December 2025 News

Verse of the Month

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”

~Luke 6:38 (NLT)

What does giving look like to a returned citizen fresh out of incarceration? Let me tell you about Bob.

Bob was in the first cohort of our Living Forward program. Bob came in with a rickety old walker and a sad look on his face. He told one of our volunteers that he wanted to go back to prison. He was just released and served 5 months shy of 50 years. Yes, 50 years! He said the phones, technology, and society in general are too overwhelming for him. Our volunteer told him to stick with us. We would walk alongside him.

The following week, God provided Bob with a new walker – this was one of those God winks you hear me talk about so often. Bob’s eyes welled with tears. The other 13 participants in the class applauded. Then came graduation day. All of our graduates were given a sherpa-lined hoodie, winter gloves, and a bag of hygiene items. Bob was beside himself with joy and gratitude.

The following week, Bob showed up at our next cohort. He walked in and handed me a baggie, actually two baggies, all crinkled up – this was his makeshift wallet. I asked him what it was, and he looked me in the eye and replied, “Paula, I have everything I need, God has blessed me, and I stand in need of NOTHING.”

I looked down in my hand, and there was $20 cash and several coins in those baggies. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I was immediately humbled. When was the last time I gave that sacrificially and admitted I stand in need of nothing?

Bob gave his “widow’s mite” that day. He later told me how much his life has changed over the last few weeks and how thankful he is for our Living Forward program. Bob continues to come to class and hasn’t missed any since we began.

That’s how a man who served almost 50 years in prison feels about giving back.

With a thankful heart,

Paula Creswell
Executive Director
Tangible Hope Ministries

Giving Tangible Hope (be like Bob!)

Bob’s story is a reminder that hope grows when it’s shared — and sometimes those with the least materially give the most spiritually. His “widow’s mite” was a powerful testimony of gratitude, transformation, and the impact your support can have on a life newly starting over.

Would you consider partnering with us so more men and women like Bob can experience this same hope?

Your financial gift helps provide essentials like clothing, hygiene items, classes, encouragement, and the steady support every returned citizen needs in those first overwhelming weeks. Most of all, it helps create a community where no one walks alone.

Every contribution — large or small — makes a direct, tangible difference.

Thank you for giving in a way that helps restore dignity, rebuild lives, and remind our friends coming home that God has not forgotten them.

Tangible Hope Ministries would like to extend a huge thank you to Douglas UCC for being a supporting partner of Tangible Hope Ministries/Cards For Prisoners.

Douglas UCC, located at 56 Wall Street in Douglas, currently has many faithful pen pals within the congregation who communicate with our incarcerated friends! We also have one of our amazing volunteers in the congregation who reaches out to other churches in their area to partner with Tangible Hope Ministries. He has been such a blessing to us with his desire to share our ministry and message of second chances.

Use the link below to discover more about a church where all are invited and included.

https://www.douglasucc.org

Become a Tangible Hope Church

Your congregation can join us and become a Tangible Hope Church—walking alongside those often neglected and forgotten in our society—E-mail paulac@tangiblehopeministries.org for information on how your church can become involved.

Become a Pen Pal