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Re-Entry Program

About Our Re-Entry Program

New Beginnings is a re-entry and discipleship ministry 501(c)(3) non-profit organization where the formerly incarcerated, homeless, and people living a dead-end lifestyle, can change their lives, free of charge. Our comprehensive residential program offers mentorship, discipleship, job skills, life skills, education, peer counseling, and transitional services.

We are a Christ-centered, faith-based ministry that gets its guiding principles, values, and standards from God's Word. The Bible is our governing authority.

We do not have doctors, clinical therapists, or counselors at New Beginnings. We are not a program based on therapy. Instead, there is no distinction in the backgrounds of leaders and residents other than more time and experience living a life surrendered to God and obeying the Word of God. Almost all of our staff and mentors have had life experiences firsthand of being incarcerated, and have ultimately left hopeless lives for a purpose-filled life following Jesus Christ and what the bible has to teach us.

Staff members at New Beginnings are living examples of the program's efficacy. Most of them themselves have done everything new residents are asked to do. Thus they have the credibility to show others how to change as they have done.

Too often, being incarcerated adds layers of challenges to a life already steeped in violence, trauma, broken families, and loss. People serving time in prison often represent at-risk segments of society lacking educational, vocational, and economic opportunities. At New Beginnings we do not give them a handout to have access to all of these things, we give them a hand up to be able to overcome these obstacles and barriers.

We believe that the greatest asset in the population we serve is the morally rehabilitated individual who can reach those who are currently in the place they once were in. Most of the time, our graduates who regain their dignity and find their worth in Christ are the ones who become powerful agents of change for good, transforming their lives and the lives of those around them.

Why It Works

There is no rehabilitation without moral rehabilitation. A moral compass turn and a heart transformation. We get our morals through The Word Of God.

New Beginnings create a community in the homes that models and expects integrity, honesty, humility, personal responsibility, and accountability from one another. At New Beginnings, we don’t dwell on the physiological effects of drugs on the brain or attempt to psychoanalyze why life dealt us the hand it did. Ultimately, we don’t think that matters. What really matters, simply put, is whether or not our residents are tired of the life they have and are willing to surrender to God and put in the very difficult work necessary to create a real, legitimate, successful, and law-abiding life going forward. They have a safe place here to be mentored, heal, learn, grow and and make mistakes.

Eligibility / Cost / Commitment

Eligibility

We are a faith-based organization and base all of our teachings on scripture, therefore, a commitment to follow God and what the Bible has to teach us is a requirement. We are also looking for these individuals who are ready to make a one-year minimum commitment to change their life. We can not accept sex offenders. We believe those individuals need special counseling that we don’t offer. We don’t accept applicants requiring narcotics or psychological medication because we don’t have a medical staff to adequately and properly monitor those needs.

Since we operate in a high-paced, physically demanding environment our participants must be in reasonably good health to be fully engaged in the program and be able to keep pace with the rigorous schedule.

We accept male and female participants ranging from 18 years of age and up.

Cost

Funding is always provided by private donors, some churches, fundraisers, grants, and our 2 stores. No government funds are used and clients are never charged. There is no cost to the resident. All that is required is a strong desire to change, a willingness to commit a minimum of one year to the process, and a strong desire to change and willingness to do whatever is asked of them to bring about that change. We do not receive government money and we are self-sufficient, with revenues from our stores, private donors, and grants covering most of our program expenses.

Commitment

Qualified candidates must be willing to make a minimum one-year commitment to a deep rigorous process of personal change. Many stay longer until they feel ready to re-enter society.

How To Apply / What To Expect

Request an Application And Interview

If you are incarcerated, you need to write us a letter asking for our help. We will need to know a little bit about your story and why you are wanting to change. If we read that you are a food fit, we will send you an application. Furthermore, we might interview you and if we accept you, we will provide you with a letter of acceptance that you can share with your attorney or the Board of Prison Terms.

If you are not in jail, you must call and request an application. If you sound like a fit, a staff member will leave an application for you to be picked up at our Thrift Store. You will have a short period to retrieve it. After it is returned you will be contacted for an interview. You do need not to bring anything except a deep desire to change. If accepted, we will work out the admission time and date. There is an individualized process for each applicant.

