03/13/2023
This is an update to catch you up on what's happening in and through Cadence Call Ministries.
UPDATE NEWSLETTER—WINTER 2022-23 CADENCE CALL MINISTRIES
The last three years at Cadence Call Ministries have provided challenges, redirection and great vision. Let me recap a bit.
2021—THE YEAR OF COVID—Losing our access to prison (Prison Fellowship Ministries at Bibb Correctional) due to the COVID lockdown, I redirected our ministry to helping those who were transitioning out of prison. I provided chaplaincy services, group and personal Bible Study and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Alliance Reentry Center in Bessemer. During this year we were approached by a gentleman who was referred to me because of my area of work to help set up a program for men who had just been sentenced to long prison terms (or waiting for sentencing which was expected to be long term) as an alternative to prison. His vision was to involve a very intense effort to change the thinking patterns of those with patterns of incarceration. My task was to develop the curriculum, assemble the facilitators team and provide onsite oversight of the program. During September of 2021 I caught COVID-19 Delta Variant and was in the in the hospital for 21 days, on oxygen for an additional month and had a long recuperation period. In addition, because of Chronic Kidney Disease, I was put on hemodialysis, had to have 2 surgeries for an access port and had to go to Veterans Administration Hospital three days a week for dialysis. During recuperation, hemodialysis and oxygen therapy, I continued to plan for this new program called Forward to Freedom with its visionaries and administration. I worked at the program site 3 days a week through my health difficulties with the exception of when I was hospitalized. Cadence Call Ministries developed a partnership with Forward to Freedom of Alabama and we put plans in place to accept participants in early 2022.
2022—THE YEAR OF FORWARDD TO FREEDOM—
After months of planning and acquiring facilitators, we began with our first Forward to Freedom group of 6 men on April 2022. The men were selected by Judge Pulliam based on her experience with them. The curriculum and leadership fit together beautifully to provide a great program for these men. Forward to Freedom is a faith based Christian program of intense coursework and counseling and includes the requirement of the participants going as a group to a local church each Sunday morning in addition to their daily class time. Of course, there were some hiccups. We had two men to leave the program and made note of improvements that would be beneficial to the program. This first group graduated on July 29, 2022. What had originally been intended to be a 180 day program became a 90 day program. The participants had jobs when they graduated and had continuing contact with the mentors for a time.
The second Forward to Freedom group began September 19, 2022, and graduated on December 14, 2022. Improvements were made in the program and we could see the positive effect on the participants. This group started with 7, of which 4 graduated.
During the first two groups we had two men get baptized and several others accepted Christ.
One of the major things we added to our program during the end of the first group and continued through the second group was Neurofeedback. The goal of neurofeedback is to physically renew the brain by redirecting neurons from their injured condition to the way they were created to function. It has been very beneficial to our participants. Unfortunately, we have had to drop this aspect of our program in 2023 because of funding constraints.
Personally, in August of 2022 I transitioned from hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis. This form is much easier on the body and it is done at home while I relax or sleep. It is done 6 nights a week for 10 hours, so planning is necessary, but I can keep an almost normal work schedule with PD. I feel better and my energy level is much better. This allows me to be personally involved in the Forward to Freedom program five to six days a week.
2023—CONTINUED EXPANSION AND PROGRESS
In 2023 we moved our resident facility from ARC Reentry Centers to Shepherd’s Fold which is located between Bessemer and Homewood. This provides us with more room, lower fees and a very cooperative residence staff.
On January 25 we received our third group of men to go through the Forward to Freedom program. Ten men were sent to us by Judge Pulliam. These ten men appear to be better vetted for our program and all had clear drug tests on day one. Other groups have had active addictions we have tried to help them overcome. Additionally, this group is eager to learn and eager to benefit fully from our program. They regularly thank us for what we do for them through this program. Please pray for each of them to keep their eyes and minds focused and to complete the program without any hiccups. We had one leave the program last week, leaving us nine.
We have maintained our excellent facilitator staff with little change and Sgt Major Jerry McClain has become the Operations Director for Forward to Freedom. Facilitators include Jerry McClain, John Murphy, Willie Holmes, Allen “Thunder” Scott and Eddie Burchfield. Each teaches one day a week and “Thunder” commutes from Huntsville.
