Tag Archives: prison ministry

  • 28
    Jan 16
  • 0

Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility, Philadelphia PA

Tags : 

Written By:  Charles Wagner, founder of Gramazin

Organization: Christian Life Prison and Recovery Ministry

Location: Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility, Philadelphia, PA

Date: January 26, 2016
Photo from www.popefrancisvisit.com

Photo from www.popefrancisvisit.com

Prison Worship Service Reflects Worship in Heaven

It was a room filled with drug dealers, kidnappers, assailants, thieves, lifers, the Holy Spirit, and goosebumps!

My word!  How many Christians have no idea what heaven will be like?

Sure.  Heaven is the place where God dwells.  Heaven is the place where Jesus Christ reigns.  The streets in heaven are paved with gold.  There will be no tears.

There also will be no pretention!  No artificiality!  No seeking to impress!  No worrying about your reputation!  We will worship Christ in heaven without a single thought of how we look in other people’s eyes!

read more

  • 22
    Mar 15
  • 0

God’s work in the life of a bank robber

Tags : 

Charles Wagner, founder of Gramazin, and his 24-year-old son Chad, co-founder, visited a convicted “bank robber” at a state penitentiary in western Pennsylvania on March 21, 2015.

Read the first article in this two-part series.

somerset-570x350“Peter” greeted us with a bright smile and a strong handshake.  His nicely groomed appearance was that of a professional and he had a countenance of confidence.

After he embraced his father, who had just made his 153rd trip across Pennsylvania to visit his son, Peter led us to a table in the large room where the number of prisoners being visited by friends and family may have been outnumbered by the number of cameras.  Chad and I proceeded to ask Peter questions about his troubled youth, his adult crimes, his arrest, and life in person.  His answers reflected a man who is transparent and candid, unafraid of speaking the truth about the mistakes he has made in life.

read more

  • 22
    Mar 15
  • 0

Christians, 5 reasons you shouldn’t visit bank robbers!

Tags : 

Charles Wagner, founder of Gramazin, and his 24-year-old son Chad, co-founder, visited a convicted “bank robber” at a state penitentiary in western Pennsylvania on March 21, 2015.

Read the second article in this two-part series.

IMG_1611A young man, who we will call “Peter”, owes his drug dealer $ 8,000. A gun is put to his head – “Give me my money or you are dead!” In fear for his life, desperate for money and the drugs he is addicted to, Peter robs four banks and a drug store in Bucks County Pennsylvania. One morning a few weeks later, the FBI and the local police arrest him at the home of his girlfriend’s parents. He is sentenced to a minimum of 5 years at a state penitentiary in western Pennsylvania.

read more

  • 14
    Sep 14
  • 0

Active Compassion Philly

Tags : 

not_just_a_soup_kitchen

David Apple’s new book, Not Just A Soup Kitchen

Dear Father,

Thank you so much for the story of hope that comes from the life of David Apple, the director of Active Compassion Philly.  We ask that you bless his ministries to the homeless and the imprisoned in the city of Philadelphia, as well as the other ministries he leads.

We ask you for the following blessings on this ministry:

  • The leaders of Active Compassion Philly will please you by their faith in You.
  • You will help the leaders of Active Compassion Philly learn from their adversity and then enjoy victory over the adversities they face.
  • You will direct, empower, and resource Active Compassion Philly to help the leaders achieve excellence in what they do.
  • You will bring those who have lost hope to Active Compassion Philly to be blessed by their excellence.
  • You will transform and bless the lives of those who reach out to Active Compassion Philly for help.
  • Those whose lives are transformed by your work through Active Compassion Philly will share their stories so others in need can be comforted.

We ask for a special blessing on David’s new book, Not Just A Soup Kitchen, that it will empower local churches to effectively reach out in love to the brokenhearted in their communities.

read more

  • 14
    Sep 14
  • 0

Christian Life Prison and Recovery Ministries

Tags : 

Dear Father,

What an amazing thing happened yesterday!  After their Conquering Grounds MusicFest, dedicated to help people break free from addiction, was deluged by heavy rain, you delivered to Bob Sofronski and his team not only an amazingly beautiful sunset but also a rainbow.

We ask you for the following blessings on this ministry:

  • The leaders of Christian Life Prison and Recovery Ministries (CLPRM) will please you by their faith in You.
  • You will help the leaders of CLPRM learn from their adversity and then enjoy victory over the adversities they face.
  • You will direct, empower, and resource CLPRM to help the leaders achieve excellence in what they do.
  • You will bring those who have lost hope to CLPRM to be blessed by their excellence.
  • You will transform and bless the lives of those who reach out to CLPRM for help.
  • Those whose lives are transformed by your work through CLPRM will share their stories so others in need can be comforted.

It was such a pleasure to volunteer in the prison with the CLPRM.  We ask your blessings on all who are incarcerated who want to change their lives and do good for others.

read more

  • 26
    Mar 14
  • 0

An Evening at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, PA

Tags : 

You are a visitor at a church, a first time attendee at a worship service. A regular attender walks up to you with a bright warm smile and offers you a handshake. “Wow. That’s different” you say to yourself, accustomed to the usual chilly reception in far too many of our churches. Another regular attender walks up and offers you a cheerful smile and a firm handshake. He might even give you a hug.
  • 26
    Feb 14
  • 0

A Love Found Within Prison Walls, Philadelphia PA

Tags : 

I had few expectations for tonight (the night my father and I were scheduled to attend a Worship Service, inside a prison in Philadelphia) – mainly because I hadn’t a clue to even dream up what my expectations should have been. I haven’t been to jail before, and I’ve been fortunate enough to never have any of my friends go there. To me, jail is what I’ve seen on television; what I’ve watched in movies. Not the experience I actually had a few hours ago.

Search

Suggested Additional Readings

II Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

John 4:14

“..but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Mission

We use Internet technologies to foster unity in congregations and then help those congregations effectively connect with the hurting unchurched in their local communities who are searching for help online.

Founder’s Testimony

Click here to read the testimony of Charles Wagner, the founder of Gramazin, published on the website of the church he attends.

 

Copyright 2016. Charles Wagner. All rights reserved. Dedicated to God. Kudos to Weblizar for great theme!