Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190034A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:12 I'm Jason Bradley. 01:13 And we have an exciting program in store for you today. 01:17 We are going to be talking about prison ministry 01:21 and this is a United Prison Ministries 01:24 International update 01:26 and here with me to discuss this topic, 01:28 we have Carolyn Bland, she is the president of UPMI. 01:33 We have Antonio Hall, 01:35 who is the Director of Programs. 01:38 And we have Gilbert Wilks, 01:40 who is the president of Wilks Publications Inc. 01:44 And we have Scott A. Tibbs II, 01:47 who is the CMO, 01:49 which stands for Chief Marketing Officer. 01:53 Welcome to the program. Thank you. 01:56 Thank you for having us. Good to be here. 01:58 It's good to have you guys here. 02:00 I want to find out, well, I kind of gave away 02:02 what UPMI stands for. 02:05 But just tell us again, Miss Carolyn. 02:07 Okay. 02:09 Prison ministry is what the Lord told us to do. 02:11 Okay. 02:13 He said, "I was in prison and did you come visit Me?" 02:17 Not only that, 02:18 those people that are in prison, 02:20 they're people just like us that were led wrong. 02:25 They were caught. 02:27 A lot of us haven't been caught. 02:29 And we're all sinners and the wages of sin is what? 02:33 Death. 02:34 So we're all guilty. 02:37 And somebody has to have in their heart, 02:41 the mind to go and bring God's Word 02:45 to those that are lost. 02:48 Those that have been incarcerated, 02:50 some of them in there are more spiritual 02:53 than some of us out on the street 02:54 and in the church. 02:56 That's true. 02:57 So that's why there's prison ministry. 03:00 We want to go take the Word, like the Lord said, 03:02 "Go visit them, take the word to them, 03:06 be their friend." 03:08 But now one thing that Adventists have been doing 03:11 is going to prison for years. 03:14 But now they're lacking in when they get out of prison. 03:19 One of our young men that works with us, got out of prison, 03:23 and he went to church with us for almost a year 03:27 and then he gave his testimony 03:29 and, lo and behold, when he sat down the next week, 03:34 people didn't want to sit next to him, 03:38 that is something wrong 03:39 when we don't want to accept them as human beings. 03:42 Yes. 03:43 And they get out of prison in Alabama, they get, 03:46 what is it, $10? 03:47 $10. $10. 03:50 Wow. 03:51 They won't get a meal for $10 now. 03:53 So what are they gonna do? 03:54 So if they go back where they came from, 03:56 what's gonna happen? 03:57 That's on their train that brought them here. 03:59 They're going to go right back to prison. 04:01 So somebody has to go give them a different mindset. 04:05 Be there for them to help them when they get out. 04:08 They need more than just the Word of God. 04:10 Yes, yes. 04:12 They need love and they need genuine love, 04:16 love for the unlovely. 04:17 The Lord said, "What you do to the least 04:19 of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me." 04:22 So you see that guy on Skid Row? 04:25 Uh-huh. 04:27 The way you treat him the way you love him. 04:28 That's just the way you love the Lord. 04:31 So what you're saying is faith without works is dead. 04:35 And a lot of our prison ministries 04:38 go in there, teach the word, sunshine band, sunshine... 04:41 Sunshine band. 04:43 And when the people get out, where are they? 04:47 Where is their help? Yeah. 04:49 So that's what we are about now. 04:51 For years, we've been wanting to set up something 04:55 for ex-offenders. 04:57 And this is Toni's dream. 04:58 Now I've known Tony since 1981 05:03 and he's been with us since 1981. 05:05 He's going to share his story too. 05:07 Yeah. 05:08 And Tony has always been wanting to help ex-offenders. 05:13 Well, you know, it takes funds too. 05:16 And we haven't gotten around to it, but this is our goal now 05:19 is to help ex-offenders. 05:21 We got... 05:23 Scott, How many do we have on the grounds now? 05:25 We have 12 people. 05:27 We have about 12 right now, but we want to do more. 05:31 Okay. 05:32 And we're going to talk about some of these things 05:35 that we have in mind. 05:37 But this is the point. 05:38 Prison ministry is good, we need to go, we're doing it, 05:42 but you have to help them when they get out too. 05:45 All right, absolutely. 05:46 There has to be souls want to the kingdom. 05:49 Well, before we jump in any further 05:51 and we want to be blessed in song, 05:53 before we get deeper into the interview, 05:56 we want to be blessed in song. 05:57 And Scott Michael Bennett will be singing 06:00 "Go Light your World." 06:11 There is a candle 06:15 In every soul 06:18 Some brightly burning 06:22 Some dark and cold 06:26 There is a Spirit 06:30 Who brings the fire 06:34 Ignites the candle 06:38 And makes His home 06:42 So carry your candle 06:46 Run to the darkness 06:50 Seek out the hopeless 06:54 Confused and torn 06:57 And hold out your candle 07:02 For all to see it 07:06 Take your candle 07:10 And go light your world 07:14 Take your candle 07:17 And go light your world 07:25 Frustrated brother 07:29 See how he's tried to 07:33 Light his own candle 07:37 Some other way 07:41 See now your sister 07:44 She's been robbed and lied to 07:48 She still holds her candle 07:52 Without a flame 07:56 So carry your candle 08:00 Run to the darkness 08:04 Seek out the lonely 08:08 The tired and worn 08:12 Hold out your candle 08:15 For all to see it 08:19 Take your candle 08:23 And go light your world 08:27 Take your candle 08:31 And go light your world 08:38 We are a family 08:43 Whose hearts are blazing 08:46 So let's raise our candles 08:50 And light up the sky 08:54 Praying to our Father 08:58 In the name of Jesus 09:02 Make us a beacon 09:06 In the darkest nights 09:10 Carry your candle 09:14 Run to the darkness 09:17 Seek out the helpless 09:21 Deceived and poor 09:25 Hold out your candle 09:29 For all to see it 09:33 Take your candle 09:37 Go light your world 09:41 Take your candle 09:44 Go light your world 09:50 Take your candle 09:54 Go light your world 10:02 Go light your world 10:10 Go light your world 10:20 Wow. 10:21 Go light your world and that is exactly 10:24 what UPMI is doing behind bars and in the community. 