April is Second Chance Month: Declare Your Support for Those Affected by Incarceration

1 in 3 adults in our country have a criminal record. 1 in 28 students in K-12^th grade has an incarcerated parent. The United States locks up more people than any other nation in the world.

Chances are, at least one person in your church has been affected by mass incarceration. This is one of the many reasons why the Global Leadership Network started an initiative to bring The Global Leadership Summit into prisons to bring value and hope to those who are incarcerated—in 2019 the GLS was streamed into 83 prisons, and in 2020 they hope to bring the GLS to 100+ prisons with the help of generous supporters and a network of volunteers passionate about these men and women.

Chances are, at least one person in your church has been affected by mass incarceration.

This month, I want to let you know about another opportunity to engage.

Isaiah 61:8 tells us God loves justice, and Micah 6:8 tells us God calls us to love mercy and to seek justice.

In heeding this call, I want to encourage the Christian community to join us in a movement.

The prominent Christian justice advocacy group, Prison Fellowship, has designated April “Second Chance Month” to bring attention to the injustices that formerly incarcerated individuals face as they seek to build a productive life after serving their sentence.

As a Justice Ambassador for Prison Fellowship, and volunteer at Walton Correction Institute in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, I urge you to participate in Second Chance Month and join me in ministering to the incarcerated.

Churches, organizations, businesses as well as our government utilize Second Chance Month to bring awareness to issues of incarceration and prison reform.

Will you join me in declaring Second Chance Month, and/or hosting a Second Chance Sunday at your church?

Learn more about the resources available to you and your congregation to assist and encourage you as you highlight second chances and play a critical role in shedding light on the topic of incarceration. Prison Fellowship makes participation in this event easy, with a variety of online resources you can check out here.

Someone in your church has been impacted by incarceration. Together, let’s bring awareness, solution and support for the incarcerated and the families in our midst who are affected.