The SIAFU Guidebook

Welcoming Brothers and Sisters Home

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lives through the power of the Spirit. This is the power of the Gospel, and should be the DNA of every SIAFU Chapter. Our motto must be “We welcome all who receive the Master, and we turn no one away who commits their life to him. We will leave no man (or woman) behind!” God can use your Chapter to be a haven of rest to anyone seeking to find the Savior, anyone desiring to turn their life around in absolute surrender to him. Through God’s grace, we can bring them into our fellowship and protect them, keeping them in as members of Christ’s body – and our SIAFU Chapters. Let us learn, then, to be open to how God may choose to use our particular SIAFU Chapter to welcome and incorporate ex-offenders into our fellowship. Remember, this entire movement is about the Holy Spirit energizing urban folk to transform the city. Christ is building an army and we are calling urban folk to join that army. We can only take back our families, our streets, and our neighborhoods if we welcome the servants of Jesus he has called to do that work. They will be the very ones to do it, perhaps the only ones who can. Our God is God, and he shows no respect of persons – and neither should we. God can use anyone he wants to for whatever purpose he chooses – whether that person is a young momma, an aged grandpa, a suburban college graduate, an urban high school dropout, or a newly paroled ex-offender. God raises folk up for his own purpose and uses them for what he has called them to be. Let this be our heart, our conviction, and our commitment. Stay tuned to our national website to see developments on how our SIAFU Chapters are becoming the kind of welcome centers for ex- offenders that please God and disciple future leaders for the city!