10:29 Antonio, tell us a little bit about your background 10:32 and how you joined UPMI. 10:36 Well, my background started actually in prison. 10:39 I was not in prison ministry but I was locked up 14 times 10:43 in eight states before I was 20 years old. 10:46 And it was during that time that when I spoke in this jail, 10:52 I was in Rikers Island, New York. 10:54 Okay. 10:55 I was passing through New York, 10:56 never had intentions to stay overnight, 10:59 but I ended up in New York for seven years, 11:02 but only on Rikers Island for about three months. 11:06 What happened when I went to court, 11:07 I was given probation 11:09 because my charges were actually added 11:14 and do the thing that I was supposed to do it. 11:16 I was probated to drug court, 11:18 and drug court put me in a rehab program 11:22 for 18 months. 11:23 What happened when I was in Rikers Island, 11:27 I got in trouble with a religious group 11:30 that had promised to kill me and because of my mouth, 11:34 and then I picked up a Bible, 11:37 I touched the Bible for the first time 11:39 at 20 years old. 11:41 I was afraid to touch the Bible because I thought, 11:44 you know, from looking at television 11:46 and vampire movies and werewolf movies 11:49 that if I touch that Bible, 11:51 I would implode, you know, I really thought I was a devil. 11:55 And but I did, I opened the Bible. 11:58 And when I opened the Bible up, opened to a verse of scripture, 12:02 and that verse of scripture is John 14:6 12:06 and I heard Jesus say, 12:08 "I am the way, I am the truth, 12:12 I am the life and no man goes on to the Father 12:15 unless he come by Me." 12:17 Now to me, I heard a gangster talking, 12:21 you know, because I was into that type of thing. 12:24 And I believe that was the only way for God 12:27 to get my attention if I had to open the Bible to the part 12:30 where a little bambino 12:32 was wrapped in swaddling clothes 12:33 and laid in the manger, 12:35 I think I would have found something else. 12:38 But I was interested in this person, 12:42 this biblical character saying, 12:45 "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 12:47 I actually fell in love with Jesus 12:49 on that one scripture. 12:51 I wanted to get to know this Jesus. 12:54 So I started to study the Bible. 12:56 I took my Bible from Rikers Island 12:59 to the rehab program. 13:01 And from the rehab program, 13:02 I actually coined a therapeutic program 13:06 for myself to overcome my drug addiction. 13:08 So it was through the Bible. 13:10 And the secular program I was in, 13:12 I put the two together 13:13 and I ended up becoming drug free. 13:16 After that, I went into college, 13:19 the College of New Rochelle, after the College of New Rochelle, 13:22 New York Theological Seminary, 13:24 and I became a chaplain for the state of New York. 13:26 Wow. 13:28 And then after working for the state of New York 13:30 as a chaplain, 13:31 I moved back to Alabama from Birmingham, Alabama. 13:33 Okay. 13:35 And coming to Birmingham, Alabama, 13:36 is where I met Richard and Carolyn Bland. 13:39 They became my support system 13:42 because even though I had accepted the Lord 13:44 and I was studying the Bible and I was a Christian, 13:49 I still missed the ability 13:54 to overcome natural tendencies. 13:59 So being a part of that family, 14:02 I was able to recognize that I needed help. 14:07 And they were that support system for me. 14:10 I was baptized couple of months 14:12 after I had been going to the prison 14:14 studying in the prison 14:16 and helping others understand the Bible in Bible study. 14:19 And I was baptized 14:21 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 14:25 and a couple of years later, ordained as an elder. 14:29 And from that, you know, community service leader, 14:31 prison ministry leader, 14:33 and was able to travel with the prison ministry 14:36 to several countries and all across the US 14:39 and so forth and so on. 14:41 So I inherited a support system 14:46 and I knew how important it was for me. 14:48 And I looked at all the things 14:50 that I had learned over the years 14:53 and I started to really study rehab programs, 14:56 recovery programs, work for psalm. 14:58 At the same time, I was doing prison ministry. 15:00 I would work for rehab programs and so forth. 15:04 And I learned a lot and decided that the Lord had called me 15:08 to really prioritize 15:12 developing a transitional program. 15:17 And we talked about it, prayed about it. 15:19 Richard Bland encouraged me 15:21 to learn as much as I could about it. 15:24 And part of our dream was to, one day, 15:26 do this through United Prison Ministries. 15:28 Yes. 15:30 And time pass, 15:31 and we never really got to do it. 15:34 And I ended up working out 15:36 on a rehab program for women, 50 women. 15:38 I was the only male in the building. 15:40 Oh, wow. 15:41 And we had 30 children and I was the chaplain, 15:43 so they had to see me when we worked. 