Module 7
Re-entry, Prison Ministry, and Benevolence That Empowers
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Adapt stewardship lessons for women in prison and coming home
- Follow facility rules and security practices when teaching inside
- Describe church benevolence that meets needs and builds stability
- Pair practical help with optional budget coaching, without shame
Lesson Notes
Teaching Women Coming Home
Women leaving prison often start with very little: no savings, no ID, possible fines, fees, or restitution, and limited work history. Lessons that help most are concrete: getting ID, opening a basic bank account, a first-paycheck plan, avoiding predatory lenders, and saving even a small amount each week.
Never promise outcomes, and refer questions about court debts, restitution, child support, or benefits to legal aid, a case manager, or the right agency. You may have something others lack: you have lived it. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (2 Corinthians 1:4).
Teaching Inside a Facility
Prison ministry is a privilege that depends on trust. Volunteers and teachers usually must:
- Complete the facility's clearance and training.
- Bring only approved materials, and nothing for individuals.
- Never pass items, money, messages, or personal contact information.
- Work under the chaplain's direction and follow every rule, even small ones.
- Keep stories general and never discuss others' cases.
Each facility's rules are different; ask and follow them exactly. Hebrews 13:3 says, Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.
Benevolence That Empowers
Churches have cared for people in need since the beginning. In Acts 6, the apostles appointed men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom to oversee the daily care of widows. Good benevolence today often includes:
- A written policy and a team, not one person deciding alone.
- Helping by paying a landlord or utility directly when appropriate, rather than giving cash.
- Confidentiality and respect.
- Connection to community resources.
- Follow-up to see how the person is doing.
Help Plus Coaching, Without Shame
Meet the emergency first. Then, as an invitation rather than a condition that shames, offer budget coaching: Would you like someone to sit with you and build a plan so next month is easier? Coaching can help a family move from crisis to stability.
Avoid treating people as projects. Galatians 6:2 says Bear ye one another's burdens. Empowering benevolence honors dignity, builds skills, and celebrates progress. Some needs are ongoing, and that is not failure; some burdens are carried together for a long time.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Re-entry | The process of returning to the community after incarceration |
| Clearance | Facility approval required before volunteering or teaching inside |
| Benevolence | A church's organized help for people in financial need |
| Empowering help | Assistance that meets needs while respecting dignity and building skills |
In-Class Activities
First-Paycheck Lesson
Write a ten-minute lesson for women in a re-entry class on planning a first paycheck. Include one KJV verse, three teaching points, a simple paper activity, and a scope statement. Do not include specific numbers about anyone's court debts; refer those questions.
Benevolence Case Study
Read the composite case: Renée asks the church for help with a past-due light bill for the third time this year. (Renée is a composite example.) Write how the benevolence team could meet the need, offer coaching as an invitation, protect her dignity, and connect her to other resources.
Assignment: Workshop Handouts
Create at least four handouts for your workshop (one per session), each fitting on one page and usable without a device.
- Each includes a title, a KJV verse, and a worksheet or checklist.
- One handout must be adapted for a re-entry or prison ministry audience (plain language, no personal information requested).
- Add a short participant feedback form for the end of your workshop.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
First John 3:18 calls us to love in deed and in truth. How have you been helped in ways that honored you, or in ways that shamed you? How will that shape the way you serve women coming home?
Prayer focus: Pray for women who are still inside and those coming home, and ask God to make your church a place of real, dignified help.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
In Deed and in Truth
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18). Stewardship teaching becomes real when it reaches women coming home with nothing but a bag and a release date.
Women returning home need concrete help: getting ID, opening a basic bank account, planning a first paycheck, avoiding fast-cash traps, and saving even a little. Questions about court debts, restitution, or child support go to legal aid or a case manager. Your own experience gives you credibility and compassion (2 Corinthians 1:4).
Teaching inside a facility requires clearance and careful obedience to the rules: approved materials only, nothing passed to individuals, no personal contact information, and the chaplain's direction in all things. Faithfulness in these small things keeps the door open for ministry.
Churches can help in ways that empower. A written policy, a team, paying the landlord or utility directly when appropriate, confidentiality, and follow-up all protect dignity. After the emergency is met, budget coaching can be offered as an invitation, never as a shaming condition. Bear ye one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).
Think About It
- How have you been helped in a way that honored you? ______________________
- What lesson would help women in their first month home? ______________________
- How could your church's help become more empowering? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 7
In Deed and Truth
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.— 1 John 3:18 (KJV)
Love shows up in action.
Reflect: What loving action can you take?
Pray: Lord, let my love be real.
Do: Plan one practical act of help.
As Bound With Them
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.— Hebrews 13:3 (KJV)
Remember those inside as if you shared their chains.
Reflect: Who inside can you pray for?
Pray: Lord, remember those in bonds.
Do: Pray for women in prison by name or by place.
Comfort We Received
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.— 2 Corinthians 1:4 (KJV)
God's comfort to you becomes comfort for others.
Reflect: What comfort can you pass on?
Pray: Lord, use my story to comfort others.
Do: Write one sentence of hope for a woman coming home.
Honest Report
Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.— Acts 6:3 (KJV)
Care for the needy requires trustworthy, wise people.
Reflect: What makes a helper trustworthy?
Pray: Lord, make me trustworthy in service.
Do: Write one rule for a fair benevolence policy.
One Another's Burdens
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.— Galatians 6:2 (KJV)
Some burdens are carried together for a long time.
Reflect: Whose burden can you help carry?
Pray: Lord, help me bear burdens with love.
Do: Draft a handout for a re-entry audience.
Module Quiz
- 1.
When teaching inside a facility, a volunteer should:
- 2.
In Acts 6, the apostles appointed people to oversee care for widows who were:
- 3.
Empowering benevolence:
- 4.
Questions about restitution or child support amounts should be referred to legal aid, a case manager, or the right agency.
- 5.
Name three practical topics that help women coming home.