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 Every child has a story. For 1.7 million American children, that story is filled with the abandonment, loneliness, and shame that comes from having a mom or dad in prison. For many, it may also include following their parents down the same destructive road to incarceration.
For Angel from California, her story began with a deep anger toward her mother, who was serving her third stint in prison. Most days, she shut herself in her room, only to venture out to go to school, where she fought with other students, spat back at her teachers, and disregarded her assignments till she got F's on her report card.
But over the next few months, Angel Tree®, through a local church, provided a way for Angel to go to camp, where she heard about Jesus and made a decision to forgive her mom. Now the two are good friends, and Angel has found a second home in the church that reached out to her with Christ's love.
"Now that I'm going to church, God is with me more often. I can feel like I always really trust Him. He's just like a friend," Angel says.
If a story like Angel's could be re-written, any child's can.
About Angel Tree
Angel Tree is a ministry that reaches out to the children of inmates and their families with the love of Christ. This unique program gives your church an opportunity to share Christ’s love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.
Angel Tree Christmas works by connecting parents in prison with their children through the delivery of Christmas gifts. Every Christmas, thousands of churches like yours help brighten the lives of countless children by purchasing, wrapping and delivering gifts on behalf of their incarcerated parent—not only delivering a message of love from parent to child, but also the true meaning of Christmas—the good news of Jesus Christ.
But Angel Tree doesn’t end with Christmas. For you and your church, that first Christmas connection can be the beginning of a rewarding ongoing relationship with these children and their families. Continue your Angel Tree ministry throughout the year and God will use your church to help these children and their families grow in their faith, strengthen their relationships with imprisoned parents, and fulfill the purposes that God has for their lives.
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