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Christian Prison Ministry Foundation
 A
ministry proclaiming the gospel of new life in Jesus Christ to those who are
in prison, helping those who have responded through faith in God to grow and be
witnesses for Christ in prison and looking after the spiritual growth and
transition back into society of ex-prisoners after they are released.
Christian Prison Ministry Foundation
The Christian Prison Ministry in Thailand
was born in 1971 under the leadership of missionary Rev. Jack Martin, who
began by conducting a Bible study in one prison. Over the years it has grown
to encompass ministry in over 30 prisons, resulting in tens of thousands of
professions of faith in Christ, and thousands following the Lord in
baptism. Our vision is to extend such ministry into every
prison and juvenile detention center in Thailand,
so that every prisoner has the opportunity to hear and respond to the message
of new life in Christ.
When Jack Martin retired in 1999, Rev. Soonthorn
Soonthorntarawong assumed responsibilities as
executive director of the ministry.
Our mission is to lead prisoners to begin a new life of knowing God
by trusting Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their past life. We do
this in prisons through proclamation of the gospel, leading
life-transformation studies of the Bible, and offering various educational
classes and correspondence Bible studies. We help believers
organize church groups in their own section of the prison.
For forty years, we have helped thousands of prisoners to find new life by
conducting a program of training and life development for inmates in the
various prisons. This includes setting up activities to develop the quality
of inmates' lives in the area of moral education and vocational training. It
extends to training prisoners who are nearing release so that they will not
go back to doing wrong, but will be able to live stable lives in society.
In 2006 the ministry applied for and received designation as the nonprofit
“Christian Prison Ministry Foundation”.
House of Blessing and Church
of Blessing
Release from prison can be one of the happiest days of a person’s life,
but in the absence of a job, without resources, and facing rejection from
family and society, happiness can easily turn to disillusionment.
In the year 2003, the Christian Prison Ministry Foundation opened a
halfway house called the House of Blessing as a temporary residence for
newly-released prisoners. It offered life training and prepares released
prisoners in their adjustment back to society, while helping them find honest
work.
When we opened the House of Blessing, we began a Sunday worship service
for its residents and the staff of the Prison ministry, and as a means of
continuing contact with former residents. People began bringing their
families and friends, and other supporters of the prison ministry joined us.
In 2007 the Church of Blessing
was formally recognized as a member church of the Thailand Baptist
Convention. Currently our Sunday attendance averages about 100 adults and 30
children, reaching out into the communities surrounding our new facility.
We leased space for this work temporarily on Viphavadee-Rangsit Road in
the Phiyathai district of Bangkok from 2003 until
moving into a new church building and residence hall for the House of
Blessing in 2008. In several years of operation, we have helped
hundreds of prisoners return to a new life: building strong families, doing
honest work, and living stable lives in society.
Thus we demonstrate the love of God to prisoners transitioning back to
society, by providing practical assistance in the form of a temporary place
to stay, food and clothing, life counseling, and job placement services in
the House of Blessing halfway house. We provide long-term follow-up
through the ministry of the Church
of Blessing.
Contact
Soonthorn Soontorntarawong,
PO Box 1136, Nana, Sukumvit 4, Bangkok 10112,
Thailand
TEL (THAILAND):
02-719-7277, 081-638-8715
Mark Blanford
TEL (THAILAND):
084-651-2948
prisonth@gmail.com
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