Christmas in the Jail Drive

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About RTF

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide Christ-centered hope and healing through biblically-based, chaplain led, volunteer jail ministries.

Our vision is for every incarcerated person to experience new life in Christ and develop healthy family, church, and community relationships.

Our values are Compassion, Dependence, Equipping, God’s Word, Hospitality, Integrity, and Kingdom Diversity.

  • Compassion: Restoring broken & hurting people.
  • Dependence: Prayerfully relying on God & the body of Christ.
  • Equipping: For greater capacity & empowerment in the Holy Spirit.
  • God’s Word: Revealed in Jesus, scripture, & creation.
  • Hospitality: Service with humility & grace.
  • Integrity: Stewardship of resources & relationships.
  • Kingdom Diversity: God sovereignly works in & through many kinds of people.

Leadership

  • Nathan DeWard
    Executive Director
  • Scott Hall
    Regional Director
  • Erika Mariglia
    Director of Programs & Outreach
  • Rick Eschenburg
    Director of Mission Advancement
  • Joe Whalen
    Business & Fundraising Manager
  • Kenny Hovis
    Regional Leader
  • Robert Frarey
    Assistant Regional Leader
  • Sallie Nyenhuis
    Assistant Regional Leader
  • Darrell Delaney
    Assistant Regional Leader

Board & Trustees

Officers

Robert Ellis- President

Business Consultant

David Ellis - Vice President

Retired School Administrator

Matthew Antkoviak- Secretary

48th Circuit Court Judge

Dan Helmholdt- Treasurer

CPA/CEO Helmholdt & Co.

Trustees

Donna Moore-Brown

Captain, Kent County Sheriff Department

Adrienne Goodstal

Executive Director of North Kent Connect

Moni Franks

Retired Nurse

Gary Hankins

Pastor of Resurrection Fellowship Church

Patrick Nelson

Mental Health Therapist and Owner of Brand Nubians Mental Health Counseling Services

Patrick Johnson

COO of Amplify Grand Rapids

Partnerships

Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry partners with Our Daily Bread to distribute a version of the popular Our Daily Bread devotional that was specially designed and curated for men and women in jail. The needs of people in jail are different because of the stress and sense of hopelessness that many people experience during incarceration. This partnership helps restore peace and hope.

Crossroads Prison Ministries and Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry have had a long standing relationship as we both began our work in the Kent County Correctional Facility. In 2020, RTF began a pilot partnership with Crossroads to begin using their correspondence Bible courses and mentoring program. This partnership provides mutual discipleship for mentors and students.

Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry began using the Life Recovery Bible in jails in 2018 after realizing that men and women in jails need a readable version of the Bible that helps them apply the truth of Scripture and reflect on how addictions prevent people from living an abundant life in Christ and engage the recovery process from a biblical perspective. This partnership frees inmates from the bondage of addiction through God’s Word.

Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry partners with the Trauma Healing Institute, American Bible Society to help equip individuals, churches and community partners to be part of God’s healing process for those experiencing trauma by sharing the life-changing message of scripture.

FAQ

Reach the Forgotten Jail Ministry focuses on ministering to inmates in Michigan county jails.

In Michigan, every county has a jail that is operated by the local sheriff's department correctional staff. A jail is a place where inmates are staying until they are sentenced or if they are sentenced for less than one year for their crime. Prisons, on the other hand, are for inmates that have been sentenced for a year or more.

This distinction between jails and prisons is important because inmates that are in jail face a lot of uncertainty. Many of them anxiously wait for their legal process to unfold so they know how long they will be locked up. Those who do know their sentence and remain in jail are often thinking about what they will do when they get out of jail. In jail ministry, we reach people that are often at their lowest point. Many inmates cry out to God and appreciate having a chaplain, volunteers, and God's word to help them get their life back on track.

Reach the Forgotten is a multi-denominational Christian ministry that is made up of Christian churches from local communities. We refer service for inmates that request clergy support from other faiths.

The best way is to get in touch with the RTF chaplain from your county.