Incarceration Ministry
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
-Isaiah 61
We are partnering with the Mayor's Office of Returning Citizens (ORC) to assemble 100 welcome backpacks for their clients who are leaving jail or prison. These backpacks include Charlie Cards, resource information, clothing, toiletry items, and more.
Ashley Montgomery, the executive director of the ORC, and Craig Parker who leads Prison Ministry Mobilization Efforts for the Boston Collaborative will be joining us.
We are hoping this Sunday will build greater connections between Christian ministries in the city and the City of Boston as well as increase awareness around the difficulties and opportunities of returning citizens in our neighborhoods.
It all starts at 10:30AM for worship and testimonies followed by a time for networking and back pack assembly at 11:45AM @ the Brighton Music Hall in Allston.
The City Church Boston Incarceration ministry is a group of followers of Jesus who seek to respond to God’s grace by serving both those who are imprisoned in our city and those who are re-entering society.
Want to connect with our team or find ways to get involved? Email Mark, our team lead.
Who is affected by incarceration
Though the United States constitutes just over 1/25th of the world population, it has about 1/5th of the world’s prisoners.
According to Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, in 2019 the total population with a felony record in America is at least 24 million, including those who have been to prison, jail or on probation. This represents 7.2% or 1 out of every 14 Americans.
For black males the rate is 33% (including 15% who have been to prison)
54% of inmates are parents with minor children (ages 0-17), including more than 120,000 mothers and 1.1 million fathers.
2,700,000 children have a parent behind bars — 1 in every 28 children (3.6%) has a parent incarcerated, up from 1 in 125 just 25 years ago. Two-thirds of these children’s parents were incarcerated for non-violent offenses.
How We Help
Family Support - When a person is sent to jail or prison, everyone who loves and relies on that person suffers as well. We endeavor to care for the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of those connected to people who are incarcerated, such as helping their families during the holiday season.
Jail Bible Studies - We will build a group of faithful people who are committed to visiting jails and prisons to hear the Gospel, study the Bible, pray and care for people.
Re-Entry Support - We will focus on meeting the immediate and longer-term needs of returning citizens, such as with backpacks filled with items that support their material and spiritual needs as they start their new lives.
Interconnectedness - Building relationships with other individuals, churches and organizations, both faith-based and secular, so that we can more effectively work together towards the good of those we serve.