ture into a “station of hope” or a “healing community.” Stations of hope engage deeply in reconciliation work in families and communities that have been impacted by (and often broken by) crime and mass incarceration. Think of this as a literal training manual for reorienting the heart of your congregation- al culture around restorative justice and healing. There are nearly a hundred Healing Communities chapters in 22 states and Washington, D.C. Unlike An- gel Tree, where it’s expected that you may only want to test the waters, the idea here is to take a deep dive into restructuring your congregation’s culture. In- terested? Download the U.S. Dept. of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs study titled Healing Communities: A Framework for Congregations in Their Ministry for Families Affected by Incarceration . As different as these approaches are, they share the same dynamic of shifting the focus. With Angel Tree, the focus is on ministering to the family of the incarcerated. With Healing Communities, the focus is on transforming the congregation itself into an agent of reconciliation and healing. In both, the returning citizen will join the family (or congregation) that is already engaged in overcoming stigma and healing wounded spirits. This model is a great fit for a congregation that is serious about family ministry and demonstrates it. You can send a signal to the returning citizen that “This is a place that cares about my kids” or “This is a place that’ll help me be a better parent” or “This is a place where I can work on restoring my broken relationships.” Advantages of the Whole Family Support Model It’s available as a turnkey ministry. You don’t have to do all the hard work of establishing relationships with prisons or developing a curriculum from scratch. These are tested approaches that you can implement out of the box. It’s “stickier.” Because returning citizens can join in where the family is al- ready accepted and engaged, stigma is reduced and belonging is easier. It can play to your existing strengths. Because this approach is focused on the whole family, the range of ministries can broaden into areas where you may already have strengths, experience, and strong leadership—children’s ministry, youth ministry, Bible studies, marriage and parenting support, etc. Challenges of the Whole Family Support Model Toe-dipping ministry can easily become static. The long-term goal of ef- fective ministry isn’t to be a feel-good experience for your members for a few days during the Christmas season. It’s to change lives and to make a real im- pact. This can be a good place to start but probably isn’t meant to be your final destination.
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