Thanksgiving night was one of the happiest events of our lives. It started three weeks earlier, when we visited the men in Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas, a church led by prisoners under the guidance of Matt Thomas and his team at Firm Foundations Ministries (https://www.firmfoundationsministries.org). Several years ago, Cathy connected with Matt and has since been helping him expand his work, one of the most fruitful and Christ-honoring ministries we know.
Firm Foundations provides transitional housing for the formerly incarcerated and a discipleship path that empowers prisoners to become church planters. Their vision is to see revival in our prisons and communities through a church planting movement led by men and women impacted by incarceration, both while they are incarcerated and upon their release.
Cathy and I visited Lansing for three days, interacting with the various classes where men are being equipped as leaders. We were especially blessed to watch them lead their Saturday worship service, which is part of a church planting network called “Christ the Victor” (CTV). They employ a common structure and liturgy inside and outside prison, so when men and women are released, they feel more at home in the church community.
Their transitional housing is a 6-12 month program of re-entry support, located in several locations in Kansas City, Wichita, and Topeka. We were blessed to visit some of the residents at two of these homes on Friday.
On Sunday, we went to three CTV church services. In the morning, we met James, who testified of the blessing Firm Foundations has been in his re-entry experience. Later that afternoon, we worshipped at another CTV church across town, meeting several former prisoners and their families. That night, visited a new prison yard, where Don had the privilege of preaching the message at their CTV worship service, again led by the prisoners themselves.
The whole experience was so encouraging, we decided to come back to Lansing Correctional with a Thanksgiving turkey dinner for them. As we served them their food, wished them “happy thanksgiving,” and received their heartfelt appreciation, our hearts were overflowing. We felt like a mom and dad celebrating with 70 members of our family. Please pray for Firm Foundations Ministries and consider a year-end gift to help them. Or make a donation to Completion Global as we come alongside people like Matt to make disciples among the least of these.
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