20 Aug, 2010  |  Written by Matthew C. Keegan  |  under Miscellany

Please note that WordJourney is interested in your news, especially as it pertains to the Body of Jesus Christ and the work of the Lord. While we can’t publish your local church news — unless it has a much broader impact beyond your area — we’re always interested in news that builds up the church universal.

The best way to contact Matt Keegan, the administrator of this site, is to fill out the easy to use contact form. Easy, in that you only need to share with us your name, email address, subject and a few paragraphs about your request.

Once done, correctly complete the Captcha code and hit the submit button. That code keeps spammers at bay, so be careful to repeat the four digit code as shown.

The contact form doesn’t allow you to attach your news, but you can include a link to a web page or site. WordJourney isn’t interested in republishing news verbatim, but if you have a press release we’ll review your information to see if it can lead to a story.

Matt will contact you within 1-2 business days after receiving your request. If you haven’t heard back from him after that time, please try again. Sorry, obvious commercial tie-ins will be ignored.

Some examples of articles we’ll consider:

Ministry spotlight — Give us an overview of a particular ministry and the work that they do. It would help if you are affiliated with that ministry — we like “inside” news! We’re not interested in personalities, rather the work being done to share the gospel primarily and helping people secondarily. Yes, these two matters usually go hand in hand.

Event news — If there is a special event that will be taking place, let our readers know about it. One example of this was “Cry of the Orphan” an adoption event headlined by Stephen Curtis Chapman in November 2009. We featured that story on WordJourney and are interested in similar news.

Global stories — We’re always interested in sharing with Christians what God is doing in the world. This can be a tremendous source of encouragement for believers who see that their prayers are, indeed, being answered.

National news — WordJourney does not make a point to cover general national news unless it impacts the church. Even then, we’ll only add that information if it has an element where you can take positive action such as praying and informing others. For news from a Christian perspective, check out The Christian Post.

Artistic Reviews – On occasion, we’ll review a book or CD and post that review here. Let us know what you have and we’ll see if it is something that we want to review. If accepted, expect to send a review copy to the address we’ll provide for you.

If we agree to share your news please submit your work in English, adhering close to AP Stylebook guidelines, and with photos (optional) that are released or attributed to the source. It may seem odd to say, but we do run everything through Copyscape, rejecting anything that has been clearly plagiarized.

Thank you for following WordJourney; we are blessed through your participation and prayers.

Popularity: 1% [?]


12 Aug, 2010  |  Written by Matthew C. Keegan  |  under Ministries

Continuing with our ministry spotlight, WordJourney turns its focus to Prison Fellowship Ministries, a Christian outreach to the incarcerated and their families.

Founded: In 1976 by chuck Colson, a former aide to President Nixon who himself was involved in the Watergate cover-up and was imprisoned. Prison Fellowship International (PFI), the global umbrella organization for Prison Fellowship groups, is headed by Ron Nikkel. Today, there are more than 100 Prison Fellowship ministries reporting to PFI.

Mission: “To seek the transformation of prisoners and their reconciliation to God, family, and community through the power and truth of Jesus Christ.”

Projects: The main thrust of Prison Fellowship is to minister to men and women who are in prison. Prison Fellowship gains access to prisons around the world, by holding Bible studies and prayer groups for those who are seeking God. Through their work Prison Fellowship says that they are able to restore broken lives, bring crime statistics down and make communities safer. Additionally, Prison Fellowship runs Angel Tree — a program to provide Christmas gifts and year round help for children of prisoners — and Justice Fellowship — a faith-based training program for prisoners and a reentry program in Iowa. You can hear Chuck Colson on his Breakpoint program where he discusses faith matters as related to current news.

Budget: $40 million for its U.S. operations alone

Notables: In the U.S., 8,000 churches and more than 11,000 volunteers partner with Prison Fellowship. Group claims that recidivism rates drop by 66 percent for people who participate in their programs. Prison Fellowship is active in all 50 states and is in more than 1,400 correctional facilities.

National Headquarters:

Prison Fellowship Ministries
44180 Riverside Parkway
Leesburg, VA 20176-0176
877-478-0100
pfm.org

World Headquarters:

Prison Fellowship International
PO Box 17434
Washington, DC 20041
703-554-8664
pfi.org

Resources

Angel Tree: Prison Fellowship

Breakpoint with Chuck Colson

Dallas Observer: Prisoner Re-Entry Supporters Tie Into National Faith-Based Out4Life Network

WHSV.com: Working to Keep Former Inmates “Out4Life”

Popularity: 2% [?]