The SIAFU Guidebook

Standing Together for Christ Inside the Walls

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We recognize that the church on the inside can be as robust as any church on the outside, and in fact, most churches on the inside provide a healthier brotherhood/sisterhood than any churches in the world. In fact, some of the cause of recidivism is due to the lack of strong Christian community on the outside. Therefore, nothing in this Guidebook is meant to diminish the ability of the church on the inside to carry out their responsibilities before Christ.

Examples The service projects in this Guidebook are targeted to the context of the church on the outside. The following are some examples of service projects that could be considered on the inside:

1. Sermons 2. Bible study leader 3. Prayer requests or meetings 4. Recreational evangelistic events

Glossary of Terms For those who are not familiar with ministry to the incarcerated, the following is a brief list of commonly used terms. 1. Recidivism – repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime 2. Shank – a homemade knife/weapon; made out of scrap of metal, even chicken bones found anywhere and sharpened like a knife and bottom tightly wrapped with a cloth as a handle 3. SHU – special housing unit, usually isolation unit in maximum security prison, typically in lockdown 23 out of 24 hours per day