15:45 And then I was asked... 15:48 Richard said he was retiring and he had already resigned 15:52 from his offices, you know, 15:54 and he said, "I'm gonna recommend you 15:56 to the board as the next director." 15:59 So you can do those things 16:01 that the Lord laid on your heart." 16:03 And that was in 2013, 16:06 and we started to do work with United Prison Ministries 16:10 and developing that particular avenue 16:13 or that particular stage of prison ministry 16:15 because the prison ministry is three stages. 16:18 The first stage is the pre-release 16:19 what you do while you're in prison. 16:21 You prepare people to come out of prison. 16:22 Okay. 16:24 You work with them on making decisions. 16:26 And, you know, the Bible is the best decision-maker. 16:28 It's the... 16:30 You know, the Holy Spirit is our leader, our God, 16:32 our teacher, and accepted Jesus Christ in the prison, 16:37 you become a part of a support group. 16:39 Yes. 16:40 But when you come out of the prison, 16:42 you leave that support group behind. 16:44 Now it's time to have another support group 16:47 outside the institution. 16:49 And, you know, the interesting thing 16:50 is you use the word decisions, 16:53 you help them to be prepared to make decisions. 16:56 You know, when you're in prison, 16:58 there's not a lot of decisions or choices 17:01 that you get to make, 17:03 a lot of choices and stuff are made for you. 17:05 But when you come out of prison, 17:07 you're got to think about what you want to wear, 17:09 what you're going to eat, where you're going to go, 17:11 what time you have to be at this place or that. 17:14 I mean, there's a wide variety of decisions 17:17 that we on the outside take for granted. 17:21 But for somebody getting out of prison, 17:23 that can be quite intimidating. 17:25 So that preparation is crucial. 17:27 Exactly. 17:28 To make a decision... 17:30 We only work with... 17:31 We've been successful 17:32 in the reentry part of our ministry 17:34 because we make decisions as well. 17:38 If the person who is an inmate and is incarcerated, 17:42 don't make decisions, like avoid disciplinarians 17:47 and don't take advantage of academics 17:49 and vocational studies, 17:51 don't take advantage of chapel services, 17:53 don't take advantage of about substance abuse, 17:57 and anger management programs in the prison 18:00 if they show no track record of doing these things, 18:03 we know that when they get out, 18:05 they won't take advantage again. 18:06 Yeah. 18:07 So we decide who is going to come 18:09 into our program because the people who we decide 18:12 to take into our reentry program, 18:14 our transitional program, 18:16 they are now a part of our community. 18:18 Okay. 18:20 And if we have to guard the community as well, 18:21 you know, as best as we can, 18:23 so we have to do assessments to make sure 18:25 that we choose the right people. 18:26 And then we go through that third stage is the... 18:31 Well, you know, retention is what happens 18:35 when they are baptized, 18:36 when a person is baptized in the church, 18:39 we have to learn how to love them 18:41 and loving is not a special thing 18:43 because what happens is you treat people 18:46 as you would want to be treated. 18:48 And only thing we do is remind the church 18:50 in many different ways 18:51 how would you want to be treated 18:54 if you yourself was stigmatized, 18:57 you know, by prison incarceration 19:00 and you had been born again 19:03 and your lifestyle has changed and you are baby now 19:05 because you know nothing of this new lifestyle, 19:09 then how would you want someone to address you 19:11 and work with you and strengthen you? 19:13 So when strength meet needs and strength build on strength, 19:17 we know you understand recidivism, 19:19 the recidivism rate is short, 19:21 and we don't have to worry about in the state 19:24 where we're working now, 19:26 the probation and parole department 19:28 when I just walk into the office 19:30 to represent someone to the hearing, 19:33 and they say, "Just because he's here, 19:35 we're going to let you go or let the person go." 19:37 They're gonna give them a chance 19:39 'cause they know I've done the background check, 19:40 I know you understand the person 19:42 that I'm representing, 19:43 and we have not had one person to violate or return to prison 19:47 that we've worked with in the last eight years. 19:50 So we have a pretty good record. 19:52 That's amazing because, 19:53 you know, one of the things that we see that is so high 19:58 is the rate of recidivism 20:00 because once someone is incarcerated, 20:03 people want to keep them in the system basically. 20:07 So the fact that you're equipping them 20:09 with decision-making skills and you're doing your homework 20:14 before you take them on, 20:17 that is a wonderful and a wise move as well. 20:20 And, Gilbert, 20:22 what have you published for UPMI? 20:25 We've published millions of Happiness Digest magazines 20:31 for him. 20:33 Okay. 20:34 Richard came to me over 30 years ago 20:36 and said my Bible study guys need to look better. 20:41 And since we're printers, we were able to do that for him 20:44 and we contributed that to him. 20:46 And then as we began to build a relationship, 20:50 we got into a lot of other printing 20:53 that he could use. 20:55 The main flagship for Richard was Happiness Digest 20:58 in the nature format. 21:00 Okay. 21:01 When he came over and asked me to do that, 21:05 it became an instant success at our publishing houses. 