This blog post is part of a special series commemorating forty years of ministry. We invite you to join us in reflecting on our history and looking forward to the future of bringing the hope of the Gospel to men and women behind bars. Click here to view the full series.
More than twenty-five years ago, Lisa Blystra grew concerned about a former coworker and friend whose husband was arrested and charged with a crime and was facing prison time. Lisa’s faith compelled her to reach out and offer encouragement to her friend, who faced the overwhelming responsibility of raising two young children alone for five years while her husband was away. The husband facing incarceration was Douglas Cupery, who has spent the last seven years equipping mentors and churches to serve people behind bars through Crossroads Prison Ministries.
After Doug’s arrest, Lisa and her husband visited the family and prayed with them, starting a journey of friendship between the two families that continues to bless Crossroads.
Recognizing that a church community can help to heal, comfort, and care for people, Lisa engaged her church in welcoming and supporting Doug and his wife, who were not churchgoers at the time. The families’ lives continued to intertwine after Doug was released, and his presence and acceptance in the church eventually led to work helping other men who were newly released and the development of reentry programs through 70×7 Life Recovery.
After Lisa accepted the CEO position at Crossroads, she reached out to Doug. Knowing that mentors are the engine that keeps the ministry going, Lisa wanted to understand what inspired people to initially commit to mentoring and remain committed over many years. She believed Doug was the right person to take on this endeavor.
In March 2017, Doug walked into the Crossroads office for his first day as the church mobilization director. As a former Crossroads student, he understood the deep impact of studying the Bible and receiving encouraging letters from mentors.
In those early months, Doug traveled the United States to sit down with mentors and learn why they chose to minister through Crossroads.
“I remember sitting in a mentor’s living room in California with a group of mentors and their spouses, just talking and getting to know them,” he said. “As we talked about what they do and why they have been doing it for all these years, they mentioned that they struggled with keeping their letters fresh.”
He explained, “That was the birth of the Just for Mentors. I came back from California thinking about that.”
After talking with a colleague, he was encouraged to start writing to the Crossroads mentor community. The first issue of Just for Mentors, a newsletter to support mentors in their work, was mailed in September 2017. Since then, Doug has written more than eighty issues of the monthly newsletter, providing encouragement and insights to Crossroads mentors as they correspond with their students.