Donate to GraceInside’s “Summer of Passion” campaign – July 1-September 5 – to help us raise $50,000 and provide second chances to “the least of these!”
Have you ever made a bad decision or a poor choice? And have you ever been given a SECOND CHANCE – the chance to make things right and to start afresh? Doesn’t that just bring you JOY? And yet many men and women in prison believe that they are UNWORTHY of forgiveness or of ever having a second chance in their lives. But we at GraceInside know that is simply NOT TRUE! Every person God creates is dearly LOVED, PRECIOUS and deserves a SECOND CHANCE!
This is why we have 33 Chaplains working at all 42 Virginia state correctional facilities, ministering to approximately 24,000 incarcerated women and men. Regardless of what they have done, our Chaplains are there to treat them with love, care, dignity and respect – and to share the Good News of SECOND CHANCES!
However, our Chaplains depend on YOU to enable their important work. And SUMMER is a LEAN time for churches, charities and non-profits. Giving declines, and in our case it sometimes becomes challenging to meet our monthly Chaplain payroll. This year in particular, we know that inflation and the staggering prices of gas, groceries and just about EVERYTHING make it challenging for all of us to pay our bills and to meet our expenses and obligations. It seems that there is very LITTLE left over to GIVE – even to worthy causes that we believe in!
However, everything depends on whether or not you are PASSIONATE about second chances and prison chaplaincy. Remember, Jesus said: “Where your TREASURE is, there will your HEART be also” (Matthew 6:21). The question is this: Do you TREASURE these incarcerated men and women? Do you have a HEART for them? Are you PASSIONATE about them learning about God’s GRACE and about SECOND CHANCES???
Our word “PASSION” comes from the Greek word “pascho”, which means “to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful), to feel, to suffer, to be vexed.” Remember that Christ’s powerful love and suffering for US was called His “Passion.” Do YOU feel PAIN and SUFFERING for incarcerated women and men, and are you VEXED that they don’t know the Good News of God’s grace and about SECOND CHANCES?
So the main question is: ARE YOU PASSIONATE??? Are you passionate enough to give a MAJOR, sacrificial summer gift (or perhaps a MONTHLY gift) to help sustain our vitally important ministry? Are you PASSIONATE enough to help us accomplish “the impossible” between now and Labor Day??? From July 1st to Labor Day (September 5th), we at GraceInside believe that God’s people will help us raise $50,000 to support our faithful, dedicated Chaplains in their work. That’s a little over NINE WEEKS – just over TWO MONTHS – or a total of 67 DAYS. We are challenging YOU to be a part of this MIRACLE – this SUMMER OF PASSION!!!
Remember, Jesus said: “I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:31). Thank you for heeding His words, for caring, for loving and for being PASSIONATE!
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Randy
Rev. J. Randy Myers, President