21:09 They were putting on a millions of those at a time. 21:12 And people do say we're cutting down. 21:14 So Richard not only has had us design that 21:18 he's had his design and many other pamphlets. 21:20 One time, right after 9/11, 21:23 he wanted to put a million mark Bibles 21:28 in New York City, and he says, 21:30 "I have two weeks to do that." 21:32 Nice. 21:33 He brought it to us and we put out 21:35 a million of them in New York City for two weeks. 21:37 Nice. 21:38 Now there's one publication 21:40 that I'm really thinking about here 21:41 and it's "What the Bible Says." 21:43 That's right. Right. 21:44 And we have a graphic of "What the Bible Says" 21:47 what that looks like. 21:48 And we have "What the Bible Says" 21:49 then we also have it in Spanish. 21:52 Correct. 21:54 And then out of What the Bible Says, 21:57 tell us about... 21:59 There's also... 22:00 And, Scott, maybe you can touch on this. 22:02 There's also several other publications. 22:06 Yes. 22:07 So the lesson, the Bible, What the Bible Says lesson 22:10 is actually kind of the starter packet 22:12 for the actual one through nine guides. 22:15 Okay. 22:16 And you can show the graphic of that. 22:18 But those 1 through 9 guides 22:19 are actually breakdowns of the 1 through 15 lessons. 22:23 So it just gives you a more in-depth understanding 22:25 of those lessons. 22:27 Yes. 22:28 And you're the chief marketing officer. 22:30 Yes, sir. 22:31 Now how did you get involved, Scott? 22:33 Well, my story is kind of different 22:34 just because I was born into it I feel like. 22:36 My grandmother and grandfather are the founders, 22:39 I was always near it. 22:41 And I always volunteered as much as I could, 22:43 and I found more and more passion for it. 22:45 And I started seeing the people I was helping 22:47 and, man, I was making a difference, 22:49 just my little self making a difference. 22:51 And so that's when I saw what I needed to do 22:54 and I stepped up and I started taking 22:56 smaller responsibilities here and there. 22:58 Right now I'm actually under mentorship 23:00 underneath my grandmother 23:01 and learning the ways of how to run this ministry 23:05 and just doing my absolute best. 23:06 Yeah. Yes. 23:08 And see, even though you grew up in it, 23:10 you could have left, but you stayed. 23:12 And that says a lot too. 23:13 And I know you have to be a proud grandma. 23:15 Oh, yes. 23:16 Yeah. 23:18 But, you know, all my children support the ministry. 23:21 They grew up, the girls on the floor grading 23:25 our first What the Bible Says lessons, 23:27 we had them printed dark shells, 23:29 you know, little homemade Bible studies. 23:32 And we started out with just a few 23:35 and before we knew it, 23:36 it was thousands and we were just overwhelmed 23:38 so they had to help me grade them, 23:39 and they'd be all out on the floor, 23:41 grading Bible lessons. 23:43 So they grew up in it, 23:44 and they went to prison with it. 23:46 So it's in their bones. 23:49 So here, my grandchildren now are in it. 23:52 Yes, yes. 23:54 And so you guys grade the lessons? 23:57 We did. 23:58 It got overwhelming. 24:00 After you get pretty near me enough... 24:03 But we actually picked up on re-grading these lessons 24:06 and now we're actually resending certificates. 24:09 So in the past three years since I've been on board, 24:12 we are grading these lessons 24:15 and sending out pre-certified certificates 24:18 that give these prisoners something to look forward to. 24:21 Nice. Yes. 24:22 Nice. 24:24 Now what's the story about maybe someone's life, 24:26 who has been transformed? 24:28 Actually one of the people we're working with right now, 24:30 Yvonne, who's on campus, she was actually in prison. 24:34 Not my mother Yvonne. 24:35 No, not your mother. 24:37 Maybe another Yvonne. 24:38 We should clarify that. Yes. 24:39 But we have a person on campus now 24:42 who was 20 years ago received our lessons in prison 24:46 and had no idea where we were located. 24:49 And 20 years later, she is now working 24:51 with us on campus 24:52 and has been there for almost four or five years. 24:55 And her story is unbelievable. 24:58 So that's the type of people we want to be helping 25:01 is someone like that Yvonne. 25:03 Yeah, yes. 25:04 Are there any others who have maybe received the study? 25:09 Or maybe you you've gone in 25:11 and you've ministered to some people, 25:14 what are some other stories of... 25:15 One little short story just quick, 25:18 we were at a church and it was broadcast 25:21 and they announced that we were in the audience 25:23 and later on, after the service over, 25:26 a lady walked up to us and she said, 25:29 "I just came, I heard that you were here. 25:31 I wanted to tell you, my husband has totally changed 25:35 since he started coming to your program at the prison 25:39 and taking your Bible study. 25:41 I just had to come tell you. 25:43 We both are so happy 25:46 that you brought the Lord into our lives, both of us, 25:50 and I just had to come tell you thank you." 25:52 And I just felt that how many people that are helped 25:55 we'll never know until we get to heaven and find out. 25:59 "Oh, I heard about you 26:01 when I was in prison," you know? 26:03 Amen. 26:04 So there's a lot of people will never know that we reach, 26:07 but now one particular young man, 26:09 all of us know him. 26:10 He's Andre. Okay. 26:11 I met him the first time I ever went to prison in 1980, 26:18 and he was 21 years old. 26:20 So that makes him 60 this year when his birthday comes. 26:24 And he's still incarcerated. 26:28 He said he didn't do with... 26:29 He was signed... 26:31 You know, but anyway, that's a long story. 