As the COVID-19 crisis rages on, everything is being disrupted. Many of us are quarantined. Some of us have lost our jobs. We are worried about friends and family who are at-risk of being infected. Churches are figuring out what it means to be the Church when you can’t gather in-person.

Crossroads is no exception to experiencing disruption during this time. But we have a plan to continue caring for the people we are called to serve, and we will remain nimble, flexible and prayerful during these crazy times.

Here are five important updates from Crossroads during this crisis:

1. Although our office is closed, our work continues. To protect our staff and volunteers and to stay in compliance with Michigan’s stay-at-home order, the Crossroads office is closed. But we are thankful that staff continues to work from home and as of now we are still able to process mail and lessons.

2. The ministry of Crossroads is more important than ever. Prison facilities all over the country are closed to visits and some are on complete lock-down. A lonely population just got lonelier. But mail can get still get into facilities. Crossroads Bible lessons and letters can still get inside. Hope can still get inside. This is our mission and we remain committed to it.

3. Prayer is needed. People all over the world are feeling compelled to pray during this chaotic time. Let’s not forget our incarcerated brothers and sisters in our prayers. We have developed some prayer points to help.

4. We are thinking creatively about how to equip our volunteer mentors. With all the fear and anxiety that our students are experiencing, it is important for Crossroads mentors to know how to best care for their students. This past week we held online video chats with hundreds of mentors to provide training, encouragement and a sense of community. We will also begin sending Just for Mentors training newsletters weekly to all our mentors.

5. We need your support. During anxious and uncertain times, people are understandably more hesitant to give to nonprofits and ministries. We know some of you will need to pull back on your giving due to financial constraints. But some of you are doing OK, and we need your help. If you are able, please consider increasing your impact. You can continue to support us online at cpministries.org/donate.

We are all in this together. If you have any questions or ideas for us, feel to reach out at mail@cpministries.org.

We fully trust that God is at work amidst all this craziness to draw His people — on both sides of prison walls — closer to Himself. We are grateful to get to be a part of His redemptive work by cultivating Christ-centered relationships between mentors and people in prison.