AP

300 INMATES GIVE THEIR LIVES TO JESUS

USA – The Holy Spirit moved on nearly 1,000 men and women – who are serving time behind bars – during an evangelist gathering held at one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the nation, a national prison ministry reports.  God Behind Bars, which works to restore the lives of inmates through faith-building outreach programs, recently invited men and women from nine prisons in Louisiana to a revival event held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana.
According to the organization, 1,000 inmates arrived, 300 incarcerated men and women gave their lives to Jesus, and more than 50 were spontaneously baptized in water. Grammy Award-winning artist Lauren Daigle led worship at the outreach and shared a powerful word with the inmates. “There is nothing that anyone can do to you when you know the truth of who God is….He comes to set people free. He’s the hope of the world. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is mighty…He sends our sins as far as the East is from the West. And all we have to do is repent. Because He is so gracious,” Daigle shared. It was very evident to  those present, that the inmates, many of whom are serving life sentences, “held onto every word” which Daigle shared.
God Behind Bars is on a mission to reach the more than 2.3 million people in the prison system, including those serving sentences at Angola. “We create satellite campuses in prisons and our whole mission is to introduce inmates to Jesus,” said Isaac Holt, Director of Innovation for God Behind Bars. During the outreach at Angola, inmates were given a hot meal, a pair of socks, and soap in addition to worshipping together and hearing about the redemptive love of Jesus Christ. [Source: CBN News]

A NEW RESOURCE TO BRING THE GOSPEL TO MARGINALIZED GROUPS
AUSTRALIA: A prison chaplain has released a resource to help marginalised groups engage in faith. Suz Foley’s devotional book “Beloved One” addresses people who lack confidence in reading, knowledge of the Bible and church life. The book was trialled in South Australian prisons, where it was well received. Chaplain Foley is now releasing it to the general market to share the Gospel with a much wider audience. My Christian Daily reports “Beloved One” is a unique visual devotion of the Gospel of John for adults who are exploring faith and seeking a new life.
Chaplain Foley says prisoners need examples that reflect the kind of struggles they have. They are not helped by sanitised examples from people who haven’t experienced trauma, disadvantage, incarceration, or marginalization, which is most of the general church world, she says. The Gospel of John devotions are accompanied by thought-provoking paintings that help people who visually learn.
[Source: My Christian Daily]

80% OF PROTESTANT CHURCH GOERS WANT PASTORS TO ADDRESS HOT TOPICS
Four out of five Protestant churchgoers in the United States believe pastors should address current issues, according to a new report. According to a Lifeway report, 80% of Protestants “believe a pastor must address current issues to be doing their job,” while 16% don’t and 4% are unsure. Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said as the “culture increasingly includes fewer overtly Christian elements and more non-Christian ideas, churchgoers are hungry to know what the Bible says about life’s issues. Pastors need to explain the original meaning and context of Bible verses, and then apply those principles to issues and situations today. Such application of the biblical text helps churchgoers recognize its relevance.” [Source: Christian Post]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss