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| OCPM MISSION: bring the love of Christ to those who are in prison by providing encouragement, material support, transition and reintegration services, Christian education, spiritual guidance and the sacramental life of the Church.
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|  When someone gets locked up – Someone also gets locked out. In the spirit of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, Orthodox Christians gather to remember the families of people who are incarcerated. In this picture, dedicated OCPM volunteers from several Orthodox Churches of various Jurisdictions deliver Christmas presents for the children of people in prison. The razor wire fences in the background are a stark contrast to the smiles on the faces of the volunteers as they “Remember those who are in prison, as if in prison with them.” (Heb. 13:3) The gifts will be given to the children of people in prison as gifts from their parents. Thank you for investing in these efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to families and smiles on the faces of children.
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|  The holidays are especially hard for families who have a loved one in prison. Prison walls keep people who are incarcerated locked in, while at the same time keeping others--spouses, moms, children, aunts, brothers, sisters, and also grandmothers--locked out. Many times, it is a grandmother who suffers in silence over the incarceration of an addicted grandchild.
As we journey with Christ through this fasting season to the Glorious Nativity of our Lord, please join OCPM in prayer by lighting a candle for the healing of those who are in prison and their families, especially remembering the grandmothers. By your prayers broken lives may be touched by the Light of Life, families may be reconciled, and a grandmother may find comfort and joy.
"Prayer is a harbor in the storms of life, an anchor for those who are storm-tossed, the treasure of the poor, the security of the rich, the healing of the sick, the preservation of health. Prayer banishes evil things, and preserves the good." St. John Chrysostom
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on those in prison, their families, and especially their grandmothers. Amen.
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When Someone Gets Locked Up...Someone Also Gets Locked Out!
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|  According to the National Bureau of Justice Statistics:
One in 32 adults, or about 3.1 percent of U.S. adult residents, was under correctional supervision at year end 2009! In 2007, there were 1,706,600 minor children left behind when a parent was incarcerated!
How OCPM Responds:
- OCPM reaches out to thousands of people in prisons across the USA, bringing the Hope of Forgiveness and Reconciliation to families.
- Many of the men and women whose lives have been touched by OCPM are now out of prison and leading productive, Christ-centered lives as active members of their local parishes.
- There are currently over 300 Orthodox Catechumens in jails and prisons across America.
- Five men have been tonsured Orthodox monks in prison and several others have become Iconographers.
- OCPM has published 8 books and distributed more than one million copies to prisons.
- Over two million icon prayer cards have been printed and distributed free of charge to people in prison.
- OCPM ministers monthly to more than 300 homeless and needy people, including families of those in prison, with clothing, food, and material aid.
- OCPM sends more than 5,000 personal letters to those in prison each year offering them spiritual guidance and hope.
By your prayers and support a child may smile again. Please pray fervently and give generously!
OCPM MISSION: bring the love of Christ to those who are in prison by providing encouragement, material support, transition and reintegration services, Christian education, spiritual guidance and the sacramental life of the Church.
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OCPM Prayer Alert: New Ministries Spring Up Across Texas
"I was in prison and you visited Me" Matthew 5:36
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|  Why do we visit people in prison? How do we address fear? These questions and more are addressed in a brand new, interesting and informative OCN 10 - minute interview with Chaplain Patrick Tutella, Executive Director of OCPM.
This interview is attached to another interview titled "Battling Childhood Cancer." To listen, click on the following link and select "Battling Childhood Cancer": http://www.myocn.net/index.php/Come-Receive-the-Light/
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|  OCPM Visits BCJS
Across the U.S., Orthodox clergy and lay people are meeting with people in prison in obedience to the gospel of St. Matthew "I was in prison and you visited me" (25:36). In this picture, His Grace, Bishop MARK of Baltimore and the South (center right, bottom row) as well as some other members of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry observe Fr. Demetrius Nicoloudakis (center left, bottom row) and volunteers from St. Matthew's Greek Orthodox Church conduct a class on the Ancient Church at Berks County Jail System in Leeport, PA. Twenty-five incarcerated men attend the class each week.
