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Tabitha Ministry works in the prison, while women are still
incarcerated, to teach and counsel. After a woman is released from prison,
she may enter Tabitha House, which helps her
re-establish her life as a productive citizen. While in prison, Tabitha
teachers conduct four classes each week.
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Wounded Heart: a class for abuse victims. This class is taught by a
former abuse victim and is real help to overcome years of pain, guilt, and the
consequences of abuse. It focuses on self-discovery (why do you make bad
choices?), self-expression (what do you feel and why do you feel that way?), and
self-protection (learn to recognize the signs that make you vulnerable to
abuse). This class meets for 10 weeks and is always
filled to the maximum of 15 ladies per class. Tabitha teaches 5 classes
per year.
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Ethics and Choices (training from the
Department of Corrections): to teach decision-making skills.
This is a practical class presented by the DOC to teach inmates about making
choices. Tabitha teachers are chosen because of their consistency in prison
ministry over the years and their excellence in teaching. This class meets for 8 weeks and is always filled to the maximum of 15 ladies per
class. Cindi Wagner is the teacher, and she conducts 5 classes per year.
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Bible Study: Providing foundational Biblical study.
The content of this course varies, sometimes using devotional materials and
sometimes just studying directly from the Word of God. Tabitha has provided
this class every Monday night since 1995. There have been no breaks, no
holidays, no missed classes – Tabitha has been a consistent influence on the
lives of the women we serve. This class meets for 12-week
sessions and the number of women attending varies from 7-20 each week.
This is an on-going class, which has met every Monday night
for 5 years. Teachers are Barbara Barnes, Kathy Green, Faye Lenna, Brenda
Smith, and Cindi Wagner.
Tabitha also provides
Community Sponsors - volunteers who receive training from the DOC in
order to take ladies out for a few hours. Women take prisoners to church or
other outings. This personal involvement is crucial to the ministry.
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