Embracing Lambs Ministries

Prison and Aftercare Ministry

There is an estimated 20,000 (this number is a conservative estimate; it is likely closer to 60,000) deaf and hard of hearing (HOH) inmates incarcerated in America.
*This figure is does not take into consideration local jails and I.N.S. holding centers.  

Embracing Lambs announces development of an aftercare program for the eastern United States.  The need for this service is great.

It can be said that deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens are the least heard minority within our country.  Currently there are no federal or state funded prison aftercare centers for deaf parolees.  There is an estimated 2 million deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens scattered among the 50 States.  They rely on a social safety-net that is not designed to care for their special needs utilizing visual communication, their own language, American Sign Language.    

Through our ministry to deaf and hard of hearing inmates in prison, and conversations with others involved in deaf and hard of hearing ministry and social services (Deaf Prison Ministry Network, Prison Fellowship, and local social service agencies among others), we have discovered some difficult challenges.  

• Communication access - linguistic accessibility - and understanding of the needs - cultural affirmative - of deaf and hard of hearing individuals incarcerated are not being met.  
  
• It is even more troubling to discover that once a deaf and hard of hearing individual is released there are minimal, if any, aftercare programs readily accessible in their language. 
  
• The chances of a successful re-integration into civil and productive life for deaf and hard of hearing individuals is less than 5% when no aftercare support is provided in a linguistically accessible and culturally affirmative environment.  
  
• This translates into a much higher recidivism rate among deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
  

Embracing Lambs' AfterCare Program is structured in a way to provide faith-based aftercare support needed to help deaf and hard of hearing individuals reclaim and rebuild their lives towards re-integration into civil and productive Christians.  

We believe that networking is the key to making our communities better, stronger, and safer.  Through collaboration with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Faith Community along with various Educational and Social Service Agencies we will be able to overcome the misunderstandings and challenges that communities face in the prison system and in society.                       

Community:

"I was hungry, and you gave me food. 

 I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. 

 I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. 

 I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. 

 I was sick, and you cared for me. 

 I was in prison, and you visited me."

Matthew 25:35-36 (NCV)

Jesus desires for us to know that we have this ability to do just what He did for us: to feed us, to give us a drink, to prepare His home for us, to clothe us, to nurse us, and to visit us in prison (our earthly prison).  With His promise to be with us always to the end is to let us know that we can and must carry out this ability.  For how can we say that we have faith in Him but not do, in great appreciation for, what He did for us.  That is what Faith is, to do what He did for us, to each other.  To live for Him is to gain a new life.   To not live for Him is to die forever, separated from Him.   Life is interconnective in every sense of its meaning.   This includes the prison community.  It is a community of broken souls who need Jesus' healing and corrective Spirit to help them rebuild and reclaim their lives in Him.  Jesus will do this through His Community of Believers who are open to God's Will in their lives to feed, give a drink, prepare their home, to clothe, to nurse, and to visit them in prison, and after they are released to be their friend and mentor.  

To learn more about this program and how you can be a part of this important ministry, please send us an email.  

Be sure to check back as we will be adding more information soon.