26:34 But Andre, we gave him C.D. Brooks' tapes 26:37 to listen to. 26:39 And they used to listen to them all the time at prison, 26:42 and sometimes when we'd go, 26:44 we'd show his film, C.D. Brooks' film 26:47 of one of his evangelistic meetings 26:49 that he had. 26:50 And a lot of the inmates grew up 26:53 at the prison on C.D. Brooks. 26:55 But even C.D. Brooks came and went to prison 26:58 to meet Andre and had an evangelistic meeting there 27:03 at the prison for the inmates 27:05 because they loved him so much, 27:07 'cause we had been playing C.D. Brooks' tapes 27:10 and the films and everything for about six or seven years. 27:15 So they really were engrossed... 27:17 In fact, when C.D. Brooks came there, 27:19 Andre shook his hand and when on to tell him about 27:22 one of his sermons preaching like he did 27:24 while he was shaking the hand. 27:26 Oh, that was so cute. 27:27 But Andre has been a witness to the Lord and has won 27:30 many, many inmates to Christ 27:34 because he is soul on fire for the Lord. 27:36 Yeah. 27:37 And that song we just heard, "Go light my candle." 27:40 "Go Light Your World." 27:41 Yes, yes. 27:43 He's he sings that too. 27:44 And he has a wonderful voice. 27:46 And oh, he's just he's just a blessing. 27:48 And he has been serving the Lord 27:51 now for 38 years. 27:53 Wow! 27:55 38 years. Praise the Lord. 27:56 He changed little by little that first year 27:58 and then he just got on fire for the Lord. 28:01 Nice. 28:02 Now what are some challenges that you face with UPMI, 28:06 what are some challenges? 28:08 Well, the first thing, you know, 28:10 when an inmate is baptized into our church, 28:15 he gets no Sabbath school quarterly 28:17 unless we give it to him. 28:18 He gets no connection with the church 28:21 outside except for us. 28:24 And we think that the challenge would be for us 28:28 to be able to supply them with materials 28:32 and have the church be interested 28:35 in the inmate that has been baptized. 28:38 And naturally, I said before, to be there for them, 28:42 to help them in a way 28:45 other than just giving them the Word 28:47 when they get out. 28:48 Yes, yes. 28:49 Now, Antonio, as Director of Programs, 28:54 what is your vision for UPMI in the upcoming future? 29:00 Like what Sister Bland just said, 29:03 in our churches, we are not recognizing that 29:07 when a man received the Word of God 29:09 or woman received the Word of God, 29:10 it makes no difference about their address. 29:13 They become children of God, equal to any of the rest of us, 29:18 but what we did... 29:20 I was asked to baptize in this prison where Andre is. 29:27 And Andre, I baptized him. 29:29 But before I did that, I went to the church board 29:33 and I asked the church board to authorize the baptism. 29:37 And what the board voted was that this person would be 29:42 in good standings in the church 29:44 as any other member and that we would do 29:48 what is needed and was needed. 29:50 And that is we will make sure that they receive 29:52 Sabbath school quarterlies. 29:54 And if they were indigent, 29:56 meaning they didn't have any one 29:58 to help them financially in prison, 30:00 we would give part of the poor fund to them 30:04 because they were members of the church, 30:06 and we will keep them informed. 30:07 And they would at least once a month, 30:10 write a letter with a prayer request, 30:13 with a testimony 30:15 of what was going on in the prison, 30:17 and with other brothers receiving the Word of God 30:20 and life changes 30:21 and what was going on in the house... 30:23 I mean, in the church behind the walls. 30:26 So we voted on that, we did, we baptized. 30:28 Now we have people wanting to be baptized 30:32 in the prison 30:33 because they're actually becoming a part 30:35 of the church 30:36 and the church is showing them love 30:38 and ignoring their stigmatism. 30:41 But what we're doing is we're moving forward 30:45 in transitional housing now in a big way, 30:49 and we have 72 acres of land, 30:52 and we have the blessings of our community where we are, 30:57 we're out in the rural area, 31:00 and we have blessings to actually work with people 31:04 'cause the community does not had any incidents 31:07 or negatives against us, they love us and want to see us 31:11 do greater things in the community. 31:14 And we're looking to develop a transitional home 31:17 that will be a model 31:20 for how this thing can and should be done. 31:23 And we're looking to develop a training center very soon. 31:27 We talked about a training center, 31:29 I don't know, 25 years ago 31:32 how we would love to put together 31:34 a training center where we would have 31:35 the best of the best, we're doing prison ministry 31:37 and have that which they can contribute to others 31:42 that are doing prison ministry, bring our strengths together 31:44 to meet our needs. 31:46 And a training center is one of the things 31:47 that we're working on as well, 31:50 but not only a training center 31:51 but we're looking to develop an industry. 31:54 Okay. 31:55 Because if we don't have a way to put people to work 31:59 that otherwise wouldn't have something to do 32:01 if we didn't have a way to provide some training 32:04 for those who would probably not have a position 32:08 to make a living and so forth and so on. 32:12 We need to help them with that. 32:14 And we've been talking to our Brother Wilks about, 32:18 you understand, his industry 32:20 and how we can become a printing business, 32:25 so to speak. 