2018 Season Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

With the calendar rolling over to 2018, I am looking forward to playing softball and sharing the Gospel in prison this summer with the Saints Prison Ministry (www.saintsprisonministry.org).  2017 was the most fun, most rewarding, and busiest year I have ever had while serving with the Saints Prison Ministry, and I am looking forward to what God is going to do in 2018!

2017 YEAR IN REVIEW

Angola Adventure Crusade – March 15-19

Angola, Louisiana is home to the largest maximum in the United States.  We made a brief visit thedre in 2014 but this time we had the opportunity to spend an entire week.  We visited 7 different populations, saw 51 men make professions of faith, and handed out over 600 Gospels of John.

Lake Erie Crusade – July 12-16

Ohio holds a dear place in my heart because that is where I went on my first Saints trip in 2011.  I spent the first day of the trip at O’Hare airport in Chicago because of flight delays but I was still able to travel to seven different prisons.  Overall on the trip 85 men indicated that they had made a first-time profession of faith, and we handed out 1527 Gospels of John. 

Land of Tomorrow Crusade – August 17-20

This was an unexpected trip to Kentucky, but, due to the New Jersey team being short on Missionary Athletes, two other guys from the Central Illinois team and I had the opportunity to join the New Jersey team for the last few days of this trip.  We visited 3 different prisons and saw 28 men make decisions to follow Jesus.  We also handed out over 500 Gospels of John.

2017 Central Illinois Team

Our team in Central Illinois had a great 2017 season.  We visited eight different prisons.  For the first time in our team’s six year history, all of our visits were to places that we have previously been, so we were able to see many familiar faces.  Our team also sent five different Missionary Athletes on the 2017 Crusades to Louisiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Somewhere between our first trip to FCI Greenville in 2012 and our trip home last fall from Robinson CC, our team has really become a veteran group of prison ministers.  This is a solid group of men who love the Lord and want to share the Gospel in prison!  During our Illinois trips, we handed out 1066 Gospels of John and we saw 128 men make professions that they were going to follow Jesus!

HOW TO PARTNER IN 2018

2017 was a great year for our team and a great year for the Saints Prison Ministry.   I’m really looking forward to what God will do in 2018!  Our Spring Crusade will be April 11-15 in Arizona.  A Crusade is a short-term missions trip to an area or state that doesn’t have a Saints Prison Ministry team.  I have had the privilege of going on 13 different Crusades since 2011.  I am also planning on going on the Fall Crusade to Florida in October.  Our Illinois season will start in May and we will visit approximately 8-9 different prisons across the state.

As a Saints missionary athlete, I am asking for your support in two areas.

1. I need to establish a team of people who will pray for me, the Saints team, and the inmates to whom we will be ministering.  If you would like to receive a prayer card, please contact me at tgibson62@gmail.com

2. I personally need to raise $2,400 this year to cover my travel, Crusade expenses, literature, inmate study materials, and softball equipment for the 2018 season. As a team, our Central Illinois team needs to raise $13,800 this year.  I would ask you to prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible offering to support the Saints Prison Ministry in 2018.

I will be posting updates before and after each visit on  www.tomgibson.me .  While you are here you can also sign up for my email updates.

Thanks again for your support and Go Saints Go!!

In Christ,

Tom Gibson

Inside the Mind of Gibby- On a Saints Trip Far, Far Away

The new Star Wars movie is finally out! I spent the whole month of December looking forward to seeing Episode VII. There are so many quotable scenes from Star Wars that are used in countless, everyday situations but here are some that apply to our Saints trips: 

"They told me they fixed it! I trusted them to fix it! It’s not my fault!"- Lando Calrissian, Episode V - This refers to the Illinois bus. We have replaced every major component besides the hyperdrive and "while she don't look like much, she's got it where it counts!" 

"You don't need to see his identification" - Obi Wan Kenobi, Episode IV- One critical requirement to get into prison is to have a driver's license. Since we wear uniforms with limited pocket space, this item tends to get lost on the bus, left at a restaurant, or just plain forgotten on a dresser at home. While the coach is working with security to get the ID-less MA cleared, some Star Wars geek on the team will be waving his hand in the air and whispering this quote! 

“No. No. That's not true. That's impossible!” - Luke Skywalker, Episode V- Often said by a weeping missionary athlete who is trying to return home from a long crusade, only to find out that his flight has been cancelled. This particular missionary athlete can later be found crumpled on his knees and crying in front of the Departures board of the airport. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” - Every character, every episode - This is used all of the time during a game day or crusade. It is often muttered when the inmate team’s best hitter is up, when there is a high chance of rain, or while we are waiting for late MAs to meet us at the bus. The time it is said the most, however, is when we are scheduled to eat with the inmates and we haven’t seen the food yet!

“Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!”- C-3PO- Episode IV - Regrettably, this will be said during the devotions on day four of a crusade while discussing what it really means to understand the doctrine of predestination and election. This is the day when everyone is physically tired, their nerves are shot, and they just want to be home. Oh, and naturally it will also be the day that we get greasy pizza! 

“Great shot kid! That was one in a million!” - Han Solo - Episode IV - Occasionally bad weather strikes and our softball teams have to play basketball in prison. When we use this quote, it isn’t as encouraging as it was in the movie. It’s really describing our actual shooting percentage for the game! There is a very good reason the ministry has two basketball teams and softball players aren’t asked to do this on a regular basis! 

“R-2 says that the chances of survival are 725 to 1.” - C3P0 - Episode V - …and this is the basketball team’s outlook if they had to play soccer! 

“Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind!” - Han Solo - Episode IV - This is the response you get as you try and convince your pastor to join you for a Saints prison visit… 

“This is not how I thought this day was going to go!” - Han Solo - Episode VII - This is said by the coach after the shortstop gets hurt, the sound system quits, or the bus decides it wants to overheat in Robinson, IL!

 While I wait for George Lucas and Mark Hammil’s legal team to send a Death Star-sized lawsuit to my door, I hope you now see how traveling through rural America to go to prison is surprisingly similar to traveling through the universe with wookies and light sabers!