Angel Tree

Christmas time is always a great opportunity to reach out and to bless others with the love of Jesus.  We as a fellowship will be getting behind Angel Tree Project from Prison Fellowship New Zealand.  It is a great chance to practice what the Bible teaches us...

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them...
since you yourselves are in the body also.

Hebrews 13:3

Here is a quote and video from the Prison Fellowship website for NZ - www.pfnz.org.nz.

Angel Tree is a Prison Fellowship Program that provides Christmas toys to prisoners’ children who might otherwise be overlooked during the Christmas Season. When mothers and fathers are behind bars, their children also do hard time.

While Prison Fellowship coordinates the program, it is very much a combined effort.  Prison chaplains, Christian volunteers, churches, ministry and social service organisations come together to purchase, wrap and deliver over 3000 presents each Christmas to the children of prisoners.

By every measure, prisoners’ children are the most severely at-risk children and youth in New Zealand. They are at a greater risk than other children from child abuse, neglect, illiteracy, crime, violence, incarceration, teen pregnancy, depression, premature death and substance addiction.

We sometimes don’t appreciate that these children are the unwilling victims of crime.  Our efforts go some  way toward linking children with their imprisoned parents.  International  research shows that where imprisoned parents can maintain a link with their children, the children are more likely to respond positively to school and to their parents, and less likely to offend or truant.”

But the positive impact is felt more widely than that.  Prisoners who have neither the money nor mobility to provide Christmas presents, often feel helplessly frustrated when they think of their children during this time.  That in turn can result in anti-social behaviour, withdrawal, and depression.  It provides a crucial link between children and their imprisoned parents.

Check with your local fellowship to see if they are taking part in this awesome outreach and ministry.  And check out this video...

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