32:26 Nice. 32:27 And how we could find some investors to help us 32:30 get the equipment and set up 32:32 and run for a while until we get on our feet. 32:35 But we can put people to work 32:37 and we can now also train people 32:40 to take our literature into the community 32:43 and either sell it or get a donation, 32:46 you understand, for that ministry. 32:47 So now not only are they studying the Word of God 32:50 but they have an avenue to share the Word of God. 32:53 But not only that, 32:54 they could have some supplemental income from that. 32:57 Yes. 32:58 So we're looking that area as well. 33:00 So you're equipping them with trades and tools 33:02 and things that can get them back to work 33:06 and, as they say, 33:08 a productive citizen of society. 33:09 Exactly. 33:10 Instead of just talk... 33:12 As well as spreading the gospel. 33:13 Well, instead of just talking of how it goes, 33:14 we know what the need is, doing something about it. 33:17 Yes. Yes. 33:18 So we are actually going to that next level. 33:20 United Prison Ministries International 33:22 is a solid foundation. 33:24 It's a solid foundation. 33:26 But we know once you build a solid foundation, 33:28 you need to put a frame on it. 33:30 And that's what we are doing that 33:32 we are framing it so that it can be... 33:34 And everything that we have at our disposal will be used 33:39 to further the ministry, 33:41 and we are sharing with all prison ministries 33:44 because the materials that we print in the Bibles 33:48 that we buy by the millions, 33:50 every prison ministry in the world 33:54 and especially in North America. 33:56 We'll be privy to the same cost we have, 34:00 you know, so we're talking about 34:03 now developing the United Prison Ministry, 34:07 especially when it comes to training and supplies. 34:12 We wanna be able to share with all prison ministries 34:15 that we might be one prison ministry, 34:18 and we do this thing state by state 34:20 and help people out because of the rules 34:22 and the laws of each state. 34:24 You understand, this thing is gonna grow. 34:26 And we believe that God has put in the end 34:29 of what I call a laundry list 34:31 in the Book of Matthew Chapter 25 34:34 is a laundry list to me because 34:36 He goes down this list and He talk about the things 34:38 we have done in ministry. 34:41 And at the end He says, "You were sick and in prison, 34:44 and you came on to Me," 34:46 and I've come to understand that sick and imprison 34:48 simply mean, that drug addiction 34:52 and so forth and so on and incarcerated. 34:54 But now when, you understand, we look at this laundry list, 34:59 we find the last thing on the list is in prison. 35:02 So we believe that if we minister 35:04 to the prison population and minister 35:07 to the ex-offenders as should be, 35:09 this work will be finished. 35:11 And we'll have other soldiers to help us finish this work. 35:13 Yeah. I wanna read that quick. 35:15 Please. 35:16 This comes from... 35:17 Starting from verse 36. Matthew Chapter 25. 35:19 Okay. 35:21 And then I'll start in verse 34. 35:23 Okay. 35:25 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 35:27 'Come, you blessed of My Father, 35:30 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 35:32 from the foundation of the world, 35:34 for I was hungry and you gave Me food, 35:36 I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, 35:39 I was a stranger and you took Me in, 35:41 I was naked and you clothed Me, 35:43 I was sick and you visited Me, 35:45 I was in prison and you came to Me.' 35:48 Then the righteous will answer Him saying, 35:50 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You 35:53 or thirsty and give You drink? 35:55 When did we see You a stranger and take You in 35:57 or naked and clothe You? 35:59 Or when did we see You sick or in prison and come to You? 36:03 And the King will answer and say to them, 36:05 'Assuredly, I say to say to you, 36:09 inasmuch as you did it 36:11 to one of the least of these My brethren, 36:14 you did it to Me.'" 36:15 I'm most inspired by that statement, 36:17 that question that the Christians asked Jesus, 36:22 "When did we do it?" 36:25 And that question inspires me 36:26 because that question says to me 36:28 that they did it from their hearts. 36:30 They used everything they had at their disposal, 36:33 but they were not satisfied with the quantity of work 36:40 that they had done, and they wanted to do more, 36:44 and they thought that maybe they had not done enough. 36:48 But Jesus, through His mercy, says to them, 36:54 "As much as you done 36:55 unto the least of these My brethren, 36:58 you've done it on to Me." 36:59 And when all of us, those who can give financially 37:04 and help us make this thing happen 37:06 is equal to those who own the foot soldiers 37:10 that are doing the work because we're working together. 37:14 I'm reminded of John 17. 37:16 Jesus would pray out loud, 37:18 He would pray and allow us to hear Him pray. 37:21 We are part of the prayer. 37:22 And He says, "My prayer, Father, is they be one," 37:26 and I can see an opportunity for us to be one 37:29 because if we all work together, 37:31 none of us can do this by ourselves. 37:33 Yeah. 37:35 No matter how hard we work in Verbena, Alabama, 37:38 we cannot do this by ourselves. 37:40 Do you go into prisons and share your testimony? 37:44 I go to prisons all over the place. 37:46 I've probably been in every prison 37:47 than the rest of us been. 37:48 Yeah. 37:50 And I do it on a regular basis. 