First Love Church is a small congregation in Bangkok making a huge impact in Thailand prisons.
The church has assembled a team that goes into prisons and gives concerts, shares testimonies and distributes personal items to hundreds of prisoners. The already effective prison ministry will be able to make even more of an impact after partnering with Crossroads Prison Ministries.
The team will have access to Crossroads’ catalog of Bible study courses for prisoners. About 20 people from First Love Church and another church in the area gathered recently to receive training to become Crossroads Singapore volunteer mentors who will guide students through the Bible studies. Albert Chan, an elder at First Love Church, will serve as the coordinator of Crossroads Singapore. Jean and Tiwan, former prisoners who are pastors of First Love Church, will also help lead the Crossroads program.
The church has a passion for helping former prisoners who are re-entering society. A large portion of the congregation are ex-prisoners who are finding much-needed support, encouragement and community in the church. The congregation has purchased a building that has several rooms they are planning to use for the re-entry ministry. This means released prisoners will be housed right in the church while they work to find a job and reintegrate into their families and community.
“I love this church’s great commitment to not only preach the Word but to serve the marginalized in their community,” said Cynthia Williams, Crossroads director of international ministries.
Williams said the Crossroads Thailand team is excited about the dual impact of Crossroads’ program. “They appreciate how both students and mentors benefit from their study of the Word and their interaction with one another. I am so encouraged that they have caught the vision so quickly,” Williams said.
For more information about the Crossroads international program, click here.
Check out more photos from Thailand in the gallery below:
