Prison Fellowship International (PFI) and Bible League International (BLI) mark their 10-year partnership with a new agreement to triple their service to prisoners over the next five years. In the past 10 years, the organizations have distributed over 550,000 Bibles to graduates of two in-prison programs: Prison Fellowship International’s The Prisoner’s Journey® (TPJ), currently running in 36 countries, and co-created Prison Project Phillip (PPP), a discipleship follow-on program to TPJ running in 10 countries worldwide. To date, Bibles have been provided in six languages across 900 prison sites.
“Our partnership with Bible League International began with a few thousand Bibles and has grown into a fully-fledged, shared mission to reach the millions in prison with the good news of Jesus Christ.” said Andy Corley, PFI President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are so grateful for their friendship, partnership and commitment. We look forward to expanding our impact together in the years to come.”
BLI continues to provide PFI with 80% of the Bibles needed for TPJ graduates, an impressive commitment as the number of TPJ graduates continues to scale annually. BLI also remains steadfast in its commitment to provide new language translations, expanding PFI’s ability to pair prisoners with resources that are in their heart, or native, language. Bibles have been provided in English, Spanish, French, Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, Portuguese and Chichewa. Over the next five years, Bibles in Ukrainian, Arabic, Tagalog, Cebuano, Romanian, Russian and Bulgarian will also be distributed. Each Bible includes 52 Bible studies targeting needs unique to incarcerated individuals.
“Not only do we have a shared goal to reach 1.6 million prisoners with scripture resources, but there is an actual plan and path to achieve it.” said Jos Snoep, BLI President and Chief Executive Officer. “With PFI’s global presence and unique access to places where many wouldn’t dare to go, plus BLI’s extensive library of scripture resources and translations, the historic nature of this relationship means millions who desperately need it will receive the hope that comes from engaging with God’s Word.”
TPJ is an in-prison evangelism program that transforms the lives of incarcerated individuals, from the inside out, by introducing them to a restorative relationship with Jesus. The program has been proven to increase prisoners’ religious involvement, motivation for identify transformation and growth of virtues, while reducing negative feelings and aggressive behavior.
The course is facilitated through four key phases: invitation (prisoners attend a promotional event introducing them to Jesus), the course (participants meet to learn about who Jesus is and what He wants for them), graduation (graduates are honored for completing the course and receive a Bible provided by BLI) and discipleship (graduates are invited to enroll in further discipleship programs, like PPP).
PPP is a discipleship program inspired by the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8. This program trains leaders who invite others to study the Gospel of John. Each participant receives a personal Bible and is encouraged to become part of a local church. PPP uses two kinds of Bible studies: an evangelistic study that introduces the one, true God, demonstrating the need for salvation and a follow-up discipleship study that teaches the importance of Bible reading, prayer, a life of holiness, sharing new faith and becoming part of a local church.
The impact of The Prisoner’s Journey program on those in prison around the world over the past 10 years, including Bible League International’s scripture resource contribution, is captured in this video.
About Prison Fellowship International
Since 1979, Prison Fellowship International has helped prisoners experience transformation from the inside out through the power of the Gospel. Its mission is to transform the lives of prisoners, their families and victims through a global network of ministry partners.
About Bible League International
Founded in 1938, Bible League International serves under-resourced local churches around the world, providing Bibles, Scripture resources and training in local languages to transform lives through God’s Word.
SOURCE Prison Fellowship International