminals.”
~Burl Cain Former Warden Louisiana State Penitentiary “Angola” & Founder of Global Prison Seminary Foundation
The WIEA inaugural fundraiser kicked off with more than 100 people anxious to learn about God’s work at our prison seminary. The word “miracle” was spoken right out loud as well as whispered in awe throughout the evening.
The miracle of family – men reuniting and strengthening kinship bonds after years of estrangement.
The miracle of parenting – as a father studies a book from class, that he says would have prevented him from going to prison in the first place, he uses that same book to mentor his daughter.
The miracle of “Mister” – men who have been called nothing but their prison numbers for years, stripped of their dignity, enter the classroom and are addressed by their sir names, as a sign of respect, often for the first time in their lives.
The miracle of God’s grace – student inmates enter a “judgement free zone” where they seek forgiveness and grace, so they can offer God’s redemptive healing to their families, communities and fellow inmates.
The miracle of multiplication – we’re already seeing the multiplication effects of the work of our future Field Mentors as we witness peacefulness in the prison trending upward.
The miracle of prayer – Student inmates are praying for you and me; praying that we will be fruitful in our fundraising efforts as they offer prayers of thanksgiving for blessings already realized.
Most importantly perhaps, we learned the benefits of partnering. Your partnership with WIEA in prayer, sharing our mission, friendship, and your financial partnership fuels the miraculous outcomes we expect. Without partnership, we would not be seeing an increase in the peacefulness that we are experiencing at Waupun after only one full year of seminary.
As Burl Cain said, “Biblical instruction and crime reduction go hand-in-hand. This is beyond dispute. It takes partnership for us to get the money to do that.”
Dr. Kristi Miller said, “Your partnership spreads the gospel of our Lord.” And it leads to an 80% reduction in violence at Angola Prison, according to the Baylor University Study.
You have expressed thoughtful interest in our ministry by attending our inaugural fundraiser and by subscribing to this publication. You understand that our students need significant support from prayer to financial resources to continue the good works they’ve started. Would you consider a gift that’s meaningful to you, to ensure our current and upcoming students have the support they need to complete their degrees and go on to become Field Mentors?www.wisinmateedu.org/donate
Prayer Requests
For those who seek to partner with WIEA; may their deliberations be thoughtful and their hearts generous.
For our grantmakers, that they attentively consider our proposals and become part of our growing ministry.
For all 41 of our students, that they continue to open themselves to God’s grace and spread peacefulness to all they encounter.
For our deans and faculty, that they lead with wisdom and by the example of God’s word.
For the physical expansion in general use classroom space at Waupun that the appropriation committee is currently considering.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Corinthians 2:9