Life Impact Ministries

February 29, 2008 | T. Suzanne Eller

I was in Colorado Springs three weeks ago as a mentor for Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers Guild. It was a great week. But the highlight was when I stole away for a few hours to meet the founder of Life Impact Ministries, a nationwide ministry for inmates and their families.

I was interested because we have an active jail ministry in our church. Every week several women attend. Some of them are from Monarch, a local rehabilitation center. Others come straight out of jail.

Kim Glass is the chaplain at the local prison. She has a huge heart for these women. But the reality is that life outside of prison or rehab is a tough situation. She is one person.

When I heard about Life Impact Ministries it seemed like a great resource to share with Kim.

I was excited when they invited me to tour the warehouse and visit with the founder, Mel Goebel. 

The warehouse was small but contained thousands of donated resources for women, men in prison and families affected. Life Impact Ministries is a nonprofit. They work long hours, but the staff was excited to share their vision.

I was sick that day with the remnant of a nasty flu from the week before. One worker, a former inmate who now works full-time with his wife at Impact, gathered others around me to pray. I loved the heart of the people in this ministry. It was refreshing.

This ministry reaches thousands of lives across the nation. This is just a little of what Life Impact Ministries offers:

• Library of Hope - Sending resources to prisons all across the nation. Creating resource packets for families of CD’s, books on parenting, faith, and more, as well as children’s books. (If you are an author or publisher who wants to donate books, contact Mel Goebel.)
• Kid’s Crossing - Reaching kids whose mom or dad are in prison. (Stats report that a child whose mom or dad is incarcerated is likely to mirror that pattern unless people or society intervenes. Impact for Life reaches out to the whole family.) 
• Daughters of Destiny – Powerful conferences, study groups, and support in and out of prison for incarcerated women. Also reaches the daughters of inmates.

Please check out this website. Perhaps you have a loved one who is in jail. Or maybe you could send books or volunteer at a conference in your local prison. There is a lot more information on how to get involved on their website.

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