Welcome!

1. Welcome! As you come in, Please think about a time you got a letter or some correspondence that was memorable or was meaningful to you, that you might like to share with our group.

2. Workshop Goal • To Inspire you to get involved with correspondence courses on the different levels- praying, giving, volunteering by showing the benefits and power of correspondence courses. • As the inmates do our bible studies they share them with others and become like a missionary to their prison and help others enroll in our bible lessons as well. This message can spread to reach all the inmates around the world.

3. The Need: • Believe it or not, the Bible was written for our day—this generation! No book is as up-to-date • Yet, ironically, this incredible book is the least understood of all books. Most people, when they try to read it, find that they simply cannot understand it. Many assume it is irrelevant and out of date for our modern age.

4. But you can understand the Bible! • Prison Mission Association has been helping thousands learn the true meaning of the Scriptures events and the true purpose for life through the Bible Correspondence Fellowship (BCF) lessons. Over 20,000 students from around the world have enrolled in this unique, 35-lesson course of biblical understanding.

5. Why Study by Correspondence? • Distance Learning is not a new idea. The Apostle Paul used it when he wrote courses in the form of circular letters. His respondents studied the “course” and communicated back to him in areas, which they did not understand. Paul then wrote another course or letter to clear up the cloudy issues. Rom.10:17

6. Distance Learning education is a form of teaching that contains an organized course of self-study with a two-way communication between student and instructor over a distance. It may be completed by mail, over the Internet, or even face–to-face.

7. Prison Mission Association has been helping students study the Bible by mail since 1955. Leading educators recognize study by mail as an effective method of learning. Students frequently achieve better results from home study than through classroom instruction. It has been shown that students often experience a greater degree of retention of material studied through correspondence than through other means.

8. A Bible correspondence course is not a substitute for the Word of God, but rather a helpful tool that leads the student, a step at a time, into some of the great truths of scripture. Through the examination technique, it seeks a response, enabling the student to express themselves and the instructor to evaluate the student’s needs and respond in turn with appropriate counsel or instruction.

9. Many uses of BCF Our lessons can be downloaded from our website: www.prisonmission.org You can use them for: • follow up with new christians, • Sunday school, small groups, • home schooling, • personal growth • and people who cannot attend a local church.

10. Ten reasons to study withBCF from PMA      1.  The courses are Biblically sound- It teaches the bible rightly divided!      2.  They are instructional   3.  It is systematic  4.  They test for comprehension      5.  The Student receives personalized instruction 

11. Ten + Reasons     6.  Flexible studying times     7.  Over 35 courses to learn from  8.  They are excellent teaching tools  9.  They are FREE! 10.  The Student receives certificates for successful completion of courses Bonus!! 11. Earn college level credits from BBI.

12. There are other advantages • Home study is convenient; the students arrange the study to suit their own schedule. • Home study is inexpensive; there is no loss of earnings or expensive tuition and living costs that are associated with being a resident student.

13. In addition, when the student enrolls in a Bible Correspondence Course with Prison Mission Association, the student receives Biblically sound Christ centered study materials.

14. In summary, when the student enrolls in the correspondence course they receive much more than an ordinary tract, book or study guide can offer. They receive not only the counsel of a personal tutor, but a corrector that will pray for them and have a continuing interest in their spiritual growth and welfare. Join the thousands who have benefited from the help of Bible Correspondence Fellowship from PMA in their personal study and ministry to others.

15. Powerful Example • Joseph Asong tells about the impact of BCF correspondence courses used in Africa.

16. Powerful Example

18. Stats to think about: • 1/15 persons in U.S. will serve time in jail/prison in his or her lifetime • 1/31 persons are either incarcerated or under authority of parole/probation • 1/3 persons know someone who is in jail • We can reach our world through the jails and prisons...like fishing in a stocked pond. Captured audience! People there are broken and ready to turn to Christ when they hear the good news of gospel.

19. 2 Cor.5:18-20 • Bible correspondence courses offer a unique and proven way to make Christ known in the jails and prisons. • They can reach into every area of the jail or prison. • They provide a tool for the systematic teaching of the Bible.

20. They are available to the offender 24 / 7 thus allowing him or her to have Bible teaching every day of the week (as well as something to do in cell). • They allow an offender to receive mail every two weeks. • They allow an offender to achieve a goal, i.e. the completion of a course or a curriculum, getting certificates.

21. THE PLAN: • The plan is quite simple. • 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:2, 15; 3:14-17

22. Needs Prayer! • It’s a spiritual battle we are in for the souls of men and women.

23. Matt 9:35-38 • The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

24. Prayerfully Donate • With courses in English and Spanish, we are able to help many grow in their faith and Christ like character. Developing, printing, and distributing these courses costs money. That’s why we need YOU to partner in this important prison ministry. • You can partner with Prison Mission Association by providing a financial gift to help reach inmates with the gospel.

25. HOW TO GET STARTED: • Become familiar with materials. • Make the materials available to the inmates to whom you minister. Be sure to get permission from the institution to carry and hand out materials. • Encourage those who are enrolled to encourage others to enroll by using an Enrollment Form that they can pass on to others.

26. As your numbers increase, challenge and train capable students to become involved as instructors with you. • Mark 4:24-25

27. WHY THE SACRIFICE AND EFFORT? • The Lord will soon come, and we will all give an account of our lives to Him. • 2 Cor. 5:9-11 • THE GREATER THE PRIVILEGES, THE GREATER THE RESPONSIBILITIES

28. Request lessons from: • Prison Mission Association, PO Box 2300, Port Orchard, WA 98366 • Or Download for free at: www.prisonmission.org

29. BCF by Prison Mission Works! Recent comment from inmate: “God bless you and thank you for helping me to grow in God’s love through Jesus Christ, His Son. They say that going to jail is the worst thing that can happen to a person. In many ways this can be true, but I found my real salvation here. I really found God and His love for me.”

30. Continued… • “I knew and I believed, but I never felt the real Spirit and the real blessing. I did wrong and I will pay the price but I know that I am now walking in His light and will continue walking in His light forever more, never to return to the dark side. Thank you God, thank you Jesus, I am free. God bless you folks, you are doing a wonderful work here.” Richard

31. Please visit our website to learn more! www.prisonmission.org