Earlier this year, author and prison chaplain Chris Hoke visited Crossroad Bible Institute to read from his recently released book and share about his ministry to prisoners and gang members in the state of Washington.
But what began as a guest speaking and book reading gig for Hoke turned into much more. Hoke said he was deeply moved by Crossroad’s team of thousands of church members sending letters, written from their kitchen tables and La-Z-Boys, to men and women in the darkest of places who are desperate for contact with the outside world and hungry for hope and encouragement.
Hoke was so inspired that he featured Crossroad in an article recently published on The Christian Century website. In the piece, titled “A prisoner for every church,” Hoke describes how he felt when he interacted with Crossroad volunteers and staff.
“This is what happens when church people exchange letters with those in hell,” Hoke writes. “They fall in love with the damned. They learn their names. They hear their cries…Each of the 5,500 (CBI) volunteers belongs to the larger church. It struck me that I could be seeing the tipping point for churches joining the anti-mass-incarceration groundswell in America.”
Hoke has a passion to mobilize the church to care for and serve those in prison and returning citizens. Crossroad has a similar passion, and we are excited how God will use us in this important work.
To read the Christian Century article, click here. A full version of the article will appear in a future issue of The Christian Century.
Click below to watch Chris Hoke’s full talk at Crossroad Bible Institute: