T.D. Jakes Honors 150 Former Inmates in Graduation Ceremony

By By Audrey Barrick 1 Mar, 2010 13:33 EST

Former inmates were applauded Sunday morning at T.D. Jakes' renowned Dallas megachurch as they graduated from a program designed to help them succeed and keep them out of jail.

"I feel like I'm accomplishing something when everyone told me I wouldn't have anything," said Lakitha Dardin, 31, who was in prison for nearly four years after getting involved with drugs.

Dardin was among 150 graduates who completed the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative, a yearlong program that seeks to maximize the potential of former inmates for successful reintegration into society.

Thousands at The Potter's House witnessed the graduation.

"I'd like to see us stop the propensity that we have today to make a big business out of incarceration," Bishop Jakes said Sunday, according to The Associated Press. "I'm trying to show the benefits of rehabilitation."

TORI, founded in 2005, is a reentry mentoring program of The Potter's House, which reportedly draws some 30,000 weekly worshippers. It focuses on ex-offenders that may be experiencing hopelessness, lack of support, unemployment, psychological, social, mental, medical and/or substance abuse issues that might hinder them from succeeding and from becoming productive citizens. Comprehensive services in several areas including employment coaching, housing, financial literacy, substance abuse counseling, family reunification and spiritual chaplaincy are offered through TORI.

Nearly 1,000 people have completed the program.

"Through the redemptive doors of the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative, we are breaking the cycle of prison reentry and restoring hope by providing ex-offenders with the necessary tools to help them successfully change their lives," Jakes said in a statement.

With nearly one-third of former inmates in Texas going back to jail within three years, the program is intended to reduce recidivism. Plus, it costs less to rehabilitate ex-offenders than to incarcerate them, Jakes said, as reported by AP.

"When an inmate comes back from being incarcerated and can't get a job or a place to stay, they're almost destined to recycle back into the criminal justice system," the pastor and entrepreneur said. "The church can play a role uniquely apart from the social services that are done in the secular system. It's very important that we put faith into this process because faith becomes the fuel that makes people have the power to change their lives."

The TORI program currently operates in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. About 40 percent of former inmates who start the program successfully complete it.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

In order an effort to promote traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Macao YMCA, Guangzhou Suigang'ao Teenagers Institute, and the Teacher Chang Foundation of Taiwan, has conducted a survey on teens measuring their cultural awareness. They found that Hong Kong youths generally identify with and support the values of traditional Chinese culture.
Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.
Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, and Lutherans around the world held various events in commemoration. In Singapore, the Lutheran Church advocated for Christian communion, while the German Lutheran Church encouraged believers to face the challenge of “trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time.”
Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.
2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation
In the afternoon of Reformation Sunday, Oct. 27, some 2.1 million Christians gathered for a joint worship service from 2pm to 5pm in Seoul, Korea to “unite for repentance, revival, and restoration of holiness in our society.” According to organizers, an estimated 1.1 million joined onsite despite the bad weather with another 1 million joining online. The unprecedented joint worship service brought together Korean churches across denominations as they affirmed traditional marriage and family and
Willow Creek Community Church invites believers to write prayer cards for the next president
This past Sunday, Willow Creek Community Church based in Illinois invited believers to “pray for the next president” during the service. The church not only expressed its concern for the upcoming election but also emphasized the role believers should play in the process and the importance of offering prayers for the nation's leaders.

T.D. Jakes Honors 150 Former Inmates in Graduation Ceremony

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues

2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.