A CHURCH WHERE RETURNING CITIZENS CAN FEEL WELCOMED BY EXPERIENCING THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH OTHER RETURNING CITIZENS…

Greetings saints! It’s been a passion of mine to open a church for the returning MDOC flock and finally, it’s ready to launch. Sunday, March 7th, CFTI Prison Ministries will open the doors for its first church service catered to ex-offenders.

“I need to attend worship where I’m not viewed as a criminal.” I hear this almost on a daily basis while interviewing prospective CFTI students. Most returning citizens want to leave their past behind, especially after doing their time. However, many churches ( the body of Christ ) view ex-offenders as ex-offenders!

I believe Christ tells us differently. In fact, let’s not forget the person who was on the “second cross at Calvary.” Remember the account in Luke 23? Jesus accepted his repentant heart, saw him as the lost soul he was: redeemed! and personally invited him into Paradise.

Paul writes to the Galatian church saying: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ) How does that line up with a church that still views ex-offenders as ex-offenders? I personally experienced this myself when coming out of incarceration, when Marcia and I were looking for a home church. Once we found our church home, it took me over six years for me to share my testimony. Why so long? Because I was afraid of being labeled as an ex-offender and of the body of Christ prejudging me.

You see, when we hear the label “ex-offender,” immediately negative thoughts begin traveling through our mind carrying with them connections to criminals like Charles Manson. I do want to say “hats-off” to the Michigan Prison Re-entry Initiative which has been working hard to change the name “ex-offender” to “returning citizen.” However, it’s not enough! People are still going to prejudge us even with that label. That’s true of the Michigan employer and even the body of Christ!

SECOND CROSS AT CALVARY will be a sanctuary welcoming those who have been beaten and bruised by Satan, who are looking for a warm, caring place to worship. I believe this will be a church where we will see a lot of deliverances taking place while shaking the gates of hell.

Giving one’s testimony will also be a big part of our service. Returning citizens need a place where they can go and share with fellow believers about where they have been, and where God is taking them.

I also see a lot of musical talent coming out of prison. So, at SECOND CROSS AT CALVARY, we’ll put that talent to work glorifying our Creator and Savior.

Please, spread the news. If you know of anyone who has recently been released, or maybe has been out for thirty years, but they’re not worshipping in a church, send them our way. Trust me; Christ will touch them in a very special way. In fact, take a look at the picture of the license plate to the left. It reads “out4life” and that’s what SECOND CROSS AT CALVARY is all about. Being “out” of the world and glorifying God through His Son Jesus Christ. The state of re-entry begins by not allowing our prisons to become revolving doors. Rehabilitation can only come through Christ.

Ross Hayes

CFTI is blessed to have Mr. Ross Hayes as part of our team. Ross, like many others at CFTI, spent time in prison – 35 hard years right here in Michigan. Yet by God’s grace, the victim’s nephew, Dale Daverman, is now best friends with Mr. Hayes.

“I hate black people”...“and now one murdered my great aunt” said Daverman in 1974. Dale accumulated a lot of bitterness, anger and malice over the years, but 35 years later, when Ross was released from the MDOC, it was into the arms of his best friend Dale Daverman.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 tells us. The problem is, too many of us harbor bitterness that grows like a cancer inside us. We forget, don’t recognize, or just won’t accept the grace God has shown us, often times carrying our own bitterness and resentment to the grave. We haven't experienced God’s grace – though it's all that keeps us from the gates of hell ourselves – and we certainly don't share it!

Dale Daverman, however, knew not to hang onto his feelings of anger and bitterness. The Holy Spirit got hold of during a Father's Day Sunday service several years ago, and on Sunday, January 31, 2010, Dale and Ross did an impeccable job sharing God’s grace on the stage at Sparta Church of the Nazarene. Lord willing, there were many in the congregation God spoke to through this special service, so that they in turn could forgive another person who may have done harm to them.

Volunteer Rosa ( Bunny ) Minter

If someone was going to tell me that I would be sitting next to a Michigan Registered Sexual Offender, I would have said “Never in a million years.” Hello, my name is Rosa – or Bunny – and I’m the secretary / receptionist at CFTI in Wyoming. In July of 2009, I was listening to AM 1140 on the radio and heard about CFTI. It was during that broadcast God spoke to my heart and told me to volunteer my services there.

I have to say, in the last six months, I have grown very compassionate towards returning citizens. You see, I have never been in trouble with the law before in my life. I have a “clean slate” so to speak, and I was the type of person that would keep my distance from ex-offenders. However, since working here at CFTI, God has shown me something entirely different: I’m an ex-offender myself because we’re all sinners saved by God’s amazing grace. I’m blessed to be part of the CFTI team and to exercise the God-given talents Christ has blessed me with.

Please call me sometime, I would love to talk to you more about being a volunteer here at Certification for the Incarceration. 616-249-3910

Love Bunny