Jeremiah Prison Ministry Newsletter
JPM is an outreach of Martinsburg Christian Center, Martinsburg, WV
JULY 2016
Revs. Tom & Monica
OUR MISSION & VISION
Our Mission – to help men in
prison reach their fullest in the
Lord.
What we do – Ministering to their
spirit, soul and body, though one
on one mentoring as their spiritual
advisor and friend.
How we began – Jeremiah Prison
Ministry began on November 30,
1999, which was birth out of a
bond for a young man that made a
wrong choice in life.
Our Vision –It hasn’t changed but
security has and won’t allow us to
go into the Chapels. So we
continue to do one on one to God
Be The Glory!
94 men have been released in 16
years. We are ministering to 62
inmates in 4 states.
Celebrated 16 years of Prison Ministry in 2015
I WAS IN PRISON AND YOU VISITED ME – MATT. 25:36B
We are serving Him by serving them! His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1
VOLUME 16, ISSUE 08
JULY BOY its HOT……!
July boy its hot… yep give us a few months and we will be complaining its cold! We
humans are fickle. It reminds me of the children of Israel in the Bible. They
complained about everything. I pray I don’t do that… I just don’t do well in the
humid heat which I am sure many of us are the same.
Our poor grass is a little brown but we are thankful for the thunderstorms that roll
in and out to give us some rain. It did get out in my flower bed to cut back the dead
blooms and new flowers are growing again.
Tom and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary and his birthday on the 20th. We
were blessed by a local restaurant in our area with a delicious meal and dessert. We
have taken few day trips and just spending time resting. It’s been very busy 6
months and we needed some R & R.
PRISON RESTENCING FOR JUVENILE LIFERS RETRO JANUARY 25, 2016.
The juvenile lifers we minister to are meeting with their lawyers and are having courting hearings. We
are getting a few reports from each of them. I found an article online at Philly.com. Here is a portion of
the article: After decades behind bars, juvenile lifers are released - but to what? By Samantha
Melamed, Staff Writer Posted: July 12, 2016 Philly.com
For 34 years, home for Daniel Peters has been a prison cell. He has been locked up since age 17, with
the promise of life in prison. But on June 24, he was released to a halfway house in Philadelphia's
Callowhill neighborhood. It was terrifying, but at least he knew just what to expect. He had been given a
tour of the facility using virtual reality goggles.
Peters - the first to be released of 295 inmates from Philadelphia sentenced as juveniles to life without
parole under a law the Supreme Court has since found unconstitutional - is a test case in an
unprecedented reentry challenge for the city.
So, officials and nonprofit groups are piloting unprecedented measures as they wrestle with how to
support reintegration - releasing inmates from prison in their 50s, 60s or 70s, with no savings, varying
amounts of family support, and no experience navigating the world as adults.
"We're trying to figure out the best path that we can put someone who was a child when they came to
us," Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. "We're trying to figure out what reentry looks
like if we want them to be successful."
The needs are significant. Of 507 lifers statewide, 95 are on the prisons' active mental-health roster; half
have a history of mental-health problems. There are 21 sex offenders among them. And 318 have been
locked up longer than 20 years. The oldest, Joseph Ligon, is 78 and has been incarcerated since 1956,
giving him the miserable distinction of being the world's longest-serving juvenile lifer. Like all other
juvenile lifers, he has not had the chance to amass retirement savings, pay into Social Security, or earn
a pension.
All the inmates will have a chance at new sentences following the Supreme Court's January decision in
Montgomery v. Louisiana. Peters received a commutation from Gov. Wolf. Others, such as Henry
Smolarski and Tyrone Jones, both of Philadelphia, have agreed to new sentences that will allow them to
be considered for parole this month.
The Department of Corrections started running focus groups with juvenile lifers early this year. It is
working to get lifers government-issued identification cards and applications for medical assistance. It
also developed a protocol, to start 90 days before release and continue 90 days out, aligning the lifers
with mentors and support programs. Lifers go through classes and spend the weeks before release in
special housing outside the prison walls. Wetzel says each lifer ought to spend a year in a halfway
house. (Note: There is more of the story online.)
