[Uucf-bible] UUCF CLF Prison Ministry

[Jim Tarvid]

As you can see below, it didn't render at all through GMail

On 8/29/06, RevRonRobinson at aol.com <RevRonRobinson at aol.com> wrote:
>

but it works fine in raw text.

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Hi all.

Visiting those in prison is a key commandment for those  who follow Jesus. To
that end, the
UUCF Office is working with the UUA's Church of  the Larger Fellowship's new
prison ministry to help meet the spiritual  needs of the more progressive UU
Christian prisoners. We will be providing many  of our publication resources
directly to those in prison and also are  hoping to connect these UU Christians
in prison, many of whom are new to  UU, with other UU Christians who would be
in a written communication  relationship with them. They are in need of more
specific liberal Christian  resources and connections than the CLF can provide,
and this is where we in  the UUCF have a unique role and experience to help
provide both spiritual  hope and nurture and to support them with a sense of
the deep roots and history  of our Unitarian and Universalist faith.

I hope you will read below for the news of this  program from CLF Chaplain
Patty Franz and pray about ways you could  help this mutual venture (even if it
is financial since we will be providing  postage for sending out our material
to our brothers and sisters in Christ in  prison, the UUCF could use any
special donations you could provide for this  special out-of-budget program
expense).

blessings,
Ron Robinson

>From Rev. Franz:

Over 250 prisoners from across the U.S. have joined the  UU Church of the
Larger Fellowship and are receiving spiritual support by mail  through CLF's
Prison Ministry.  Many of these prisoners identify as  Christian
and/or come from
Christian backgrounds, but are seeking "something  different" from the
Christianity that's preached by their prison chaplains and
traditional Christian
prison ministries.
Most prisoners who join  CLF are 'brand-new' UUs, and many want to know more
about what it means to be a  "UU Christian."  But with no access to the web
or UU Sunday services, they  can only learn about us through written
publications (like UUWorld and CLF's Quest)... and through letters
they  exchange with '
free-world' UUs who incarnate for them who we are and what we're  all about.
CLF's "Letter-Writing Ministry" matches prisoner-members of CLF with
non-incarcerated UU's to exchange friendly letters on topics of mutual
interest,
including religious/spiritual matters.  Prisoners are told just the first  name
of their 'match' and they send their letters to CLF, to be forwarded
(unopened) to their 'free-world' UU penpal. As prisoners don't have access to
email, all correspondence is by old-style letters (on paper, mailed in
envelopes
with stamps).
If you  think you might enjoy corresponding with a prisoner-member of the CLF
and/or if  you feel that such a correspondence might deepen your own
spiritual journey,  please visit the CLF website (_www.clfuu.org_
(http://www.clfuu.org/) ) and click on the "Prison  Ministry" tab to
read about CLF's prison
ministry, 'preview' the Guidelines and  expectations of the Letter-Writing
Ministry, and request an info/application  packet. If you have
additional questions,
please contact Rev. Patty Franz   ("Chaplain Pat")  at  _PrisMin at clfuu.org_
(mailto:PrisMin at clfuu.org) .