Prison Ministries Information
Epiphany Ministries of Texas
Offer God's Love
The sole purpose of Epiphany ministry is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to manifest God’s love to these young people known as “STARS”. Epiphany seeks to demonstrate to youth that their lives are worthwhile because of God’s endless love for them. Agape love is shown to them through an intense three-day course in Christianity and through an ongoing follow-up program.
The Epiphany volunteers visit some institutions weekly and others at least once a month. The sole purpose of the follow-up is perseverance in grace. The message to the incarcerated during the weekly follow-up sessions is that they are loved unconditionally as a means of reinforcing the love of Jesus Christ.
Epiphany Ministry is an intense three-day course in Christianity and brings to incarcerated juveniles the message of God’s love, grace and forgiveness. It is an ecumenical Christian ministry for young people who are in custody. Institutions allow cooked meals to be brought into the institutions; Bibles, handwritten letters and a birthday present to celebrate their birth in Christ are given to the Juvenials. Epiphany is the only program in Texas where men and women serve together inside the prison. The weekend consists of 10 talks by clergy and laity, skits based on scripture, and meditations. We conduct fun recreation activities, Chapel time and special surprises. Emphasis is placed on conforming to the will of God to let the inmates know that they are not alone and that God will never forsake them. Most of the inmates are in gangs and come from varied ethnic backgrounds. We tell them that they have a choice to walk with God or to continue with their “so called” friends that got them there in the first place. Epiphany is a life transforming for a large percentage of young people.
The Epiphany “Project” is an on-going process. We conduct two to four weekends per year at six institutions. Each Epiphany weekend, consisting of 30 to 36 youthful offenders, is a continuing process with a different Epiphany team and new candidates selected for each weekend. In 2002, the ministry added two new Units (two weekends each per year) and in March 2003, we will be conducting four weekends per year at the Giddings facility, a boys and girls' institution. Weekly and monthly follow-up reunion groups pray and share meetings include all youthful offenders that have been through an Epiphany weekend. Reunion group meetings strengthen the spiritual lives through study and congregation participation, and evidence of becoming more active Disciples of Christ in the institutions and in the world. All Epiphany volunteers are encouraged to participate in the follow-up meetings.
Charles
Talbot
3714 Sunset Meadows Drive
Pearland
TX
77581
United States
281 482-8273
281 482-8273
chucktal@msn.com
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