BrownwoodNews.com – Epiphany Ministries of Brownwood provided a three day retreat to 26 girls at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex on September 1-3, 2018. 

 

Epiphany is a three day, non-denominational religious retreat for incarcerated youth.  The vision of Epiphany is:

  • For the youth to change their lives and thinking
  • To meet the basic needs of self-awareness, confidence and attentiveness to behavior
  • To love and be loved, and
  • To communicate God’s grace, love and to lead youth to feel worthwhile about themselves and others.

Each day has a message for the youth starting with You Are Loved!  God Loves You; on Day 2 the theme is You Are Forgiven!  God Forgives You!; and Day 3 is Christ Is Counting on You! God Calls!

The youth sit at tables with adults to provide a family environment. They are encouraged to get to know each other and become a family by participating in activities together, eating, praying and doing recreation together.

Each youth also has a Weekend Guide, with whom they meet individually during the weekend.  Their goal is to help the youth understand that Jesus loves them, to pray for and with the youth and to encourage the youth to follow Christ while not imposing their personal beliefs on the youth, who is referred to as the “star”.

There is an epiphany reunion on the first Saturday of each month for the volunteers to continue to encourage the girls. 

Please contact the Community Relations Office at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility at 325-641-4240 or 325-641-4241 if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.

Pictured left to right starting on the bottom row:

1. Amber Kissner & Mike Wiley

2. David Montoya, James Dean, Merry Inglet, Becky Reynolds

3.Tricia Bull, Madge Fischer, Anna Jackson, Ellen Jakubowski, Candi Wiley, Janie Hendrick, Trudy Smith, Paula Swanson

4.Paul Clark, Judy Killgo, Juanell Montoya, Lisa Seaton, Mary Ann Rowan Sheila Clark, Tammie Braswell, LuAnn Bradshaw, Roy Bradshaw, Graciano Castenada

5.Roger Goodwin, Clinton Pittman, Chris Seaton, Claude Jackson, James Cox, Roberto Castenada, Dan Swanson, Bob Bull