37:51 But I spend most of my time now working in the field, 37:55 working in the churches, 37:57 helping churches to understand how important it is 38:00 for us to be a part of this great work. 38:02 I find myself at conferences 38:04 and I've been consulting 38:07 with our South Central Conference 38:10 with the Southern Union 38:11 and the North American Division in these areas. 38:14 I want to also put because the word united, 38:17 a lot of people are under the assumption 38:20 that conferences support us 38:22 and that the General Conference support us, 38:24 and that's not true. 38:26 You guys are a lay ministry. 38:27 We're a lay ministry, a self-supporting ministry. 38:29 Okay. 38:30 But we have also for years answered the requests 38:34 that were mailed to General Conference 38:36 for material. 38:37 Nice. Nice. 38:39 We do it religiously. 38:41 So let me ask you a question. 38:44 What does a typical day look like for you? 38:47 Okay. 38:48 Well, you know, we used to feed everybody 38:51 that are on the campus, 38:53 but that was getting to be too experience... 38:56 Expensive. Expensive. 38:58 But there's phone calls all the time with inmates now, 39:03 Scotty on the not inmates, ex-inmates. 39:08 More on the grounds, 39:09 I'm on the grounds most of the time, 39:10 and I'm working hands-on with inmates daily. 39:13 Okay, so what does your day look like? 39:15 My day, usually, goes on 39:17 with meeting with the prisoners, 39:19 talking whether our day is gonna be with our farm. 39:21 Right now some of the stuff we're doing is fixing the roofs 39:24 of our main campus building. 39:27 And we're doing a lot of the landscaping, 39:29 so I have actually an ex-offender 39:31 who does our landscaping. 39:32 We have an ex-offender, Yvonne who does our mail run. 39:35 And she also helps 39:36 with our grading of our certificates. 39:37 Okay. 39:39 So we kind of have a mixture of things 39:40 that we do daily. 39:42 There's not really a one similar day. 39:43 Yeah, yeah. They're always different. 39:45 It's kind of... 39:46 You all wear multiple hats. 39:48 Yes. Yes. 39:49 We all wear multiple hats. 39:51 We all know about that one. 39:52 Yeah, definitely. 39:53 Definitely. 39:55 Well, that's beautiful. 39:56 It sounds like you guys are being a blessing. 39:58 And, you know, the interesting thing 40:00 is when you go into these prisons 40:03 because I have a passion for prison ministry as well, 40:05 when you go into these prisons to be a blessing 40:08 and to encourage other people, 40:10 you end up coming out of there so blessed, 40:14 it's an amazing experience. 40:17 And maybe you at home haven't had a chance 40:20 to get involved with prison ministry. 40:22 Maybe you've been kind of hesitant 40:24 to get involved. 40:25 Get involved. 40:27 And you'll see what a hunger some of the people 40:34 that are behind bars have for the Word of God. 40:36 I've been into prison before and seen a Bible 40:39 given to an individual 40:41 and tears just coming down his face. 40:44 And you guys are sharing the Bible, 40:48 "What the Bible Says," 40:50 with those that are incarcerated. 40:53 And the powerful thing about that 40:56 is it's what the Bible says, 40:58 like, I mean, it leads them to look in their Bible 41:01 for the answers to the questions. 41:03 So they're going to the Word of God. 41:06 And they're finding the answers to the questions. 41:09 And these are questions that everybody has. 41:15 Now that's why we wanted to have a training center 41:18 for those that are really interested in going 41:21 and don't know exactly what to do 41:23 because there is certain things you should not do 41:26 and those things that you should. 41:27 Now one of the things is to always know your scriptures 41:31 so that you can answer questions from the Word, 41:34 don't give your opinion. 41:37 We're gonna have to stick with the Word 41:39 'cause Jesus said it is written. 41:41 His answers were from the scriptures 41:43 and that's what we should do. 41:45 Yeah. So that is a must. 41:46 Yeah. 41:48 And there's a certain love you share. 41:54 But you don't get an emotional attachment. 41:59 I don't know how to explain that. 42:01 That was good. 42:04 That we don't want women to go in there 42:07 and have an inmate want to have her phone number 42:11 or write or stuff like that, 42:12 you know, and if you do write an inmate, 42:15 it should be strictly on a spiritual level 42:18 and not on to get involved in a romantic level. 42:22 Never give your home address or anything like that. 42:25 You have to remember where you are. 42:26 Right. 42:28 And you just need to be trained. 42:29 And that's why we want to get the training center going, 42:33 but we've been talking about this for years. 42:34 But we are on our way now to do it. 42:36 Yes. Amen. 42:38 Amen. Well, praise the Lord. 42:39 And we hope that our viewers will support this initiative 42:42 as well. 42:44 You know, Scott Michael Bennett blessed us 42:47 with Go Light Your World. 42:49 Now he's gonna bless us in song with Blessings. 