1.9 BILLION PEOPLE IN CHINA... AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE MOVIE IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE!  We are amazed to see that new translations are underway for the documentary, "The Heart of Texas".   The new Translations are:

• CHINESE "voiceover" and "subtitles" translation --- into Mandarin, Spoken by professional voiceover Actors, this will make the documentary come alive to the Chinese, in their own native tongue.  And it will also come with Subtitles!  We are raising funding for this translation, which will be used in prisons and churches in a country of over 1.3 BILLION PEOPLE. 
• Would you like to help the Chinese people, those in their churches, prisons and jails, see "The Heart of Texas" story in their own language, using real actors speaking the voice-overs? 
• You can help us finish the translating job by donating to the project.  SUGAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH has graciously contributed to the effort, and for that we thank you!  Call 281-850-8103 and we'll take your credit card over the phone.  
• We are stepping out by faith to raise $6,000 for this translation that will open up CHINA to the movie.  We are about half-way there! We hope to be sending these new movies to China churches and prisons by July, 2012.  Time is of the essence!!!  
• ARABIC Subtitles Translation -- this is FULLY FUNDED AND underway, funded by friends of the movie and its ministry.  DELIVERY DATE:  JUNE 1, 2012
• GERMAN Subtitles Translation -- this is project is FUNDED AND underway, funded by business associates and friends of the movie and its ministry. DELIVERY DATE, JUNE 1, 2012

On January 9, 2012 the Darrington Seminary brought in 40 more inmate students-- from Prisons all over Texas.  The excitement  high as these new students, most all of them serving life sentences, were accepted into the Seminary.  "For the first time in 19 years, I have hope.  Thank all of you for this school!" --- Seminary Student Charles Robinson, Class of 2015.  This will change prisons in Texas-- and all over America.  From the inside out; from the top down.

2012 Angola Penitentiary VIP Trips for Pastors & TDCJ ~2012 Dates
  Video: What's Angola like today?

With the special favor of Senior Warden Burl Cain at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, we are taking special groups of Texas Senior Pastors to Angola.  We are meeting pastors who are interested in exploring ways their congregations might be able to assume some combined role in growing, and sustaining, the Darrington Seminary.  For those Pastors who are truly interested in learning what Texas has in its future, we take them to see the miracle at Angola, once known as "America's bloodiest prison."  If you know of a Senior Pastor who would like to know more about The Heart of Texas Foundation and its committment to the growth of Darrington Seminary, please call Grove Norwood at 281-850-8103.  Our email is info@heartoftexasfoundation.org

These are our Angola trips booked so far this year, 2012:

• January 18-20  (Pastors)  
• February 1-3  (Grove for special meetings with Angola Staff & inmates)
• March 14-16 (Pastors)  
• April 4-6 (Pastors)
• April 17-19 (Darrington Warden & Staff)
• May 23-25 (Pastors) (Darrington Warden & Staff)
• June 6-8 
• View our 2012 Calendar 

Video:  our first visit to Angola

The Kristie Lee Tautenhahn Foundation
This Texas-based organization, founded in memory of Kristie Lee Tautenhahn, kindly donated to The Heart of Texas Foundation funds to help us purchase books for the Darrington Seminary Theological Library.  We are grateful to the Tautenhahn Foundation's Board of Directors for responding so favorably to a presentation which we made recently.  We have made new friends with these dear people as well!  Thank you!

 

 

"One Day With God Kid's Camps" in Prison ~ Our 2012 Schedule

Hundreds of you have told us you'd like to go on a prison trip with us, and here's a great opportunity for you.  It's the perfect mission trip for both men and women who have never gone in and would like to see what it's like!  We need volunteers to help, and it takes about 50-80 volunteers for every one of these "camps."  Read more about these exciting events by going to the Forgiven Ministry web site; we partner with them, and are hoping to do 6-8 of these events in Texas this year.  We do these camps for both women's and men's prisons (Dads and Moms).  YES, women volunteers are needed to go into the men's prisons too!  And vice-versa for men volunteers!  For signup information, call our Texas Coordinator, Kenny Lentz, at 713-298-3020, or email Kenny at kennylentz@yahoo.com

• February 24-25, Plane State Prison for Women, Dayton, Texas
• March 2-3, Plane State Jail for Women, Dayton, Texas
• September 14-15, Stiles Penitentiary for Men, Beaumont, Texas 
• November 9-10, Darrington Penitentiary for Men, Rosharon, Texas (approval pending)  
• November 16-17, 2012, Connally Penitentiary for Men, Kenedy, Texas. 
• other events may be scheduled; watch our 2012 Calendar.

 

Your only expenses will be your own food and lodging if you don't commute; we usually car pool to the prison.  It's optional, but often our volunteers are in a position to sponsor one child for the camp, whose costs are $175 per child-- and that covers all food for the children and their parents, plus the toys and other blessings they receive from us.  For more information, go to ForgivenMinistry.org.

