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Did you know?
- Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry of Minnesota (OCPMM) is a statewide prison ministry serving all Orthodox Christian traditions in Minnesota.
- There are over 1,500,000 people in prison in the United States, and approximately ten million prisoners pass through our jail and prison system each year.
- There are over 6,000 federal, state and local prisons and jails in the United States…the average cost to house one prisoner for one year is $24,000 of taxpayer dollars.
- Four out of five crimes are committed by past offenders…and those in prison are generally young. One-third are under 25 and more than two-thirds are under 35.
- Holy Apostle Silas was named Patron Saint for prison ministry by Metropolitan PHILIP.
- Parish of Holy Apostle Silas is an Orthodox community of prisoners in North America under Metropolitan PHILIP.
- Not everyone is able to personally visit a jail or prison to minister the Gospel of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. Yet, all Orthodox Christians can be involved through prayer, correspondence, pen pals, mentoring, family support groups, holiday gifts, fundraising, financial support, Bible studies, etc. "I was in prison and you visited Me" (Matthew 25:36).
- There are over 10,000 prison ministries in the USA.
- The first known prison ministry was by the Quakers in Philadelphia in 1787.
- There are 130 references in the Bible that speak of the the need to minister to prisoners.
As Jesus is quoted in the Gospel of Matthew, we have a responsibility as Christians to reach out in a socially active way to those in need. With over a half million prisoners in our country, prison ministry is one of those areas with a great need.
In the state of Massachusetts alone, where every prison is bursting at the seams due to overcrowding, where riots have occurred due to the increase in prisoners, where it is now being proposed in State Legislature that two men, who likely have violent and emotionally disturbed backgrounds, share a 4’ X 8’ cell, we can see the great need for our churches to bring into these institutions the message of peace and hope which Jesus Christ offers.
Who are these people in prisons?
- 90% come from broken homes and turbulent family situations
- The majority have under nine years of formal education
- The average age of prisoners is under 25
- 50% are black
- Despite the fact that 95% of them will one day get out of prison, in reality 80% of them will again return to prison
Both their disturbing past and their seemingly hopeless future have therefore left most prisoners with an immense feeling of worthlessness and low self-esteem.
What Ministries are out there now?
In our American prisons, there are over 10,000 individual prison ministries (this includes ministries which may only have one or two volunteers). And yet, only 5% - 8% of the prison population attend some type of church service and less than an additional 2% have any religious contact at all (i.e. chaplain counseling, Bible study, etc.).
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