Rev. Denis Frediani, Director of Prison Aftercare Ministries, is uniquely gifted for this work. He has a Bachelors Degree in Bible from Gordon College and a Masters Degree in Christian Education from Denver Seminary. He has been in the pastoral ministry for over 25 years and has had a mentoring ministry for some 20 years. He also is an adjunct Professor of Discipleship in Community at Bethel Seminary of the East. Since he began developing this ministry in October 2002, Rev. Frediani has been training mentors throughout New England and is now working with the Massachusetts Adult offender Reentry Initiative. He also goes into the prisons weekly to teach and encourage the men.
Our Mission is...
To glorify God by partnering with the church in order to unite, equip and support the Christian community in a ministry that will assist and enable Christian ex-offenders and their families to be restored to freedom and dignity in Jesus Christ so they can be productive members and leaders in the church and in society.
The Desperate Need for Effective Aftercare
The prison population continues to increase in the United States and if it continues at the current rate there will be as many as 10,000,000 people either in prison, on probation or on parole by the year 2011! Many inmates and ex-offenders have spent years in self-destructive behaviors and are often written off by society. While many of these men and women have become Christians in prison they often find little or no support when they are released. The result is that they return to prison. This is a tremendous mission field right in our own backyard and there is a profound need for an effective and comprehensive aftercare ministry to respond to this need. There is a need for the Christian community to disciple and mentor them, to provide a loving support group, to help them with their jobs, as well as to help them effectively reconnect to family, society and the church.
The Local Church-The Key to Effective Aftercare
One key aspect of this aftercare ministry is the need for individuals and families to be trained to mentor ex-offenders and their families in all aspects of life. The goal is to equip churches to become a community that will invest their lives intensively in one family at a time. This will take a great deal of prayer, effort, coordination and cooperation with our brothers and sisters in Christ if we are going to produce an effective and lasting impact for the Lord. Vision New England is in an excellent position to be the catalyst for this particular ministry. We need your help. We need you to join us in prayer, to join us with your financial support, to join us by being trained so that you can be used of the Lord to have a direct impact on these lives that so desperately need our help. Jesus said, "I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Mat. 25:40). Will you share your life and resources with Jesus in this way?
What will this Aftercare Ministry involve?
Some of the functions that I will be called to perform are as follows:
Research and network aftercare resources on the regional, state, county, para-church and local church level.
Develop and cultivate good relationships with the various departments of corrections, chaplains, and key volunteers.
Identify and provide training to key regional churches in the area of aftercare so they become models for other churches.
Assist churches in developing a comprehensive and effective response to aftercare opportunities.
Explore various sources for funding for programs like training, development & production of materials, regional aftercare specialists, etc.
Explore and develop new and unique ways in which comprehensive and effective aftercare ministries may take place.
Mentoring will be a key component in all of this and so mentor training and oversight must also be provided.
Prison Aftercare Ministries: Restoring Ex-offenders to Freedom and Dignity in Jesus Christ
For more information contact Rev. Denis Frediani: tel: (603) 579-0904 • e-mail: dfrediani@visionnewengland.org
