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Headlines: Second Graduation at Darrington!
Thank you for staying with us for another year--in support of this historic work.
GRADUATION DAY: MAY 9, 2016
SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY AT DARRINGTON
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We are amazed at what our God is doing! If you are a financial supporter, watch for God's blessing on your investment in our work. Recently, we reached yet another milestone in our work at The Heart of Texas Foundation: we graduated the SECOND Senior Class at the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington! All with Bachelor of Science Degrees in Biblical Studies.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DAN PATRICK AND SENATOR JOHN WHITMIRE CONTINUE THEIR SUPPORT. It was historic! Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was the keynote speaker, along with Senator John Whitmire--both of whom were the key individuals who supported the formation of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington back in 2011. Also key to the Seminary were our partners, TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston; and Southwestern Theological Seminary's President, Dr. Paige Patterson.
THE SECOND GRADUATING CLASS-- BRINGING OUR TOTAL GRADUATES TO 66: ALL WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BIBLICAL STUDIES. Including the 33 new graduates in this year's Class of 2016, we have now graduated a total of 66 seniors. All of them have been appointed as "Texas Field Ministers," to 13 different men's prisons, where they will begin their new roles of service to their fellow prisoners. The Field Minister status is a new role for inmates that has never existed in the history of prisons in the United States. We continue to be grateful to Warden Burl Cain of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, for giving us the idea.
WITH THIS GRADUATING CLASS, WE HAVE NOW TRANSFERRED FIELD MINISTERS TO THIRTEEN TEXAS PRISONS. The thirty-three Field Ministers this graduating class have now been moved out to additional Field Ministry prisons, in teams of 4-7, bringing the totals to 66 Field Ministers who are serving in 13 different men's prisons. These men join the Wardens and Chaplains in providing ministerial services to the other inmates in those prisons.
Remember, our graduates are all serving very long sentences, and are filled with a new hope and a new vision that they can do something useful with their lives. You can't study the Bible full time for four years under the faculty of Southwestern Seminary without something happening to the heart! And that is precisely what happens to our graduates by the end of their 4th year.
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NEWS
HERE ARE SOME ARTICLES AND VIDEOS
RECENTLY PUBLISHED ABOUT THE GRADUATION AT
SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY AT DARRINGTON PENITENTIARY ON MAY 9, 2016
--Sponsored by The Heart of Texas Foundation--and that's YOU!
FRONT PAGE OF DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DAN PATRICK TWITTER VIDEO
LA TIMES ARTICLE ON 2016 GRADUATION
GRADUATION ARTICLE IN THE INTERNET NEWS SIDE, "THE FACTS"
HOUSTON'S KHOU TELEVISION COVERAGE OF GRADUATION
HOUSTON'S ABC-TV CHANNEL 13
SOUTHWESTERN SEMINARY ARTICLES ABOUT DARRINGTON
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URGENT NEWS URGENT NEWS
WE CAN'T CONTINUE IN THIS STATE PRISON WITHOUT THE "PRIVATE FUNDING" FOR OUR WORK. WE TRULY--TRULY--NEED YOU TO JOIN OUR SUSTAINING DONORS LIST... WITH A REGULAR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT YOU ARE LED TO GIVE. Will you consider it?
Did you know that if all of the people who receive this newsletter were to donate just $15 per month, we'd have enough to meet our budget for this year?
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| FAMILIES CELEBRATING SEMINARY GRADUATION AT DARRINGTON
YOU MAKE THIS POSSIBLE FOR THE INMATES, THE FAMILIES, THE CHILDREN, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE CITIZENS OF TEXAS...
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NEWS
SNAPSHOT OF THE GROWING IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR FIELD MINISTERS AND THEIR MINISTRIES.
The growing impact of our graduates who now serve as Field Ministers--is enormous. As an example, note below that in year 2016 we have 66 Field Ministers serving in 13 different men's maximum-security penitentiaries, serving a total of 34,179 inmates in those 13 prisons. That means 34,179 Texas inmates in those 13 prisons have full-time ACCESS to Field Ministers who are graduates of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington! Those 13 prisons represent 24% of all the men's prisons in Texas. And it costs us this year approximately $15.34 to provide ONE Field Minister for ONE inmate--for ONE YEAR! What great power in our Texas Field Ministry model. Your sustaining contributions will help us continue to graduate a new class of Seniors every 12 months now.
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NEWS
PREPARING TO DELIVER HEART OF TEXAS "FIELD MINISTRY SUPPORT KITS" TO OUR NEW GRADUATES NOW SERVING AS FIELD MINISTERS IN SIX MORE PRISONS
With thanks to donors, our office is filled with wonderful theological and pastoral resources--for our first teams of Field Ministers now serving at Michael, Beto, Coffield, Ferguson, Estelle, Ellis, and Darrington. Soon, we will be preparing additional Support Kits for the next (six more) Field Ministry prisons. Thanks to the support of sustaining donors, we are able to provide these newly graduated Field Ministers with pastoral resources they would NEVER have otherwise. For four years, they had the world-class prison library at the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington, but once transferred to their prisons of assignment, they no longer had such resources. That's where our "Field Ministry Support Kit" comes in. Here are some of the books that Brenna is ordering, organizing, and spreadsheeting so that we are able to do this again and again, as each year more teams are sent to more prisons. When the new Field Ministry Computers come in, we'll update you on those as well. Thank you, donors, for this wonderful display of support for the work of planting in the Lord's vineyards. We truly cannot offer this material support to our Field Ministry teams without your help.
