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We’re in trouble

By Kim Workman | Jul 2, 2008

…not with the law, but with the bottom line. We’re within a whisker of
running out of cash to pay our bills. And this is the first time I’ve
had to write such a letter in my 8 years as executive director. Which is
why I’m writing to you.

Prison Fellowship NZ has spent 25 years working with NZ’s prisoners,
prisons and the community by promoting programs, services and policies
which:

* Transform the lives of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and victims
* Restore prisoners and ex-prisoners to their families and the community
* Reconcile offenders and their victims

Prison Fellowship has worked with people like…

*Hone**joined our mentor programme while serving time in the Prison
Fellowship-linked Faith Based Unit in Rimutaka Prison. Recently he was
released into home detention, with the continuing support of the same
mentor and his link with a local church. Within weeks of Hone’s release,
the landlord sold the flat he and his partner were in, leaving them
potentially homeless. But not for long: Hone’s mentor and church family
found a new flat, donating some necessary furnishings.

But if a guy’s to stick to his intended non-offending lifestyle, he
needs a job. So Prison Fellowship worked with Hone on identifying his
passions and his skills. We’re delighted to report that he has obtained
full-time employment truck driving.
Hone is just seven months out of prison, and with the continued support
and encouragement of his mentor and his church, his prospects of staying
‘clean’ will grow dramatically.
————————————————————————
For *Daniel* *(just 19), life was worse than meaningless. His plan was
to die from a police bullet, but instead it was Evan, the innocent
shopkeeper who lay dead, shot by Daniel.
Seven years later, with the help of Prison Fellowship’s Jackie Katounas
(who has herself spent time behind bars), Evan’s only sibling came
face-to-face with Daniel. Fran told him, ‘Through this tragedy you and I
are connected for life, don’t let my brothers life be for nothing. I
want you to get out of here and make something of your life.’ Fran then
hugged the man that murdered her brother and wished him well.

‘Once Fran had left the room’ says Jackie, ‘I was alone with Daniel. I
looked into his eyes and was prompted to go and put my arms around him –
he just sobbed his heart out.
All I could do was hold him; there were no words to say. Yes, I cried too.’
————————————————————————
‘I am really surprised by the difference. I honestly didn’t expect it,’
commented a Corrections psychologist after meeting *Richard**, three
months after his release. At the Faith Based Unit we worked with Richard
to understand his past violent choices. ‘When I was a child my father
regularly beat me. I was afraid he’d kill me,’ he explained.

Richard returned to live with his long term partner, to whom he
displayed violence before his prison sentence. Their relationship is
progressing well –even she is surprised at the change. Richard is also
establishing a small enterprise to financially support his partner and
her children.

While inside, Richard met his mentor (trained by Prison Fellowship) who
is now a key support person to him. They attend a local church where
Richard is surrounded by people who accept him. His love for playing
music has been boosted by the invitation to join the worship team.
————————————————————————

(*Names changed)

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners…..’ (Jesus)

Thank you for your prayers, your gifts, your sacrificial voluntary work
– in whatever way you have supported the ministry of Prison Fellowship,
you have been part of God’s desire to ‘proclaim freedom for the prisoners’.

Back to where I started: the bottom line: quite simply, it’s too close.
We’re grateful to our small band of faithful financial supporters, and
for the opportunities that several government contracts have provided
for in our ministry of transforming, restoring and reconciling. Now
comes the crunch: competing pressures and priorities facing the
Government have meant that the recent Budget provided significantly less
than we had hoped for.

We need $200,000 just to meet our payments over the next two months. And
we need a strong team of regular donors/sponsors to enable us to plan
future ministry with some certainty.

Can you help us? I invite you to consider how you might partner with us
in Prison Fellowship’s financial need.
(If the pressures of mortgage rates, petrol and cheese prices or other
commitments mean your own budget is currently maxed out, we understand!)

You can use the downloadable response form or go online to http://www.pfnz.org.nz to donate now

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 and is filed under Action, Criminal Justice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.