Advent gift 2025
Hope for Inmates
Every year during Advent, Church of the Resurrection gives generously toward local ministry. This year we seek to share Jesus’ transforming love in three Illinois prisons with our Rez Prison Ministry. Our volunteers regularly hold worship services and offer one-on-one prayer with inmates there.
A staggering proportion of prisoners never receive a personal letter, phone call, or visit during their entire sentence. Many inmates feel forgotten, unwanted, and often unworthy.
This Advent, our Rez Prison Ministry seeks to help meet practical needs and share Christ’s love with nearly 2,000 inmates in these three prisons.
Would you consider contributing toward gift bags that will bless an inmate this Christmas?
These simple presents with necessities will help create an opportunity for our Prison Ministry volunteers to talk about the world’s greatest gift–new life in Christ.
Each gift bag will include: toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, socks, a small bag of cookies, and a custom pocket calendar with daily Scripture readings.
Each gift bag costs only $5.*
*Any additional funds received will be applied toward the Rez Prison Ministry to help cover travel expenses for future prison ministry visits or equipment for worship services and Bible studies.
Purchase gift bags to bless inmates:
Contribute to our Advent Gift by January 5
Questions about how to give? Email EmilyTalbott@churchrez.org
Questions about Rez Prison Ministry? Email Mark Macy at RezPrisonMinistry@churchrez.org.
Pray
Pray for each inmate receiving a gift bag to grasp the Gospel message and encounter the transforming love of Jesus.
Pray for the process of distributing the gift bags in the three locations to go smoothly. Each gift bag must be screened and approved by the prison administration.
Pray for our prison ministry team’s ongoing relationships with inmates and prison staff to be strengthened through this Advent Gift.
Help us pack gift bags
We need volunteers to put supplies into bags on Wednesday, Dec 3, 6:30-8:30pm.
Children ages 8 and older are welcome to participate with a parent. Due to space constraints with other activities in the church, we do not have space to accommodate younger children at this event.
Prisoner Testimonials
Thirty-eight years ago I sat on death-row, a man condemned to death for horrible crimes. But God, in his mercy, had chosen me as his own. He called me into himself nearly 33 years ago, cleansing me in the blood of my Lord Jesus and clothing me in his righteousness. He took a hopeless, broken, and lost man and transformed him for his glory. Today, by the grace of God, the Lord has blessed me to have a very active writing and teaching ministry which allows me to draw other men unto him. And all for his glory. Amen! Though I am still in prison physically, the Lord has set me free to serve him. Praise God.
His humble servant,
Jimmy Pritsonbarger (JP)