2008 - 07 - July
THE Grapevine NEWSLETTER > July 2008
Matthew 25 Ministries, Inc., A Ministry of Prison After-care
P.O. Box 5690, Lake Worth, FL. 33466
Dick & Maggie Witherow
Contact Us | (561) 432-9072
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Pat’s Corner
I have decided to give you all an update on the guys that have come into our program. We had three men that chose not to complete the program and left early. Two of those are back in prison, but neither of them is in because of a new sex crime. The third is doing well and we are in constant communication with him. The other seven have completed the program and are all doing well. One has his own business out in the northwest part of the country; Marvin is a truck driver and enjoys spending time with his family. Things are going pretty good for him. Mark is a warehouse manager and very involved in the church he is attending. He is directing music for the early service. Mark is blessed with an extraordinary voice. Kenny is enjoying himself with fishing and recently took up golf. Wesley is working full time and spends his free time with his family and his leisure time fishing and golfing. He is still working on his G.E.D. Luis has come along way with his medical problems. He received a good report from his cardiologist and has gotten glasses to help with his vision. He too is working on his G.E.D. Mathew is doing well. He is working full time. He spends his leisure time fishing when he’s not tinkering with some sort of gadget. All of the guys attend church weekly and most are active within their congregations. They have all completed Anger Management, the Alpha Series, Valiant Man, Inner Healing and other courses. They each attend counseling with Dr Ben Taylor once a week, take part in one-on-ones weekly with Nyoka and Jan, and attend a bible study with Dick on Monday evenings. Needless to say, we are all very proud of the guys and the great progress they have made. We are family!
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PAHOKEE UPDATE
We have entered into negotiations with the owner of the property in Pahokee that has 52 small duplex homes; and six stand alone homes. If all the details can be worked out we will take possession of this sub-division as the new property managers. In addition to servicing the needs of the current tenants we will be able to put our clients and staff in the vacant units. Currently there are 20 vacancies. This will be a real step of faith as we are agreeing to pay the owner for full occupancy from day one. That means we will need to be able to quickly fill our 
vacancies with students and help them obtain employment. The employment opportunities in the Belle Glade, Pahokee area are very limited so we will need to transport some of our men to West Palm Beach for employment. No easy task, since this will be 80-miles round trip. Once we have enough men in residency we plan to start some cottage industries. Then, there is the matter of obtaining furniture and appliances for each housing unit. We are praying that some individuals and/or churches will underwrite each unit.
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PRISON RE-ENTRY SEMINAR
We were privileged to be invited to the first Prison Re-entry Seminar sponsored by the Florida Department of Corrections last month in Tallahassee. Service Providers, Probation Officers, Transition Specialist and others were in attendance, along with a number of Florida legislators. We heard speeches by Secretary of Corrections Walter McNeil, Governor Charlie Crist, and others, but what excited me the most were the workshops. Officials within the Department of Corrections admitted that what they were doing to reduce the number of repeat offenders was not working and they were looking for answers. So, the workshops were real workshops where we were given opportunity to share our ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of those in attendance agreed that what we were doing to sex offenders was wrong. Maggie and I were in the workshop that dealt with housing, and when I brought up the fact that sex offenders cannot find suitable housing due to the restrictions placed upon them by the current laws, many agreed. When the seminar closed with the various workshops making recommendations there were several dealing with this issue. It was suggested that the legislatures revisit these laws with an eye to
- Classify sex offenders according to their degree of risk.
- Eliminate the housing restrictions.
- Give a special exception to the housing restrictions for programs that are assisting sex offenders in their transition efforts.
We don’t know which, if any of these recommendations will be heeded, but if they are, it will make a major difference.
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Nyoka Writes:
What Are You Doing With Your Life?
May we make a suggestion? Mentor someone. Have the satisfaction of knowing you are using the God given gifts and talents you have been blessed with to give someone a hand-up. People coming out of incarceration need your help. They may have had skills when they went away, but through time, they lost their edge. Sometimes the young ones do not have any skills. What a blessing you could be to teach others the knowledge you have from years of experience, or just sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Things we take for granted, from bank statements, to how to use a computer, work ethics and preparing for job interviews. Sharing what you know and allowing them to share back with you. You will be blessed!
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
July 1st - Chapel Service Martin C.I.
July 2-5 Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International Convention Orlando
July 20th- Chapel Service Okeec. C. I.
Monday’s – Alcoholics Victorious Glades C. I. *
Tuesday’s - Anger Management, Okeechobee Jail.
Wednesday’s - Sexual Purity Glades C.I. *
Thursday’s- Bible Study West Palm Beach Work Release Center *
* These programs are conducted by volunteers