General Resources

A Message of Hope

Has anyone ever shown you how you can know for sure that you are going to heaven?

Gospel presentation used by permission of Evan Tell, Inc.

If after viewing the video you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, we rejoice with you!

When Jesus set a man free from bondage, Jesus told him to go and tell others what great things God had done for him (Mark 5:19).

We would enjoy hearing from you. We pray God’s blessing and guidance for you as you walk with Him from this day forward.

Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Good News Global.

Your Next Steps:

1

Know that you are forgiven!

Once you have trusted Jesus Christ, God’s Word says:

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7)

2

Pray

It is important to spend time in prayer every day. Just as you cannot grow without eating food each day, so your spirit must be fed in order for growth to occur in your walk with Jesus. As children of God we have access to Him at all times. You have the right to share with God your intimate thoughts, desires and fears. Prayer is simply talking to your heavenly Father.

3

Read the Bible

It is important to spend time in prayer every day. Just as you cannot grow without eating food each day, so your spirit must be fed in order for growth to occur in your walk with Jesus. As children of God we have access to Him at all times. You have the right to share with God your intimate thoughts, desires and fears. Prayer is simply talking to your heavenly Father.

4

Join with a Bible-Believing Local Church

When you trusted Jesus Christ, you became a child of God, a part of God’s family, the Church. Joining with other believers in a local church provides strength and encouragement for you and for others. The Bible tells us not to neglect meeting together with other believers. (Hebrews 10:25)

5

Grow in Your Relationship with Jesus Christ

Once you have trusted Christ as your Savior and begin regular prayer and Bible reading, and have joined with a Bible-believing local church, your aim should be to develop a deeper, personal relationship with Christ.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1Co 13:11)

Bible Correspondence Program

Believers at all stages in their spiritual journey are discipled through our program. Each student completes the Scripture-focused lesson, reviewing the passage multiple times. The lesson ends with reflective questions on how the truths apply to their lives.

Through these courses, God’s character is revealed to them, shows them the story of God’s love and grace, and grounds the student in God’s Word as truth.

Our volunteers grade the courses and encourage the students as they progress through their journey. When students complete a lesson, they receive certificates of completion and commemorate milestones.

When a student completes a prescribed number of units, he is awarded his own study Bible. When the student completes further units, he can earn additional study resources.

These valuable lessons are key to and beginning a disciplined, skilled approach in studying God’s Word – for a lifetime!

Ultimately our hope and prayer is to transform the heart and mind of a believer and make a difference in the life of him now and for all eternity.

Additional Resources

Below are resources we use and recommend for those impacted by incarceration. Chaplains have additional programs administered inside the jail as well as location-specific resources for those who are re-entering society.

Resources for Re-entry

Two-thirds of released prisoners will be arrested again within three years. These resources will help you know what to expect when a friend or family member returns to society, and how you can help maximize their chances for success.

  • How To Create a Re-entry Plan
    This brochure is available from the National Fatherhood Initiative. The brochure covers how to plan for a successful reentry – with tips for taking care of finances, getting employment, and more. (Brochures are $0.31 each)
  • Keeping Ex-Offenders Free!
    Keeping Ex-Offenders Free is a much read guide for anyone working with a man or woman coming out of prison. Many ministries use it as a training text. The practical guides to helping ex-offenders become stable are greatly appreciated.
  • When Prisoners Return
    “When Prisoners Return” identifies the need for individuals and churches to be involved as prisoners return to society; this book also equips individuals and churches with the information they need to effectively assist former prisoners.
  • Women Rising – How Canadian Women are Breaking Free From Criminal Pasts and Building a Better Future
    This eye-opening and inspiring book shows how one organization, Prison Fellowship Canada, is helping women prisoners in particular to keep their families together while they are incarcerated and to build better lives once they’re out.
Resources for Families & Friends

The incarceration of a loved one can be overwhelming. Where do you turn for help? These resources will help you know what to expect after someone you care about has been arrested, and how to cope before, during, and after their sentence.