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Commentaries, lexicons, pastoral and counseling books, word studies--all are essentials for the Southwestern Seminary graduates working in the Field Ministry Prisons as "Field Ministers." They have proven themselves to be men with new hearts and new hope. Even with their long sentences, they have a new sense of purpose for their lives. You can see it in their every day walk, and in their service to their fellow inmates and to the citizens of Texas!
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Soon, we will be loading up the Ford Expedition and traveling to each of the above Field Ministry prisons to deliver these mini-theological libraries. All of these expenses have been underwritten by three donors. And more graduations are in our future.
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|  NEW "MALACHI DADS" CHAPTER BEGINS AT THE FERGUSON UNIT
THE HEART OF TEXAS FOUNDATION IS HELPING TO INSTALL A NEW "MALACHI DADS" CHAPTER AT FERGUSON PENITENTIARY, IN MIDWAY, TEXAS. SEMINARY GRADUATES ("FIELD MINISTERS") AT FERGUSON WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST THE INMATES WHO ENROLL.
With the help of Chaplains James Self and Watson Rugano (TDCJ), along with local volunteers around the Ferguson men's penitentiary, we are helping form the new "Malachi Dads" chapter at this unit. Begun years ago at Angola, Louisiana's State Penitentiary, The Heart of Texas Foundation has been approved to help initiate a Malachi Dads chapter in all of the men's prisons in Texas. Our Field Ministers (Graduates of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington) at Ferguson will be able to materially assist the volunteers and Chaplains as the program gets underway. What is it? A fatherhood program for inmates at Ferguson who wish to reconcile with their children and families. The volunteer teams will use resources and support from AWANA, local volunteers and churches, and The Heart of Texas Foundation.
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NEWS WE WERE INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION-- AUSTIN,TEXAS, JUNE 6, 2016
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick invited The Heart of Texas Foundation to speak to 29 of the state Lieutenant Governors now serving in the United States. It was a joy to have the top executives from twenty-nine states in the same room at the same time! And all got to hear just a few minutes of the story of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington. Included in the group were our new friends, the Lieutenant Governors from Wisconsin and North Carolina. Both of those states are currently moving ahead with specific plans to follow the Texas Model. We have made personal visits to their states to help them begin the process. We hope others will want to join the "American prison seminaries movement," which we believe is about to happen. We were warmly received by the Governors there, and look forward to hearing from them as the Lord leads us on. Thank you for your support, which allows us to report for duty when invited!
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| | Honorable Rob Hutton speaks with the Seminary classes |
NEWS
REPRESENTATIVES FROM WISCONSIN VISIT US AT DARRINGTON-- they plan to open their own prison seminary, modeled after ours in Texas at Darrington
Led by Honorable Rob Hutton, State Representative from Wisconsin, a team of prison and legislative executives from that state came to Houston to spend a day with The Heart of Texas Foundation and the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington, hosted by Dr. Ben Phillips. Jon Litscher, the Secretary of Corrections was in the group, along with a senior warden and others. Wisconsin is well on their way to setting up the building blocks necessary to replicate the Texas Model. We look forward to seeing their prison seminary come on line later this year. In the group were also Donald Friske from the DOC; James Schwochert, also from the DOC; Warden Brian Jay Foster, of the Waupon Correctional Facility in Wisconsin.
The Heart of Texas Foundation is honored to be asked to serve the state of Wisconsin as its consultant in the formation of the Wisconsin prison seminary. As our donors make that possible, we will continue to be a good neighbor and render assistance when and where we can!
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| | Dr. Ben Phillips, Director of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington, welcomes the Wisconsin group to the "seminary wing." |
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| | Wisconsin Delegates with Senior Warden Mark Jones and staff for preliminary meeting before visit to the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington |
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NEWS
ARTICLES AND VIDEOS RECENTLY PUBLISHED ABOUT OUR WORK AT
THE HEART OF TEXAS FOUNDATION
- Grove Norwood's Message Delivered at the Main Chapel Service, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, February 25, 2016
- Article by Mike Ward in the Houston Chronicle titled, "Inmates Baptized in State's Toughest Lockup" featuring our Field Ministers at Estelle Penitentiary, Houston Chronicle February 28, 2016
- Articles written by Dr. Byron Johnson et al, Baylor University's Institute for the Study of Religion
- Video of the First Graduation at Darrington, May 7, 2015
- Article in the Texas Baptist Press About Darrington Graduation
- Houston's KKHT 100.7 Interview with Dr. Byron Johnson, Baylor University Research Institute, on their studies of the Prison Seminaries at Angola and Darrington
- Houston's KKHT 100.7 Interview with Dr. Ben Phillips, Director of the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington penitentiary, as he discusses the Seminary at Darrington
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NEWS
SAVE THE DATE! OUR ANNUAL BANQUET THIS YEAR IS OCTOBER 21, 2016
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| | We are so grateful to Sugar Creek Baptist Church, a Sustaining Donor, for the use of their wonderful facility each year! |
---------- 6TH ANNUAL "THE HEART OF TEXAS FOUNDATION'S FUNDRAISER BANQUET"-- OCTOBER 21, 2016 Location: Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Sugar Land, Texas, 6 pm, with one-of-a-kind "Inmate Handicrafts Silent Auction"!
