July Newsletter 2024
This month, our newsletter article is written by John Lacourse. John is the Healing Ministries Director at Rise Again Outreach. He and his team provide biblical counseling and guidance to those in and out of the New Hampshire prison system. God uses them daily to bring hope and healing and we’re blessed to have John and his team dedicated to being the hands and feet of Jesus to those incarcerated or struggling in daily life.
John Lacourse and a few men that have successfully transitioned from prison to freedom.
What’s happening in our Healing Ministries
Written by John LaCourse
HEALING MINISTRIES:
FMO (For Men Only):
Our FMO group in Loudon continues to meet weekly and ministers to 4-6 men who are overcoming pornography addiction and other sexual purity issues. We recognize that it is only through the healing power of Jesus Christ that the men are able to find hope, healing, and restoration. A couple new men have supplemented the core group. I continue to oversee and encourage the group.
Celebrate Recovery:
Celebrate Recovery brings the healing, restorative power of Jesus Christ into the lives of its participants to find true and lasting recovery. The Celebrate Recovery Inside group at the Men’s Prison provides a safe place where the men can begin to understand and work on their past and have hope for the future. The group, led by Christos and Peter, has consistently added new men to their numbers and currently ministers to 20-24 men. It’s a privilege to see the Lord moving the hearts of those incarcerated.
The Celebrate Recovery Inside group at the NH Correctional Facility for Women meets weekly and has a solid core group of about 6-8 women with several other ladies attending when able. Sue, Kimberly, Peter and myself enjoy working with the women and watching them grow in Christ and in His freedom.
PRISON MINISTRIES:
Counseling and Bible Studies:
The one-on-one Biblical counseling and mentoring in the Chapel of the Men’s Prison continues to grow. I meet with 8 or 9 men every two weeks. The Conquer Series group graduated 6 men who worked on inner healing and maintaining sexual purity. The first week in June marks the completion of a 9-week group studying The Orphan Mentality by Weslea Pierson, and will graduate 11 men who worked on healing in relationships. It’s a blessing to see the Lord restoring these men’s lives.
Bible Study at the NH Correctional Facility for Women: Heather, Cris and Sharon continue to lead this study and a study at the Shea Farm Transitional Housing every week. Approximately 12-16 women attend these groups weekly, completing The Bait of Satan and The Awe of God studies in 2024. The growth of this ministry and the fruit it’s producing are amazing!
Re-Entry Taskforce:
Transition from prison is a time of great upheaval with spiritual isolation and issues related to housing, work, and interpersonal relationships. Those who successfully make that transition are able to do so best with close mentoring, support and encouragement. The NH Reentry Task Force continues to minister to 16-20 men and about 8 women who have been released from prison or are in pre-release mentoring and pen pal relationships. The Women’s team continues to provide rides and Bags of Encouragement to women who are newly-released from prison. I oversee the Re-Entry Taskforce team and the reintegration process of returning citizens from pre-release through forming interdependent relationships in local churches.
PRAISE REPORTS:
Three men have successfully transitioned from prison to freedom since our last newsletter and are working diligently with the team to rebuild their lives on the outside. Two men successfully graduated from reentry mentoring recently. Five men and one woman have recently moved into transitional housing units, moving them one step closer to release.
Gordon, one of our mentors who is studying to earn a degree as a Chaplain, has recently been granted Clergy status in the prison system. This allows him to minister to multiple residents at the same time, through correspondence and in-person visits.
The NH Reentry Taskforce has recently added two local churches to our list Bridge Churches and has added two new volunteer mentors! Praise God for the ways that he is expanding these programs!
Events in July
Visit our Events schedule on our website to see when and where our Mobile Missions teams will be this month!
RAO’s Update
In our last newsletter, we requested your assistance and prayer as RAO was in need of clothing donations, specifically for youth sizes. We’re happy to report that the Lord has used his people to meet this need. Many answered the call for donations and we’ve been working hard to keep our Mobile Mission’s vans stocked and ready for our weekend events.
We also requested your prayer and participation for financial assistance as we were looking to purchase another mobile mission’s van. Thank you to those that have already partnered with us on this need. Your support is changing lives. However, we are still short of our $20,000 goal. Please consider donating even a small amount to this fund. Our hope is to reach more people with the Gospel by providing for their physical needs during a difficult time. We are trusting the Lord to meet our needs in this area through generous partners.
Volunteers Needed!
Rise Again Outreach has various areas where you can volunteer!
We are looking for volunteers to help run our warehouse shopping events! Working at a shopping event is a great way to serve others in need. Consider volunteering with us, either as an individual or with a group!
Volunteers are needed to join our healing ministries mentor teams! In-prison volunteers, especially those with Celebrate Recovery experience, are needed to supplement the prison ministry teams.
If you’re interested in volunteering, click the button below and send us an email. We’d love to talk with you about joining our team of volunteers.
Donations Needed!
Please consider donating to help us purchase a new Mobile Mission’s van. Your support would allow us to continue to meet the needs of others.
We are in need of Men’s clothes. If you or someone you know has new or gently used Men’s clothing, consider donating them to Rise Again Outreach!
Continued support is necessary for John to continue in the Healing Ministries and lead the ministry teams. If you already support John in the Healing Ministries, Thank You! If you aren’t supporting yet, please consider a generous one-time donation or ongoing monthly support. Contact us for more information on how you can support John and his team as they bring the gospel to those in the New Hampshire prison systems.