Are you a pastor who likes golf?  Have you always wanted to play a tournament inside AMERICA'S LARGEST MAXIMUM SECURITY PENITENTIARY?  It was so fun in 2011, would you like to join us in 2012?  At Angola?  Pastors want to do it again in May of 2012!  Want to play in the Angola Penitentiary's great 9-HOLE course, escorted by inmate pastors?  Grove takes his next Texas Golfing Pastors for a tour of Angola, and the "Tournament" in May of this year.  

• YOU'LL HAVE YOUR OWN PUTTER AND YOUR OWN INMATE PASTOR!  
• If you're interested, call Pastor Charles Wisdom, at 281-799-1136.  

                                                

 

• TAUGHT:  Our day-long Seminar, "The Heart of Forgiving", done at Cleveland Prison for men, the "Prison Entrepreneurship Program.
• HOSTED:  Hosted the legendary former Dean of Notre Dame's Law School, Dr. David Link, and Indiana businessman, Mr. Mark Tarner.  They spent a day-and-a-half with Grove and toured the Darrington Seminary.  They want to begin a Prison Seminary program in Indiana.
• ATTENDED:  Attended President Bill Blocker's reception, the new President of Houston College of Biblical Studies
• ESCORTED:  Grove hosted a special VIP trip to the Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana; taking a group of Pastors and key Christian leaders to meet Warden Burl Cain, and see the Louisiana State Penitentiary's Seminary, now in its 17th year. 
• PLANNING:  We are planning the agenda to teach the historic first "Introduction to Prison Ministry" course at Houston College of Biblical Studies, assisting Dr. Joe Parle, Dean of Academic Affairs.  The course is open to pastors and laymen and women, May 30-April 4, 2012.  
• CALLING ALL GOLFING PASTORS!  Invite any pastor you know to have lunch with Grove Norwood.  Just call him, at 281-850-8103 for more information on the Angola trips.   

 

 

• TAUGHT:  Our day-long Seminar, "The Heart of Forgiving", done at Cleveland Prison for men, the "Prison Entrepreneurship Program.
• HOSTED:  Hosted the legendary former Dean of Notre Dame's Law School, Dr. David Link, and Indiana businessman, Mr. Mark Tarner.  They spent a day-and-a-half with Grove and toured the Darrington Seminary.  They want to begin a Prison Seminary program in Indiana.
• ATTENDED:  Attended President Bill Blocker's reception, the new President of Houston College of Biblical Studies
• ESCORTED:  Grove hosted a special VIP trip to the Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana; taking a group of Pastors and key Christian leaders to meet Warden Burl Cain, and see the Louisiana State Penitentiary's Seminary, now in its 17th year. 
• PLANNING:  We are planning the agenda to teach the historic first "Introduction to Prison Ministry" course at Houston College of Biblical Studies, assisting Dr. Joe Parle, Dean of Academic Affairs.  The course is open to pastors and laymen and women, May 30-April 4, 2012.  
• CALLING ALL GOLFING PASTORS!  Invite any pastor you know to have lunch with Grove Norwood.  Just call him, at 281-850-8103 for more information on the Angola trips.   

 

 

1. DRIVER NEEDED FOR A DAY TRIP TO FORT WORTH.  WANT TO BE A FRIEND OF THE DARRINGTON SEMINARY'S THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY?   We need a volunteer with a pickup truck or van to drive about 30 boxes of donated books to the Main Campus Library in Fort Worth.  There are about 1,000 books in this load, donated by the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco (whoop!).  Call Grove at 281-346-8919 if you can drive them from Darrington Penitentiary (Rosharon, Texas; a few minutes south of Houston).
2.  KNOW A PASTOR WHO LIKES TO GOLF?  He can play in the unusual setting of a golf course inside a prison!  We have been privileged to host the "Texas Pastor's Masters Golf Tournament at Angola Penitentiary."  Call Pastor John Crowe at 281-797-4208 for details.  A free-room-and-board trip to Angola Penitentiary, hosted by Grove Norwood, is part of the deal.  The Pastors will get a special tour of the Angola Seminary, now in its 17th year!

Yes, there is a beautiful golf course here!  Tell your pastor about the Tournament! 

• Go to Jail and Get a Seminary Education? by Byron Johnson, Distinguished Professor, Baylor University.  Article in The Witherspoon Institute's Public Discourse Newsletter

   

• E-newsletter from Southwestern Seminary on Darrington Seminary, Set the Captives Free   

• Pastors for Life: Inmates Seek Bible Studies Degrees;  San Antonio Television Station Reports on KENS TV video, October 28, 2011

 

 See you in our next Newsletter!  Send your questions and inquiries to info@heartoftexasfoundation.org.

 

Your friends at The Heart of Texas Foundation