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Viewpoint: Interfaith has been helping for 30 years
February 21,
2005
by Donna
Alexander
"A second chance is what you make it! And we would like to help." Do you have a
family member or loved one in jail? Has someone you care about gotten into
trouble and can't seem to find his or her way out?
Jail does not have to be the end. It can be the beginning. A bend in the road
does not have to be the end of the road. Interfaith Jail Ministries knows how to
help; it has been helping this community for more than 30 years.
Interfaith is a loving group of men and women who volunteer their time to
rehabilitating and redirecting the lives of their neighbors who fall into
trouble through circumstances or just plain bad decisions.
Without Interfaith there would be no chaplains in the jails. These chaplains
provide counseling, parenting classes, drug/alcohol support groups and aftercare
for inmates looking for a better quality of life. They prayerfully involve
themselves in each repentant life and help steer wayward souls back to family
and community.
Interfaith Jail Ministries also initiated and oversees a faith-based
transitional house for women called Paul Mathison Faith House. Faith House
opened its doors in 1997 and was named for the Rev. Paul Mathison. He was a
Methodist minister for 36 years and was appointed chaplain of law enforcement
ministries on May 1, 1969. He remained in that position until his health
prevented him from doing so. The women who arrive at Faith House have bonded and
formed a close relationship with the housemother there. This mother figure
teaches budgeting of finances, family values and offers spiritual guidance to
the women for the duration of their stay.
At Interfaith, we have seen misguided mothers receive the encouragement they
need and eventually gain custody of children they thought were lost forever. We
have seen so-called "deadbeat dads" have a change of heart and become loving,
responsible members of family and society. We, at Interfaith, believe
wholeheartedly that a second chance is what you make of it, and we want to help
make it fruitful.
The arms of this ministry reach far and touch many. From supplying the book
carts and chaplains at the jails, to facilitating drug/alcohol support and
operating the transitional house for women coming out of jail, chances are
Interfaith Jail Ministries has touched someone you know and possibly care about.
It works. It is making your community better one life at a time.
I know. This ministry touched me some years back. I was exposed to the great
kindness and love of the men and women at Interfaith. And now I am one of them.
For more information, contact us 436-9507 or www.interfaithjailministries.net.
Donna Alexander is President of Interfaith Jail Ministries and
is a resident of Pensacola.
ŠThe Pensacola
News Journal
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