Through your prayers and financial support, OCPM is able to undergird these ministries with Orthodox Study Bibles, Catechism workbooks, Prayer books, Icons and pastoral care. Communities of believers have also sprung up amongst the people in prison who have grown in their dedication to their faith. Thank you for your part in the transformation of these lives. Please continue to pray for those in prison, for OCPM and all of our volunteers.
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If you missed our Convocation in Toronto, Tune in now to Ancient Faith Radio and listen to Keynote speakers from around the world talk about their experiences in prison ministry.
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|  Metropolitan Paulos from Greece with OCPM
From Left to Right: His Eminence, Metropolitan Paulos of Glyfada, Greece and Monk Cosmas of The Monastery of St. John of San Francisco in Manton, California at our 2011 Convocation in Toronto, Canada.
To download the transcript of Fr. Cosmas' talk, "Free Among the Dead" or to listen to his podcast, click here.
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|  "I Was In Prison and You Came to Me" Matthew 25:36It is not too late! Please join us by helping to sustain this ministry and increase awareness of this important work by visiting our "Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday" page.
Here, you can download useful resources for your parish including a poster and inserts for your bulletin, website and newsletter. Your gift to Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry helps to ensure that the mission to "remember those in prison as though in prison with them" (HEB 13:3) continues to reach many more families longing for salvation.
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| Throughout America today, there are more people locked up in jails and prisons than any other time in our nation's history. Every incarcerated person represents a suffering family. Consider this unsolicited note that was recently sent to us from a grateful woman:
"Thank you for not forgetting the prisoners. My Dad became a Christian and is a totally different person because of your ministry."
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|  About OCPM
Prison is a very different world from the one those of us on the outside know: the lifestyle, the vocabulary and the rules of behavior are unique to prison culture. This distinct prison culture has developed because people in prison are isolated from the outside world. Their families, however, are similarly isolated from society by the economic difficulties, social stigma and overwhelming grief that attend the incarceration of a loved one.
Every day of time a prisoner serves, his family serves with him.
Christ called us to proclaim the Gospel to all people (cf. Matthew 28:19). Many Christians in North America have accepted this charge with zeal, supporting missions and traveling to the far corners of the world to proclaim the truth of Christ in strange cultures. The prisons of North America are populated by millions of people desperately in need of the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, this enormous mission field is largely ignored by those of us who proclaim Christ. Like all of us, people in prison and their families need the love of God. Unlike most of us who live in this wealthy and secular culture, many people in prison and their families, by virtue of the horrifying circumstances of their lives, experience their need for God's love in a profound and direct way and are searching for some means of knowing Him.
Please look through our website to learn more about the mission and vision of OCPM. Our goal is not only to minister to people in prison, but to minister to people on the outside—people like you—by giving them the opportunity to participate in this powerful ministry where the strongholds of the Evil One are demolished and true liberty, the liberty that can only be found in Jesus Christ, is proclaimed to captives.
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| OCPM Articles
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| Why Minister to People in Prison? One of the places of most profound and widespread estrangement from Christ is prison. Prison is a true stronghold of the devil: a place of darkness and violence populated by people who, due to the weakness of their flesh, have not refrained from their sinful behavior, even when facing earthly consequences as dire as imprisonment. If the Church is, as it has aptly been called, the hospital of the soul, prisoners are very often the critical cases. Click here to read more.
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| Letters From Monk Cosmas A compilation of letters written by Monk Cosmas, who currently resides at the Monastery of St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco in Manton, California. These letters were originally written for spiritual friends in prison. Now, he is sharing them with us so that others might benefit from their insight and wisdom. Click here to read more!
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| An UpWord Glance With Fr. Stephen Powley Fr. Stephen Powley was a Prison Chaplain for over 20 years. Now, as Assistant Director of OCPM, he provides our Website with "An UpWord Glance," a weekly article of simple stories meant to uplift and provoke thought. Click here to read more!
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| We thank our major supporter, The Virginia H. Farah Foundation
Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is a 501(c)(3) organization eligible to receive tax deductible contributions.
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