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Weekly Prayer Focus: Welcome Directory

Week 15

The Welcome Directory has a simple yet powerful vision: EMPOWERING FAITH COMMUNITIES TO WELCOME PRISON LEAVERS. The Welcome Directory supports the resettlement of people leaving prison in two ways;

• providing a directory of churches and other faith communities to prison chaplains identifying places where people leaving prison are welcome
• supporting faith communities registered with us to do this in ways that are Welcoming, Accepting and Safe.

There are currently 455 communities on The Welcome Directory, with the Eastern Region represented above. The purple tags represent Baptist Churches.

The issues facing prison leavers are, as I am sure you can imagine pretty huge. I heard someone recently say that when they left prison “I was completely destroyed. I was frightened, had lost my family, and did not know where to start”. Thankfully, this person linked up with a Community Chaplaincy project and has continued his journey towards a better life. But so many find it hard to find the courage to restart and so either return to crime, or develop patterns of self destruction.

But the church can and does help. All over the country, Welcome Directory churches are welcoming prison leavers and helping them to lead crime free lives. In a survey carried out last year, of the roughly 170 churches responding, 65% of those reported that none of the prison leavers they were supporting had reoffended that year. That is a huge change, a huge answer to prayer.

Please pray

• For people leaving prison that they will find welcoming, safe communities to start again
• For people affected by crime that they will know that there are places where prisoners can have a better chance to grow and not hurt anyone else in the same way
• For churches, that they will consider registering and joining this growing movement that gives people a second, third and 77x7th chance
• For churches already registered, that they will know the joy of seeing people grow as they care for them through a post-prison journey into better lives

Supporting files

Recent Weeks

Great Notley Church

18th May 2025

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Great Leighs Free Church

11th May 2025

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Hawkwell Baptist Church

4th May 2025

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