  • Mama Loves Me from Away
    “Mama Loves Me from Away” is about a young girl who shares a special connection with her incarcerated mother through storytelling.
  • My Daddy is in Jail
    “My Daddy is in Jail” includes a read-aloud story, discussion guide, caregiver suggestions and optional small group counseling activities. This resource can be used one-on-one or in a group setting.
  • Sesame Street in Communities: Incareration (YouTube) (NEW)
    Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration, a bilingual (English/Spanish) multimedia initiative, provides much-needed resources to support and comfort young children throughout their parents’ incarceration.
  • Sesame Street: Incarceration App for Android (NEW)
    The Sesame Street: Incarceration app provides parents and caregivers with tools to help children ages 3-8 cope with the many transitions related to a parent’s incarceration.
  • Sesame Street: Incarceration App for iPhone/iPad (NEW)
    The Sesame Street: Incarceration app provides parents and caregivers with tools to help children ages 3-8 cope with the many transitions related to a parent’s incarceration.
  • The Invisible String
    “The Invisible String” is a very simple approach to overcoming the fear of loneliness or separation with an imaginative flair that young children can easily identify with and remember.
  • Visiting Day
    “Visiting Day” is about a little girl and her grandmother who take a long bus ride to visit her father who is in prison.
  • When a Parent Goes to Jail
    “When a Parent Goes to Jail” is a resource to help children of incarcerated parents cope with the traumas they face — physical, emotional, and social stigmas and feelings of guilt, anger, fear and shame — and guide them in making wiser life choices.
  • ARRESTED What to Do When Your Loved One’s in Jail
    Arrested is the only guide to supporting family members facing criminal charges. It explains how to make decisions that are in the best interests of the entire family—not just the defendant—and provides checklists of what things to do, and in what order. Form letters called “jail mail” are included to help readers quickly send important information to inmates.
  • Family Arrested: How to Survive the Incarceration of a Loved One
    The author’s life was devastated when her husband was arrested for a federal tax crime and given a fifteen-year sentence. During the six years he served, she learned about the prison system, which she tells about in this book. Edenfield reads the painful events of those years in a factual way, distancing herself from the emotional pain of being left to raise four young children on little income. This stoicism requires listeners to engage their imaginations to envision what her life must have been like.
  • Family Arrested: How to Survive the Incarceration of a Loved One
    The author shares her journey of survival after her husband was arrested and incarcerated in Federal Prison. The book offers helpful suggestions to cope with a loved one’s incarceration including practical information that will help family members understand the criminal justice system.
  • Get Outta My Face!
    Get Outta My Face! is written for Christian parents, teachers, and youth workers to help them reach angry, unmotivated and disinterested teens with biblical counsel.
  • HELP! My Loved One is in Prison
    Practical steps to take if your friend or loved one is currently or formerly incarcerated. Oftentimes the person searching for help feels just as lost as the person inside the walls. This manual addresses that experience. This book is for anyone who is affected by the imprisonment, past or present, of a loved one and wants to do something to help.
  • Learning to Sing in a Strange Land
    The author describes the experience of incarceration both from the family’s perspective and that of the inmate. His story of his daughter’s incarceration is deeply personal but also very informative and inspirational.
  • Sentenced, Now What?
    This booklet is designed to help individuals and families with the second phase of the incarceration journey–sentencing and what follows.
Resources for Those Behind Bars

Need something to encourage an incarcerated loved one? Look here for devotionals, prisoner Bibles, family connection guides, and Christian lifestyle guides specifically tailored to those doing time.

  • Changed Lives
    “Changed Lives” by Annie Goebel has seven compelling stories of the transformational journey from incarceration to freedom! Written for inmate discipleship guidance, while inside, preparing for release and transition into community. Also, gives in-depth insight to volunteers and family members of incarcerated women.
  • Free on the Inside
    A Bible written specifically for prisoners. It is available in English (regular print and Large print) and Spanish.
  • Prison Survival Guide
    How to survive—and even thrive—physically, mentally, and spiritually while inside.

Request correspondence materials for an inmate

"*" indicates required fields

Address for materials to be sent*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Join Our Mission

Your generosity fuels our mission – lives transformed behind bars by the power of the Gospel.