Volunteers: Email your desire to serve on the Banquet Staging Team to
Volunteers: Email your interest to serve on the Silent Inmate Crafts Auction, to Kristy at kristymaniscalco@gmail.com
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NEWS
UPDATE: BAYLOR ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK ON THE "PRISON SEMINARY"-- RESEARCHES ANGOLA AND DARRINGTON SEMINARIES
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Southwestern Seminary at Darrington
(Chapel of the Resurrection)
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New Orleans Seminary at Angola
(Main Gate)
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BAYLOR UNIVERSITY'S INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES OF RELIGION SOON TO RELEASE ITS NEW BOOK: THE ANGOLA PRISON SEMINARY.
Pre-order your copy of "The Angola Prison Seminary" by Hallett, Hays, Johnson, Jang, and Duwe at Baylor University. To place an order, go to Amazon.com here.
Three years ago Baylor University's internationally-known Institute for Studies of Religion began a 5-year study of the two American prison seminaries at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Louisiana, and the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington Penitentiary, Rosharon, Texas. After three years of work at both locations, Baylor is about to release its first book, entitled, The Angola Prison Seminary. Here is a brief overview of the project and its findings:
Drawing upon three years of on-site research, The Angola Prison Seminary utilizes survey responses from over 2,200 inmates and over 100 life-history interviews of inmates and staff to explore the history, purpose, and functioning of the Christian seminary program at Louisiana State Penitentiary (a.k.a. "Angola"). Drawing upon the unique history of Angola, inmates lead their own congregations, serve in lay-ministry capacities in hospice, cell block visitation, and delivery of familial death notifications to fellow inmates, offer "sidewalk counseling" and tier ministry, officiate inmate funerals, and tithe with "care packages" delivered to indigent prisoners. Upon graduation from the seminary, inmates become practitioners in the "Angola Church" deployed through Angola's unique Inmate Minister program, serving in bi-vocational pastoral service roles throughout America's largest maximum-security prison.
"This is an outstanding and vivid study of identity transformation and the search for meaning among prisoners serving life and near-life sentences in America's largest maximum-security prison, in a State with the highest imprisonment rate. Through the development and support of an 'inmate ministry', a whole prison is 'morally rehabilitated', in so far as this is possible in the context outlined. The book is meticulously researched and powerfully as well as critically written. Its messages are resoundingly clear. I will be recommending it to students of the prison, colleagues, and especially to prison governors."
Dr. Alison Liebling, Director, Prisons Research Centre University of Cambridge
***************************** Hallett, M., J. Hays, B. Johnson, SJ Jang, G Duwe (2016 In press). The Angola Prison Seminary: Effects of Faith-based Ministry on Identity Transformation, Desistance, and Rehabilitation.
We look forward to the release of this historic book in the fall of 2016. Their next book will be about the Southwestern Seminary at Darrington!
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NEWS
A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER
- Want us to come to your church or club and tell the amazing story of the Heart of Texas Foundation and the Texas prisons? Just email us at info@heartoftexasfoundation.org indicating your interest.
- Let us come to your church, association, prayer group, Sunday School, or university-- and let us tell our story.
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How You Can Help...
- Could you help us with a monthly gift of any amount-- $15, $25, $50, $100, $300, or something more? Please help us continue our efforts, and become a regular contributor! You do NOT need a PayPal Account to do this.
Or, use a Credit Card to donate over the phone. Just call Michelle at 832-449-8126, or Grove at 281-850-8103, at our corporate office.
If you wish to be a major donor, please allow us to properly recognize, memorialize and direct your gift by calling Grove Norwood at 281-850-8103, or Dave Hanna, Chairman, (713) 594-2858.
Standing alongside you under the waterfall of God's grace, with thanksgiving for you,
And with love and appreciation,
Grove & Brenna Norwood
The Heart of Texas Foundation, Inc.
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The Heart of Texas Foundation is a public charitable, educational, and religious tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is qualified to receive tax deductible contributions. Financial information may be obtained by request, and our IRS Tax exempt number EIN is 20-4007150 and as such may receive tax deductible contributions under Section 170 of the Code. We are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, and transfers of gifts under Sections 2055, 2106, and 2522 of the Internal Revenue Service Tax Code. Our Annual IRS Tax Return Form 990 is available upon request. Our CPA Firm is Blazek & Vetterling, of Houston, Texas. Our mailing address is The Heart of Texas Foundation, POB 110, Bellville, Texas 77418. Our phone is 281-850-8103.
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