“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” said Benjamin Franklin. But Crossroad Bible Institute’s students who are looking ahead to their release from prison are actually doing the opposite. Their Instructors are helping them succeed at preparing and prepare to succeed.
Crossroad’s new Tier 2 Life Skills Program, which began last fall, instructs students in the practical skills necessary for a successful reentry—including work ethic, financial stewardship, family relationships and living in community.
The first students to take All Work Is God’s Work, the first course in the new program, are reaching their final lessons and are looking forward to the second course, It All Belongs to God. This next course will teach students to steward their resources for God’s glory in accordance with biblical principles.
The practical wisdom in the Life Skills Program prepares students for successful life on the outside, giving them a foundation to build on after they leave prison and reenter society. Crossroad student Andrew L., a Tier 2 student in California, is looking forward to studying these practical skills; he says they are “what the parole board wants us to learn and show them.”
Instructors too are enjoying the opportunity to mentor students—and are finding that they’re learning a little something along the way. James S., a Tier 2 Instructor from Tennessee, says, “I found [It All Belongs to God] very interesting. I too am learning from it. An old man like me is never too old to learn!”
Students and Instructors alike are learning how to better walk in the ways of wisdom, and Crossroad is confident that those who study God’s commands will, like the psalmist, find them sweeter than honey, more desirable than gold and rewarding to keep (Psalm 19:7–11).
Crossroad is looking for additional Tier 2 Instructors. If you feel called to mentor people in prison and help them prepare for a thriving life on the outside, contact Crossroad at mail@crossroadbible.org or 616-530-1300.