We thank you for your support and prayers for these sustain us!
Page 2
Keeping you informed
SCOTUS in a 6 -3 decision
rules in favor of
retroactive resentencing
on January 25, 2016.
Praise the Lord!
PRAYER CORNER
~Pray for Jeremiah & Val, Chris,
Harvey, Kevin, Mike, & Richard that
God continues to bless them
spiritually & financially.
~Pray for Larry, Ricky, Lewis, Corey,
Bob, Greg, Eric, Dan & Nathan to
receive favor for commutation,
retrials, resentencing & parole.
~Pray for continued healing for Bob &
Larry. God is moving!
~Pray for Harvey’s complete
recovery, he is doing well.
~Pray for our granddaughter, Leah,
as she comes off meds. Leah got
engaged and turned 21 in May! PTL
~Pray for Andy, our grandson got
engaged and moved to OH, new job!
~Pray for Dale our son-in-law, cancer
free.
~Pray for all our families- spiritually,
physically and financially.
~Pray for my brother, Norman
Pray for Tom’s mother, Virginia.
~Pray for the salvation of the world.
Pray for inmates and their families,
our Nation, elections, our leaders, our
military, and their families.
~Pray for prison reform in our nation.
~Pray for Bill our dear friend & his
wife Rose for good health.
~Pray for Dotty & her husband Stan
for good health.
~Pray for us for strength and wisdom
in all we do, that we remain cancer
free and healthy to do God’s work, for
our cars to be mechanically sound.
You are an Extended Hand and
a vital part of this ministry.
Together we are making a
difference with Jesus Christ,
taking life to a dark place! We
go because you send us.
Thank You so much!
We traveled 12,585 miles for the
ministry in 2015! Praise the Lord!
Jeremiah Prison Ministry
Revs. Tom & Monica Cohee
223 Cameo Dr.
Fayetteville, PA 17222
717-352-0080 (o) (f)
info@jeremiahprisonministry.com
We’re on the Web!
www.jeremiahprisonministry.com
Your Editor: Rev. Monica Cohee
PASTOR TOM’S PREACHING CORNER
BEING FAVOR MINDED
Proverbs 8:35, Psalm 5:12, 44: 3 NKJV
For whoever finds me finds life, And obtain favor from the Lord.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround
him as with a shield.
For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor
did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your
countenance, Because You favored them.
The Bible tells us that God saved His people because He favored them.
He brought them out of their trouble, because favor was on their lives.
He delivered them because of favor.
The dictionary defines favor as when someone has advantages over others.
The favor of God will…by His Grace
Help you overcome circumstances. Open doors that you can’t open.
Make your life easier. We are nothing without Christ.
God told us to put Him first in every area of our lives and He would
command His blessings to overtake us.
The Bible says, “Come out and be ye separate.”
If you want God’s favor in your life you have to come out of sin.
If you want God’s favor you have to obey all of His word.
Yes we are human and make mistakes.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Confess everyday the favor of God and you will see blessings come your way
in God’s timing not yours.
Joseph had his father’s favor.
He had favor but was rejected, despised and betrayed. He waited on God.
Believe the best and not the worst. Negative thought will bring you down.
Believe for God’s blessings to chase you down.
Believe that your enemies cannot win in the long run.
God is in the process of restoring everything you have lost in His timing and
how He wants to do it.
It’s time to…
Get your past behind you once and for all. Philippians 3:13-14
Dream again, God doesn’t want you living in your past. Declare God’s favor
over your life because of His grace!
Favor is better than money. Proverbs 16:16, 21:1 Amp
I want God’s favor over my life then silver and gold. I want His Grace!
God’s favor will open doors that you will never be able to open.
God’s way is better than our way. There are times He will close doors and we
must remember to walk by faith and not by sight trusting in His Grace. We
must want God’s will for our life.
You have to believe that your steps are ordered by God. Psalm 37:23
All things work together for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28
Not all things are good but we have to trust God.
You must be persistent and you can’t quit.
Stay faithful and favor will do things you can’t do for yourself. It’s a Faith
Walk Trusting In A God We Cannot See!