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Deaf Prison Ministry Network
by Dan Mustain
The DPMN Conference in Bakersfield, CA was wonderful. Don Payne, Arthur Craig, and I flew to CA and enjoyed great fellowship. Jeff Jackson and the Laurelglen Bible Church were wonderful hosts. The Conference theme was Faith Step. On the first night of the conference, we enjoyed a special blessing. There were about 25 people at the conference, and we got into 2 vans and went to visit a prison. The California Prison system is the third largest penal system in the country, costing $5.7 billion dollars a year and housing over 161,000 inmates. Since 1980 the number of California prisons has tripled and the number of inmates has jumped significantly. There are about 900 Deaf inmates in CA. We divided into several groups at the prison.
The Deaf inmates were very happy to see us. One Deaf inmate in our group was saved while we were there! God is so awesome. His love is so great. I'm thankful that we were able to go minister to those men behind bars.
We had great speakers that came and talked with us. Let me just share one story named Joe Avila. He is Executive Director, Prison Fellowship, Southern California Regional Office. He is hearing, but has a powerful testimony. He was a man that had a drinking problem. He would drink and drive often. One night, he was driving drunk and blacked out. He had a wreck and killed a 17 year-old girl. She was a straight-A student, a cheerleader, and a Christian. Her family was devastated. He got 14 years in prison for killing her. While in prison, he accepted Jesus Christ and began to study the Bible. He grew spiritually and became a strong Christian. When he got out of prison he began to speak to groups about drinking and driving. One day he had an interview on the radio and that girl's brother heard him. After so many years, the two of them met and the brother forgave him. The brother told the dad of the girl and they met. The dad forgave him also and gave him permission to use the girl's story when he was speaking against drinking and driving. The man met with the girl's mom, but so far, the mom has not forgiven him. We need to pray that the mom will forgive him and that God will help her to forgive.
God can use terrible events in our lives for His glory. Some of us may have to suffer many, many years and experience much pain. Sin causes pain and suffering. But we serve a God that loves and forgives. Have you gone through terrible events in your life? Let God work and change those hurts to healings for His glory. If you can get involved in prison ministry in any way, I challenge you to do it. You can change a life through God's love.
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A New Venture For
Deaf Prison Ministries Network
Your Help Is Urgently Needed!
Deaf Prison Ministries Network: Your help is urgently needed!
God has tremendously blessed us by making available a twenty-seven acre retreat center to Deaf Prison Ministry Network to be used as an aftercare facility for deaf ex-offenders.
Please go to: www.deafprison.org to find complete details of this great blessing.
Here is how you can help!
1. Pray! Pray! Pray! That God will make available every resource needed including funds, equipment, and staff.
2. Make a monthly donation of any amount to help with operational expenses which are approximately $8,000.00 per month.
3. Give a Founders Gift of $2,000.00 towards the purchase of this facility which is $263,000.00 plus closing costs.
4. Donate supplies and equipment needed to operate this facility. (see list below)
5. Volunteer your time by coming out to help clean, repair, cut grass, paint, etc.
6. Tell your friends what God is!
Note: You may send donations and request to:
Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church
9920 Long Point, Houston Texas 77055
or
Call: 713 467 3325 or email: arthur.craig@hfbd.org
BEDDING sheets, pillowcases, blankets, new pillows, bed spreads
TOWELS bath & hand, wash clothes
PAPER towels, toilet tissue, napkins
NON PERISHABLE food items
CLEANING SUPPLIES cleaners, brooms, mops
PERSONAL THINGS toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, combs, brushes, deodorant
TOOLS rakes, shovels, saws, wrenches, power tools
LAWN EQUIPMENT push & riding mowers, weed eaters
OFFICE EQUIPMENT computers, printer, typewriter, pens, pencils, copy paper
PAINT paint, paint brushes
GIFT CERTIFICATES
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Fifteen years ago Chaplin Len Salmon contacted Arthur Craig, Pastor of Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church in Houston Texas about the possibility of ministering to the deaf inmates at the Estelle Prison Unit in Huntsville Texas. At that time deaf inmates were place randomly in TDJC across the state of Texas. Shortly after beginning our ministry the decision was made to house all of the deaf inmates at the Estelle unit. In the beginning there were seven inmates incarcerated there. Since that time the numbers have grown to almost one hundred deaf inmates.
The ministry to deaf prisoners has included worship services on a monthly basis, a weekly discipleship class, an annual prison revival, mentoring, aftercare support, and ministries providing Bibles, Bible study materials, Christian videos and a weekly video of Woodhavens Sunday worship service in American Sign Language. Over twenty-five deaf inmates have been baptized during the past fifteen years.
The goal for this ministry is to have a worship team lead a Sunday morning deaf service with the deaf inmates on a weekly basis, strengthen and expand our mentoring and aftercare ministry, develop a ministry to inmate families, and produce more Christian videos in American Sign Language. Also, a team is needed to minister to female prisoner in Gatesville, Texas and the county jails
As pastor of Woodhaven, Arthur Craig also serves as the volunteer chaplain to the deaf at the Harris County Jail in Houston, and serves on the board that has established a non-profit organization called Deaf Prison Ministry Network of which the purpose is to develop and network deaf prison ministry in America. It is estimated that six and ten thousand deaf people are incarcerated in America. This ministry is being organized with regional directors, state coordinators, and point people.
Recently, Deaf Prison Ministry Network has been given the opportunity to purchase a twenty-seven acre retreat center, formally know as Wholeway House, near Willis Texas. This beautiful retreat center will be used specifically as an aftercare facility for deaf ex-offenders, and will be the first of its kind in America. So that this facility will become reality Deaf Prison Ministries Network is prayer support, grants, and donations from individuals, churches, and other organization.
Donations may be sent to:
Deaf Prison Ministries Network
c/o Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church
9920 Long Point, Houston Texas 77055.
For further information regarding Deaf Prison Ministries Network and the purchase of Wholeway House you may view our website at: www.deafprison.org or you may contact
Arthur Craig at: 713.467.3325
or Email him at: arthur.craig@hfbc.org
May God bless you as we co-labor in the kingdom of God.
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