Dear Loyal Companions to the Ministry,

Greetings to each of you today. We have just completed a revival in Newport, Arkansas this past month. It was filled with an atmosphere of praise, forgiveness and faith. Many men made decisions to walk with the Lord or to live greater lives with God. It was a wonderful blessing. I took a guest speaker for Saturday night who said he had never felt such an atmosphere to preach, he said he felt like he was speaking to five thousand men, he was a great speaker who speaks often to the University of Arkansas athletes.

Currently over 6.9 million Americans are on probation, in jail, prison or parole. Over 800,000 are awaiting sentencing in a county jail. This has got to be the biggest problem in American civilization, crime and its cost as well as prisons and their reproduction rate and their failure in communicating Christian values. Again, I say crime cost us all either individually or as a community. Penitentiary comes from the word penance. We must adapt Jesus method of reform, a better future.

Jesus in his last breath on the cross, gives life to a dying thief or a promise of a better future. Only Christ can change the Criminals future.
Fate and faith are directly related. The fortunate are those who accept the faith of Christ and embetter their lives and truly desire to leave our prisons system.

Prisons are what we sweep under the rug they are not the glamour of success. Society is its own source , all individuals have the equal right to break the law, some compulsively, violently, etc but if you looked at the individuals picture in the first grade classroom, you would have never have known their future.

One out of six people born in 2001 will go to prison. What a shame to our own cultivation of criminals, we ourselves have created the department of corrections. The problem is prisons and their lack of ability to produce reformed citizens. Often a man only demoralizes more as a result of prison due to its violent nature and world of graphic reality.

*Recent statistics show that the percentage of men to make it on parole is less than those who serve out their sentence. Parole is not a pardon or forgiveness, it is an early release that demands certain conditions that most men or women without reform can keep, thus usually violating those conditions and bringing more charges against them with the cost of law enforcement to monitor them. Again I make my case, punishment of prison and pre-release by parole is ineffective in corrections of most people’s behavior. Prison should produce heart change or a change of the will. Only Christ will cure society and its sickness.

Parole is a gift from our government in hopes that one will re enter society without a legal mistake. It is almost impossible to not renew one’s drug affection or passion for crime. From a strictly enforced society in prison to our cities develop compromise and will likely develop a re offender or a violation of ones parole.

We need prison reformation as well as individual reformation. Change that is lasting is only in Christ. Moralization of an individual is only in Christ. Good morals aren’t just learned but they’re produced in the heart of an individual. Paul the apostle said he would not have known sin except the law had convicted him and then he declared what a wretched man that I am. Our laws do not open the eyes to see the in depth of de moralization that Paul saw by the conviction of Gods word. Prison ministries are the healing hands towards communities.

May God bless all of you who believe in prison outreach, and continue to address the true depth of the problems of society.

Thank you for your support,

His Kingdom come and will be done,

Brian Hilts