One year ago, a Crossroads student who regularly contributed graphite drawings to the Prison Art Project contacted us with the news that he had been released from prison. We immediately saw an opportunity to share the experience of a student reentering the world as expressed through the student’s graphite drawings. Over the last several months, we worked with the now-former student, Carmine Colantuono, as he created drawings to show the small joys and significant struggles of moving from incarceration back into a world that is often unwelcoming. His struggles to find housing and work were sign ..read more

At Crossroads, we recognize the vital role that volunteers play in the success of our ministry. As we reflect on the last forty years of ministry, it is evident that our dedicated mentors and office volunteers have been the driving force behind our accomplishments. Their collective contribution of 180,750 hours last fiscal year was equivalent to the efforts of ninety-one full-time employees. The seventy-five individuals who enter the Crossroads office each week to process and prepare lessons for distribution to approximately three thousand volunteer mentors form the backbone of our ministry. I ..read more

Terry VerHage, a mentor since 1991, shares her Crossroads story with staff.   Most of Terry VerHage’s students have been incarcerated long enough to reach our most advanced courses (Tier 3) and receive a dedicated one-on-one mentor with whom they can exchange letters. In some cases, even after they are released, they continue writing to Terry, corresponding via the Crossroads office. Terry has been a mentor since 1991. When Terry lists her students, she talks about them as if they were her own children and grandchildren. There is Thomas, who sends her Mother’s Day cards. He calls Terry hi ..read more

Just for Mentors: April 2024 In this month’s Just for Mentors, Doug shares his thoughts on showing love and mercy to others. When we do so, we are “bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes” (Charles Spurgeon). As you show love and mercy to your students through your caring letters, encourage them to do the same to those around them. Newsletter #84 The post Just for Mentors: APRIL 2024 appeared first on Crossroads Prison Ministries ..read more

From the beginning, Crossroads has depended on people from churches to care for incarcerated people by serving as volunteer mentors. For the past four decades, thousands have heeded the call. Among the more than three thousand mentors serving our students, one hundred have been serving for twenty-five years or more. A few of our longest-serving mentors share their Crossroads stories.   Judy, a mentor in Iowa, pictured with her current husband, Dan. Students Helped Her through Tough Losses “My twin sister was a Crossroads [mentor] before I was, and she got me started. . . . [She] died of ..read more

Just as some mentors have served for decades, a small cohort of students have remained with us for twenty years or more. At the end of 2023, Crossroads served fifty-two active students who began their involvement at least twenty years ago. These students are among the roughly one percent of incarcerated people in the United States whose sentences exceed twenty years. Their letters and their applications for Tier 2 and Tier 3 admission provide a window into their lives. Some diligently prepare for the day they will finally be released. Others openly acknowledge that they will die behind bars be ..read more

Tom de Vries found a passion for prison ministry when he joined his father-in-law in visiting the Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The experience planted seeds in his heart and those of his extended family.   The organization now known as Crossroads Prison Ministries began with a friendly invitation. Tom de Vries was a charismatic speaker who could hold the attention of audiences with song and extemporaneous speaking. In the early 1980s, Marinus Arnoudse invited his son-in-law, Tom de Vries, to join him on his weekly trip to the Kent County Jail. He invited Tom because he tho ..read more

Just for Students: Spring 2024 This edition of Just for Students discusses Moses’s protégé, Joshua. The Scripture reading and prayer guide takes students through the book of Joshua. Students are challenged to consider the question Joshua posed to the people: “Who will you serve today?” Newsletter #12 The post Just for Students: SPRING 2024 appeared first on Crossroads Prison Ministries ..read more

Despite living in different states, two sisters, Claudia and Florence, have discovered a shared purpose in encouraging people behind bars through Crossroads Prison Ministries’ correspondence-based mentorship program. Claudia began volunteering with Crossroads sixteen years ago alongside her late husband, Paul, who served as a mentor until his sudden passing in 2017. The couple’s initial encounter with Crossroads during a church meeting in 2008 ignited a passion for sharing the Word of God with people in prison. “We both loved the idea of being part of sharing the Word with prisoners and bringi ..read more

Just for Mentors: March 2024 In this month’s Just for Mentors, Doug reflects on gratitude and how it can often be elusive for those behind bars. Empathize with your students if they struggle with gratefulness, and encourage them to reflect daily to find something positive for which they can thank God. This issue also contains the Scripture reading and prayer guide for March and April. Newsletter #83 The post Just for Mentors: MARCH 2024 appeared first on Crossroads Prison Ministries ..read more