Our structure is a bit different with this group in that they breakfast, exercise and a Bible Study in the early mornings. Regular classes begin at 10:30 am and run until 2:30 pm. They have a break until 3:00 pm at which time they start with our new Literacy Program from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Mondays during this time period they have Financial Management and on Fridays they have group counseling. We will be adding additional counseling soon. We are continuing to require Sunday church attendance and my wife, Anita, and I accompany them each Sunday.
Regarding the Literacy Initiative, Central Alabama Literacy Council’s Steve Hannum has partnered with Cadence Call Ministries to provide reading and comprehension lessons to get all of our Forward to Freedom participants up to a level where they can function well in society and in the job market. We are also addressing Math Proficiency issues. We are working to try to get all of them a GED, Job Skills Certifications and other training that will help them get and maintain a job. This initiative is going well and the participants are realizing how much they are gaining from this program. Starting February 23, we introduced the participants to a writing initiative that they will be doing on Thursday afternoons. Indiana Prison Writers Workshop has shown great success in Indiana and is now spreading its work to Alabama. Our current Forward to Freedom group is the first men’s group outside Indiana to have the privilege of benefiting from this program. This will help them a great deal in learning to communicate effectively.
Moving forward, our plan is to have two groups in our program at the same time. As Group 3 (our current 90 day intense learning group) progresses to Phase 2 (a second 90 days) with jobs and continued coursework, we intend to start Goup 4. As Group 4 progresses to Phase 2 we will start Group 5.
We are also collecting data in several areas in pre and post assessments. We will be studying these to provide data for progress in values, character, biblical literacy, corrective thinking, “authentic manhood”, educational progress and certifications.
On a personal note, we are healthy, happy and very active in many aspects of ministry and in preparation for enhancing our programs. Anita and I are attending leadership training for Celebrate Recovery. Most of the men who get into our program have a history of addiction, if not active addiction. In addition, most have severe trauma that needs to be dealt with. Celebrate Recovery should be very helpful to them and we plan to be equipped to lead by early 2024, if not before. CR is designed to not only deal with addictions, but also with hurts, habits and hang-ups, which often lead to addictions and dysfunction.
Anita and I are also enrolled in Hebraic Institute. Our current class is called Messiah Mosaic and links Old Testament passages and concepts to Jesus, the Messiah of the New Testament. Our classes at Hebraic Institute have been very enlightening and have deepened our understanding of the Bible and deepened our faith.
People ask us what are our needs and the needs of our participants. Of course, the first and most important need is prayer. Please pray for our participants to focus their thinking on creating a new life for themselves, thinking biblically and developing the self-discipline necessary to live a life that will be beneficial to themselves and a positive and contributing model for their families and community. Pray that all will surrender their lives to Jesus. Pray for us as we minister—that we would stay healthy, would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the needs of these participants and others who need our help.
The participants’ physical needs are mostly met by our Forward to freedom partner who pays for their residence fees for the first 3 months as well as outside activities for the participants. We could always use men’s clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc. or Wal-Mart Gift Cards to cover such items. We also need monies to cover the materials the participants use in our program. They are expensive, but well worth it. These would be tax deductible donations to Cadence Call Ministries.
Cadence Call Ministries needs financial support to cover the cost of our contributions to this effort—time, gas money, auto repairs, tires, continuing education, networking and a salary and retirement program for me as Executive Director of Cadence Call Ministries. We are also helping other individuals by counseling, providing transportation and making referrals for their specific needs (some of which we underwrite and are very costly). We need a “slush fund” to enable us to help others as they come to us.
If you know of someone who would like to donate an automobile to Cadence Call Ministries they would get a tax write-off for the value of the auto. We need vehicles for our personal use in the ministries, for us to provide (sell) to the participants during Phase 2 of our program or to sell to others to provide funds for our ministries.
We are constantly getting inquiries from others who ask us to assist, train or set up ministries that are out of Birmingham. We had two just last week. We would like to be able to duplicate the programs we are doing in other areas, but it takes capital to make that happen. We would appreciate your contributions or your referring others to us who might want to financially help underwrite this much needed work.
We so appreciate your interest, prayers, support and encouragement as we at Cadence Call Ministries take the corrective thinking process and Biblical values to those who need it most.
Chaplain John Murphy