43:09 We pray for blessings 43:13 We pray for peace 43:17 Comfort for family 43:20 Protection while we sleep 43:25 We pray for healing 43:28 For prosperity 43:32 We pray for Your mighty hand 43:35 To ease our suffering 43:39 And all the while 43:43 You hear each spoken need 43:47 Yet love is way too much 43:50 To give us lesser things 43:54 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops 43:58 What if Your healing comes through tears 44:01 And what if a thousand sleepless nights 44:05 Are what it takes to know You're near 44:11 And what if trials of this life 44:15 Are Your mercies in disguise 44:33 We pray for wisdom 44:37 Your voice to hear 44:40 And we cry out in anger 44:44 When we cannot feel You near 44:49 We doubt Your goodness 44:52 We doubt Your love 44:56 As if every promise 44:59 From Your Word is not enough 45:03 And all the while 45:07 You hear each desperate plea 45:11 And You long that we'd have faith to believe 45:17 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops 45:22 What if Your healing comes through tears 45:25 And what if a thousand sleepless nights 45:29 Are what it takes to know You're near 45:35 And what if trials of this life 45:39 Are Your mercies in disguise 45:46 When friends betray us 45:49 When darkness seems to win 45:52 We know this pain reminds our hearts 45:56 That this is not No, this is not our home 46:06 It's not our home 46:16 'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops 46:20 What if Your healing comes through tears 46:23 And what if a thousand sleepless nights 46:27 Are what it takes to know You're near 46:33 What if my greatest disappointments 46:38 Or the aching of this life 46:42 Is the revealing of a greater thirst 46:46 This world can't satisfy 46:52 What if trials of this life 46:57 The rain, the storms, the hardest nights 47:02 Are Your mercies in disguise 47:30 What another beautiful song entitled Blessings by Scott. 47:35 You know, we were talking about how, 47:40 you know, reducing the recidivism rate, 47:42 things that you want to see with UPMI 47:47 creating industry and equipping people 47:51 with trades and all that. 47:52 What are some of the things that you guys need? 47:56 We've been talking about 47:58 developing that industry right there 48:00 on the campus of UPMI. 48:03 And that industry will be printing materials that we use. 48:06 Printing materials that Brother Wilks can use, 48:11 and printing material that the inmates, 48:13 those who are ex-offenders can take to the community 48:16 and use for supplemental income and sharing the Word of God. 48:21 So what we need is donors to help us. 48:25 Get the equipment and set up that industry 48:29 so that we can become supporters of ourselves, 48:32 so we can help defray the cost of the donors 48:36 who are helping us so well now, 48:38 but help them provide finances 48:41 that we might continue this ministry 48:43 and continue to make it grow. 48:46 And what... 48:48 So you need finances. 48:50 What about volunteers? 48:51 What about workers? 48:52 Do you need people to help at all in terms of... 48:57 like are you looking for any volunteers 48:59 that can get on board with UPMI as well or what? 49:03 The training center will actually train people 49:06 to get involved. 49:07 We have an industry, well, actually we have a studio 49:10 that we are cranking up so that we can use it 49:12 to actually make some training videos 49:15 and that kind of a thing. 49:17 So it's always a room for volunteers. 49:19 A lot of our volunteers will be those 49:21 who have gotten out of prison and need a place to, 49:24 you understand, so that 49:25 'cause we have group counseling, 49:27 where they come in on a weekly basis 49:29 and sometimes bi-weekly and actually sit in groups 49:32 and talk about the needs 49:33 and the problems they're having. 49:35 And we actually give them some counsel 49:36 on how to get through the day, 49:38 how to get through the week, how to get things done, 49:41 how to apply for partners, and how to apply for... 49:45 I forget the word now I think... 49:48 Like to get the record expunged. 49:50 Expunged, that's the kind of thing. 49:51 I think they call it like sealing the record. 49:54 Exactly. Exactly. 49:55 So we need volunteers from every walk of life, 49:58 everyone can be a part of, 50:01 and don't have to be on the campus 50:04 to do volunteer work for us. 50:06 We need people to answer our phone calls, 50:08 we want to do a hotline 50:10 where people who are in trouble, 50:12 they're released from prison 50:13 and they just need to talk to somebody. 50:15 We need volunteers to do a lot of things. 50:18 So yes, we do. 50:19 Always need volunteers. Wonderful. 50:21 And you have 50:22 a correspondence program as well? 50:24 Yes. 50:26 Where people write inmates as well. 50:27 Yes. 50:28 Yes, we need volunteers to do all kinds of things. 50:30 But we wanna actually make sure that everyone is on one accord 50:34 with the training 50:35 and we'll talk about that at some later time 50:37 how our program actually works 50:39 because we meet the needs mentally, 50:42 physically, socially, and spiritual. 50:45 It's like a car, four wheels on a car. 50:49 No matter which one is flat, 50:50 no matter which one is out of line, 50:53 or which one is not properly balanced, 50:55 it disables the whole car. 50:57 The same way with the person. 50:59 We have mental, physical, social, and spiritual beings. 51:02 So we need volunteers to help in all those areas. 51:04 Amen. 51:05 Well, we hope we can find 51:06 some of those volunteers for you 51:08 and some people to support the cause of prison ministry 51:12 with UPMI. 51:13 We are going to now go to your address roll, 51:17 and then we'll come right back after this. 51:23 United Prison Ministries International 51:25 is dedicated to spreading the Word of God 51:27 throughout the world. 51:29 Their ministry is totally dependent 51:31 on their supporters' tax deductible donations. 51:34 To discover all the wonderful volunteer opportunities 51:37 or to support UPMI financially, please visit their website, 51:41 UPMI.org. 51:43 You may also call them at area code (205) 755-4744. 51:49 If you would like to write to them, 51:51 you may address your letter 51:52 to United Prison Ministries International, 51:55 Post Office Box 8, Verbena, Alabama 36091. |
Revised 2019-07-10