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St. Dysmas of South Dakota Welcomes You. |
2011 Inmate Christmas Sack Program – Fudge by Faith!
For over 25 years it has been a tradition, after Christmas Eve dinner at the state prisons, to hand out Christmas sacks to inmates. The sacks include hard candy, peanuts, a candy cane, homemade fudge and Christmas cards from elementary age children.
Families are not allowed to send food into the prison so many times these sacks are the only things that mark an inmate’s holiday. Also, there are many inmates who have no family contact at all and this is the only gift they receive. As you can imagine, homemade cards and fudge for over 3000 inmates is a challenge.We rely upon the support of local churches, various groups, preschools and schools for what we need.
If you would like to help support this program please the read links below for information on how to help, they include the program guidelines, the approved recipe and the address for donations.
God Bless You!
Have you ever been in a place where you were a stranger?
Perhaps as you walked down the street you saw someone who needed help. It was someone you didn't know, someone that was not likely to be your friend. As a Christian you stopped to lend a hand because that's what Christians do.
The scriptures confirm that we should reach out to help strangers when we see their need: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."
- Matthew 25:35-36
We've all been a stranger at one point in time or another.
As Christians, through our faith, we know that we're loved and accepted by Jesus. We know that when night falls we're not alone. Yet, there are hundreds, if not thousands... who don't have this knowledge, and many who cry:
"Jesus, remember me!" - Luke 23:42. The thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus and cried out for mercy was one of these. Through tradition he has come to be known as St. Dysmas. "Today you shall be with me in paradise," Jesus said to him.
Today a congregation named in honor of St. Dysmas is changing the lives of the incarcerated at St. Dysmas of South Dakota, a fully chartered mission congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Organized within the walls of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, St. Dysmas is a pioneer in establishing bona fide "churches behind bars." Inmates "own" the program and, through a council elected from their membership, direct its ministry.
Just like other congregations, St. Dysmas parishioners participate in worship, Bible study, choir, and take part in special projects.
Though incarcerated, these are our brothers and sisters in Christ, members of one body together with us. |
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