Key Bearers ministry sets incarcerated free
By Ron Kopczick
“I’m an inmate in a Texas correctional facility. I recently asked the chaplain for inspirational material. He gave me copies of the Pentecostal Evangel. I was very pleased to realize that it’s an Assemblies of God publication.
“It brought back many memories of my childhood when I attended an AG church. I remember how wonderful it was … to learn the Word of God. I realize now that I have failed God. I must repent and ask for forgiveness.
“I want to thank you for the Evangel — for making it available to inmates. I have passed on my copies to others, hoping they will find inspiration. I have decided I must follow Jesus Christ. Only then will I find true happiness, as I did as a child.”
Every week the Pentecostal Evangel receives numerous letters from the incarcerated: men and women whose lives are being rebuilt through the ministry of Key Bearers.
Since 1996, Key Bearers has provided more than 8 million copies of the Evangel and its quarterly Spanish version, Evangelio Pentecostal, to hundreds of correctional institutions throughout the United States. The results have been remarkable.
Approximately 6,500 inmates have reported committing their lives to Jesus Christ during the past five and a half years. Thousands more have been strengthened in their faith. Simply because numerous individuals and churches have cared about America’s forgotten society.
“Lives are being changed because caring Christians have made financial commitments enabling us to send the magazine into prisons free of charge,” saysEvangelEditor Ken Horn. “Those who live in physical bondage know the freedom found in Jesus Christ because of faithful giving.”
Despite an economy battered by a widespread recession, the Key Bearers ministry received more than $204,400 in donations during 2008 alone. The record amount sponsored at least 870,000 Evangels for the imprisoned. Salvation response forms were submitted by 1,310 inmates last year.
“I think it’s tremendous that Assemblies of God people are stepping up to the plate and ministering to the incarcerated,” says U.S. Missions Chaplaincy Ministries Director Alvin Worthley. “The number of states and systems cutting back on religious services is significant. Many inmates have to find their own spiritual resources. The Evangel is meeting a huge need.”
In total, approximately $1.8 million has been donated to reach those behind bars. Every dollar donated to Key Bearers underwrites the approximate cost of four Evangels.
To learn more about the Key Bearers program, visit the Pentecostal Evangel booth 636-638-640 or go online to www.pe.ag.org.