Dear Friends and Family,
With the calendar rolling over to February, it is time to start
thinking about Spring Training, warmer weather, and starting another season of
playing softball in prison with the Saints Prison Ministry! I’m heading
into my 12th year of being a missionary athlete with the Saints (www.saintsprisonministry.org). For those of you who may not be familiar with us, the
ministry was founded in 1987 and we use sports as a means of sharing the Gospel
with men and women across the country.
2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
2022 was a little closer to being a normal year following a couple
of years of scheduling around COVID restrictions.
Illinois Season- Taylorville CC,
Centralia CC, Vandalia CC, and Danville CC
We were not able to visit any Illinois prisons in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID restrictions but we were finally able to go to four different Illinois prisons. It was a joy to finally go back to several places that we missed during the quarantine years. It was also a blessing to have my son Ryne join our team for one visit. During our four Illinois visits, we handed out 230 Gospels of John and had 42 men indicate that they made a decision to follow Christ.
Indiana Crusade- 6/15/22-6/19/22
In June we visited six prisons in Indiana. This was a
special trip because Luke Freeze from my church made the trip with me. Overall
we handed out over 350 Gospels of John and saw 53 men make a profession of
faith.
Brother Bob’s Trip to Racine CI- 8/6/22
In October, three of us from our Illinois team were able to help
out Brother Bob’s Outreach during their visit to Racine CI. Due to the
heat, we had to play four very brief softball games but we were able to share
the Gospel twice
Ohio Crusade- 10/5/22-10/9/22
This was a fun trip but it was a rough one on the field.
Despite only winning two games, we handed out 740 Gospels and saw 41 men make a
profession of faith.
HOW TO PARTNER IN 2023
2022 was a fun year to be in the ministry and I am looking forward
to what God has in store for 2023.
We are anticipating a full Illinois season and I am planning on
going on at least two of the Crusades this summer. Pray that the Lord
continues to work and allows us to visit several prisons this year.
As a Saints missionary athlete, I am asking for your support in
two areas.
- 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.
I would ask my prayer team to mail the enclosed orange card back
indicating that they will pray for me in 2023. When you fill out the
orange card, please include your email address as I will be sending
updates before and after each prison visit this year. This is the
most important area that I need help in and it is a huge encouragement to
me and the rest of the teams when you pray for us!
- I
personally need to raise support this year to cover my travel, Crusade
expenses, literature, inmate study materials, and softball equipment for
the 2023 season. Our Illinois team goal for 2023 is $8,000 and my
Crusade support goal is $2,500. I would ask you to prayerfully
consider making a tax-deductible offering to support the Saints Prison
Ministry in 2023.
There are two different ways you can donate this year:
- Write a check made out to Saints Prison Ministry and
mail to Saints Prison Ministry, PO Box 681, Moorestown, NJ 08057
- Make a donation online:
·
Head to https://give.ministrylinq.com/app/giving/saints
prison ministry
·
Under the Choose Fund
drop down, choose “MA Support- Illinois Softball”
·
In the subsequent Note
box, enter Missionary Athlete name (critical to confirm the correct MA receives
credit)
·
Enter Amount
·
Choose your giving
method (Credit Card or Bank ACH)
·
Fill in information, including email for receipt, and click Submit
I will be posting updates before and after each visit on my blog
at:: https://gibsonupdateblog.blogspot.com/
Thanks again for your support, and Go Saints
Go!!
In Christ,
Tom Gibson