Outside Communication

Throughout the time at NB, the resident's goal is to focus on the unique and special opportunity provided for healing, restoration, stabilization, personal, and spiritual growth. Therefore, except as approved by the mentor and Director, contact with others outside the program will be limited. We ask for anyone communicating to follow these guidelines:

  • Please keep communication positive.
  • Do not ask them to come home early. If you love them, you will encourage them to complete their one-year stay. Anything you say to feed their impatience to be done more quickly will undermine their growth.
  • If you want your loved ones to return and be healthy, let them heal.
Letters

Residents may write to and receive letters at their own discretion.

Phone Calls

After the 7-day blackout residents may place phone calls on a case-by-case basis, on their breaks, lunches, or from the home.

Family Visits

Family visits are on a case-by-case basis and members must be cleared with New Beginnings.

Disqualification

A resident may be kicked out of the New Beginnings for the following reasons.

  • Lying
  • Stealing
  • Drinking/Drugging
  • Stumbling a brother

What to Expect

A Typical Day

A typical day starts at 7:30 a.m. with personal time in the Word of God, breakfast, and a morning group devotional at the house. Once a week they meet with Pastor leadership individually and privately for one on one mentoring during the first hour of work.

Residents in Step 1 will then head to work or job training from Mon-Friday working at the thrift store under supervision and guidance from their supervisors. Saturdays are light duty days, but they still come to the warehouse, as idle hands and boredom are big triggers for many of our clients. Saturdays you might catch them spending time in their bibles, journaling, reading, or working on special projects.

Residents in Step 2 will attend their full-time outside employment.

Monday evenings are a rest day, Tuesdays they have Bible study teachers come out to the house, Wednesdays they have life skills classes at our Community Care Center, Thursdays they attend a midweek church service and Fridays we have our Friday night Fellowship and game nights. Saturdays are a rest day in the evenings and on Sunday mornings, they attend church and the rest of the day is used for rest.

During the week, residents that have court mandates and need documents also take the opportunity to attend mandated classes, counseling, and appointments to get their driver's licenses, birth certificates, and more.

Each step they take empowers them to teach those who are newer clients. Essentially, New Beginnings is a teaching system built around being your brother's keeper according to Galatians 6:1-2 and Matthew 18.

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"

Galatians 6:1-2

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

Matthew 18
Step 1

The resident will work closely with the ministry staff in all assigned areas, such as outside work crews or working at the thrift store. The resident will also be working closely with a mentor and/or house leader during this stage to strengthen their spiritual foundation and build on their relationship with Jesus Christ.

At such times the Ministry Director, the mentor or house leader, and the Pastoral Advisor all agree that the resident is consistently displaying the Fruit of the Spirit (love, peace, joy, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires; (Galatians 5:22-24). The resident will then move into Step 2. The resident must have a firm foundation in Jesus Christ and learned to submit to authority (Romans 13:1-6); learned and worked through conflict resolution; developed a work ethic, and have and maintain a good rapport with others.

Step 2

The resident will focus on making the transition out of the ministry house and into the community by:

  • Seeking paid and consistent employment
  • Start paying off any restitution of fines associated with incarceration
  • Saving 80% of any income in order to establish a savings account (10% tithe/10% spending money)
  • Buying or receiving a car and obtaining insurance
  • Looking for a suitable place to live.
  • The resident will be assisted by ministry staff as appropriate in all of these activities.

The resident will be assisted by ministry staff as appropriate in all of these activities.

Our Goal For Our Graduates

Our goal for our graduates is not only to keep them clean, sober, and out of jail. Our goal is higher than that. The desired outcome for our graduates are the following 3.

  1. That they are a leader in their community by giving back in the same way that was given to them.
  2. When the time comes, they would be a leader in their church and use their spiritual gifts to serve The Body of Christ.
  3. When/If God brings a significant other (if they don't already have one) that they would be a leader in their family.

We consider a success anyone who stays clean, however, our greatest success stories are the ones that give back and find more joy than they would ever recognize.

Success Stories & Testimonials

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