#GivingTuesday

Christmas cards featuring student art that were sent to Crossroads students in 2021 held by Jose G., a member of the Crossroads communication team.

Men and women in prison often feel abandoned or forgotten by God and society. We are committed to being faithfully present in the lives of people who are incarcerated. For over a decade, one of the ways that Crossroads has reminded our students that they are not forgotten is by sending Christmas cards. This is the only Christmas card many of our students receive, and the seemingly small gesture can have a profound impact.

Last year, 16,478 Christmas cards and letters were sent to our students, and in the weeks that followed, our office was once again flooded with notes of gratitude from students. Here is what a few of those students had to say about what receiving a card meant to them:

“I’ve lost nearly everyone I cared for while I’ve been in here, and yours was the only card I received. Thank you.” – Lupe D.

“I just received your Christmas card. Thank you so much for thinking of me and sending this beautiful card. I am very grateful to be blessed with this gift of joy and being thought of. . . . Sometimes it helps to know you are cared for, that you are important enough that someone took time, thought of you and wrote a letter.” – Eliseo S.

Your generosity helps bring hope this holiday season. For $70, one hundred students like Lupe and Eliseo can be reminded that they aren’t alone or forgotten through the simple gift of a Christmas card.

Wynnielle H., a member of the Crossroads operations team, shows the enrollment cards that are given to students to share with others at their facility. Our students are our biggest referral source.

Recently, we heard from one of our students, Shane G., who has been sharing about Crossroads with others in his facility. He wrote:

“God has used Crossroads to help me fill the position to which I have been called, and [He has used] my mentors, who advised, challenged and equipped me for teaching. I am very grateful! This ministry is changing lives and encouraging people. I myself have handed out countless cards for people to enroll, and many of those produced fruit. Thank you for all that you do. To all the mentors and volunteers who help serve in this ministry, may God continue to bless you and your families for your faithfulness.”

Our leading referral source is our students. With each new lesson, students like Shane receive an enrollment card that they can pass along to someone else. We believe that God changes lives through the Gospel, and we seek to provide the Gospel message in a way that helps our students understand it and apply it to their lives. Each postage-paid enrollment card we receive can transform a life.

For $96, we can enroll two hundred men and women who have heard about Crossroads’ impact from other students, equipping these new students to disciple others as well.

A postage-paid envelope that we mail students along with their new lessons held by Fran M., a volunteer at our office.

According to research done by the Prison Policy Initiative, the average hourly wage of men and women in prison is between $0.14 and $1.41. This means that sending a letter requires about two hours of work for many of our students. The cost of stamps made participation in the Crossroads program impossible for many people. So for the past four years, Crossroads has been providing postage-paid envelopes to our students with each lesson.

Thanks to your generosity, we can continue paying for student postage, removing barriers to allow men and women in prison to stay in God’s Word with encouragement from mentors on the outside.

John, a student in Indiana, expressed his gratitude: “Thank you for sending a prepaid envelope. I am indigent and cannot afford postage.”

With your support, we can continue offering our courses free of charge to John and thousands of others who desperately need connection, hope and encouragement.

For just $10, you can help us eliminate the barrier of postage for one of our students for a year. For $100, we can eliminate this barrier for ten students for a year.

Alaina Z., a member of the Crossroads church mobilization team, displays a set of past issues of Threads.

For $35, we can send thirty students a copy of Threads, a publication that honors the creative talents of men and women behind bars.

Your generosity also helps us give back to our student artists as they seek to glorify God with their talents. For an average of $50, we can provide art supplies to one of our student artists. Recently, one of our artists, Carmine C., sent us this note about the significance of art in his life:

“I have received the pro art kit. Wow! I cannot begin to express my gratitude for such a wonderful gift. . . . The colors are gorgeous. I know you’re thinking, ‘We sent graphite,’ but I see the colors in the various shades of lead.

“I cannot describe the feeling of jail and the truly hopeless, helpless feeling that pervades this place. Between food, sanitation, harsh conditions and, of course, the twenty-three-and-a-half-hours-a-day confinement to an eight-by-twelve-foot box, it wears on a man. The threat of violence is always right there. . . . Through it all, God is there. I can feel the hand of Jesus when I draw, and the sense of peace I get is hard to describe.”

Jose P., a member of the Crossroads church mobilization team, holds copies of the Bibles we send our students upon request. We also provide large-print versions.

Did you know that each of our students can receive a Bible through Crossroads free of charge upon request? Your generosity makes the Word of God accessible to our students.

It costs only $7 for us to provide the life-changing gift of a Bible to one of our students. With a gift of $175, you can partner with us to share the Word of God with twenty-five people in prison.

Michael J., a student in Michigan, recently reflected on how the gift of a Bible has impacted his life and how the Bible and his Crossroads lessons help him share the Gospel with others in his unit:

“After hitting rock bottom in here, the light I received from the lessons and feedback, along with the Bible, have encouraged me beyond words. I set up a table in my dayroom with a cup where people can leave prayer requests. I put information up about the Crossroads program and started a little Christian book swap for other inmates. Also, I started a Bible study group that meets on Sundays—I am just about to start the Who Is Jesus? [course], and I am sure some of the content will make it into my group. It is simple to understand but still full of the truth! Since we don’t get any outside help because of COVID, these lessons are even more vital. I can’t say thank you enough. God bless all of you. You are making a difference.”

Crossroads students in Nepal hold copies of the course Survey of the Bible.

Crossroads’ program is utilized by ministry leaders in more than twenty countries around the world. Crossroads provides these leaders with resources, training and support as they bring the Gospel to prison cells in their respective countries. In this past fiscal year, 6,647 students were served by extension centers in twenty-seven countries outside the United States.

Your generous support can help us supply our growing number of extension centers with the materials needed to join us in bringing hope to the ten million people incarcerated worldwide.

On average, shipping a box that contains a few hundred lessons or two dozen Bibles to an extension center costs $166. A supply order can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000.

Hannah B., a member of the Crossroads operations team, stuffs packets that include a certificate of completion and reward book for students who have recently completed a Crossroads course.

A study by the Prison Policy Initiative found that 25 percent of formerly incarcerated people have not earned a high school diploma or GED, and the percentage is even higher among currently incarcerated people.

At Crossroads, we recognize that everyone bears the image of God, and we endeavor to restore dignity that the criminal justice system has removed.

One of the small ways that we can restore dignity and celebrate our students’ accomplishments is providing certificates of achievement upon the completion of each course. Each certificate is accompanied by a book as a reward for the student’s success. Our students often reach out and share their joy with us when they receive their package. Many people in prison haven’t been able to receive their high school diplomas, and these certificates of achievement are incredibly significant to them.

One of our students recently sent us a note that said, “I praise God for you and your ministry. I was so happy to receive that certificate and new Bible studies. Being in lockdown, nowhere to go, I needed this. Thank you.”

For $80, we can honor the achievements of ten students by sending them a certificate and a reward book.