Cathy Allsman is doing a great job as Vice President of Prison Ministry Mobilization for Completion Global. During this pandemic, where most prison ministry came to a halt, Cathy continued to empower prisoners to be mobilized for the Great Commission. Here are four brief examples from 2020:
First, she wrote 23 students of TUMI’s leadership program in the Midwest (who she knows from previous visits), encouraging them to use their training to lead the church on the inside rather than waiting for outside volunteers to return. She received an exciting response: they had indeed taken up the slack, producing 10 certified courses for prisoners to complete during quarantine and organizing care for the sick and elderly who had been relocated from other prisons. She was thrilled to hear that the investment in them was paying off.
Second, in 2018 Cathy authored the Onesimus workshop, a video series designed to help churches welcome former prisoners into their communities upon release. After a recent Zoom workshop where Cathy was part of a session, one of the participants named Michael said, “I really dig what ya’ll did with this workshop. The coolest thing was that it opens the minds of the people about what to expect from us when we come out. It’s God’s way of giving us a way to acclimate ourselves back into the world with support behind us.”
Third, Cathy has been instrumental in helping a network called the Prison Ministries of Texas. Using her contacts from around the country, she connected them with new ideas and ministry leaders from California, Michigan, and Kansas. Cathy has proven to be a valuable contributor to their monthly meetings so that prison ministry can expand in Texas even more in the future. She is also leading an effort to create a regional network of prison ministries in states beyond Texas.
Fourth, Cathy authored a book this year to help prisoners prepare for release to civilian life called Climbing Up. Through her colleague Charles Anderson in Houston, this book has been approved by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for use in every prison in the state.
Beyond these many accomplishments, Cathy meets new people week by week, catalyzes collaborations, offers encouragement to prisoners and prison ministers, and is constantly thinking about new ways to empower prisoners for Jesus. Please pray this month for the expansion of even more prison ministry mobilization.
Happy New Year!
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