The Metanoia Minute

Monthly Prayer Requests and Ministry Updates
October 2019

In This Issue:

Greeting • Updates • Prayer Requests • Travel Schedule • Events • Media • About

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Dear Friend,

Thank you for partnering with Metanoia Ministries in prayer. We have a saying around the office that prayer is the work of the ministry.
We are pleased to announce the addition of Mr. Mark Andrews to our staff. Mark will serve as our Regional Director, NC. Mark lives in the Charlotte area and serves as a Ruling Elder at blankety blank church. While Mark is officially starting this month, he has already hit the ground running. We are excited to have him serving with us in North Carolina.
We have much going on this month. We are hoping that you will commit to praying each day for us throughout the month. Pray that God will continue to work in and through us as we Remember the prisoner as though chained with them. (Heb. 13:3)

October Updates and Praises

• Metanoia
• We were hoping to begin mentoring at Leath CI in Greenwood, SC on October 8th. We've pushed that date back into November due to several factors. Please pray for this new work.
• As mentioned above, we are thankful for the addition of Mark Andrews to the staff.
• Through the first 9 months of 2019, we have trained 67 men and 17 women to serve as mentors.

October Prayer Requests

• Please pray about our newest work at Leath Correctional in Greenwood, SC. The launch has been postponed until November.
• Please pray that God will grant us discernment and understanding as we look to help TN begin mentoring.
• Please pray for each of our staff: Shelly Marshall: Correspondence Ministry Administrator, John Theoharis: Associate Coordinator, Tim McCracken, Regional Director, San Joaquin Valley, Paul Miller, Regional Director, Texas, Tony Rogers, Regional Director, SC, Barry Smith, Regional Director, TN and MINTS Seminary Coordinator, Steven Howell, Mentor Ministry Administrator, Mark Andrews, Regional Director, NC
• Please pray for student longevity in the correspondence ministry. We want to work with students as long as possible.
• Please pray for more mentors at each of our mentor sites. Pray that God will raise up laborers for this ministry.
• Please pray about giving to Metanoia financially. Also pray that God will bring new partners in this work.
• Please pray for me as I have a heavy travel schedule in October and early November.

October Travel Dates

• 11: Leath Correctional, Greenwood, SC: Ministry Fair
• 12-13: Greenville, SC: Mitchell Road PCA, Local Ministry Weekend
• 18-20: New Braunfels, TX: Christ Presbyterian Church Ministry Presentation
• 25-27: Greenville, SC: Rocky Creek Baptist Church, Mentor Training.

Upcoming Events

I thought it might be good for you to be aware of various events that we are scheduling so that you can both pray for us, and attend if you find yourself in the area. Here are the events on the calendar thus far:

• October 12-13: Mitchell Road, PCA, Local Missions Weekend.

Videos & Interviews

MNA-Metanoia Prison Ministries has been blessed with some videos that were produced by Genesis One Productions, with the help of Christ Covenant Church. Andy Caldwell directed, shot and edited the videos, and I think he did a fantastic job. You can watch the videos here: Metanoia Video and Metanoia Video 2. Please let me know what you think. Also, please visit Ligonier.org and watch another video here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/metanoia-prison-ministries/

If you would like to listen to an interview by Dan Frye of A Rebel's Cause Radio, you can watch or listen here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=31312142251
If you are interested in listening to the podcast interview with William Hill of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Confessing our Hope podcast, it can be heard here: http://www.gpts.edu/podcast/Broadcast7_(Casson).mp3

In 2017 I was interviewed by Eric Nevins, who hosts the podcast, "Halfway There". You can listen to his interview here: http://ericnevins.com/podcast/halfwaythere/037/

About the Cassons

Mark Casson is a husband, father, businessman, author and PCA Ruling Elder who also happens to have spent over 15 years serving a life sentence in California's prison system. He is the Director of Metanoia Prison Ministries and the Director of Prison Ministry for Mission to North America. Mark is a sought-after speaker who has taken the gospel of grace to high schools, college campuses, prisons and churches. He has a passion for mercy ministry to prisoners that is infectious.
His beautiful wife, Raylene has been a school teacher for more than 20 years and has taught in Bolivia, Canada, and the U.S. in both Christian and public schools. Raylene currently works as a first grade teacher in the Hamilton County School District in Chattanooga, TN.
They have two precious daughters. Eliana is 10 years old and has played in CA, NY, FL, MT, UT, OR, ID, NV, AZ, NM, TX, OK., TN, SC, HI, WI, GA, SD, WY, AL and MN. She loves her little sister, Joelle, who is 7. Their daddy calls them his beloved rapscallions.

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The Metanoia Minute

Monthly Prayer Requests and Ministry Updates
July 2019

In This Issue:

Greeting • Updates • Prayer Requests • Travel Schedule • Events • Media • About

Dear Friend,

July is the month we celebrate Independence Day and we fire up the grill for some BBQ. For many of us, there will be a vacation away from home, a time to spend with family and friends.
For our brothers and sisters in prison, July is simply another month on the calendar. There won't be any grilling and little celebrating. No vacations away from the cell-block and probably little family interaction.
This month, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, would you stop for a moment and pray for our Christian family who reside behind the walls, fences and razor wire? "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also." Heb. 13:3.

July Updates and Praises

• Metanoia held its annual Face-to-Face board meeting June 12-14. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and meeting time. Praise be to God for the Board He has given us!
• From June 24-28 I was in Dallas, TX for the PCA's General Assembly. I had many good conversations about ministry to prisoners.
• While at the PCA's General Assembly, Metanoia had 4 staff members present and one board member present! We were well-represented!
• I was asked to be in a video called "Voices of the PCA". That video should be out sometime in the next 10 months.
• Praise God for His work in our Mentor Ministry. We have been mentoring now for 7 years. Our recidivism rate for mentees released during this time is 2.6%! Life-on-life mentoring is having an impact.

July Prayer Requests

• Please pray for more students for the correspondence ministry. Pray, too, that our relationships with students will go deep.
• Please pray for each of our staff: Shelly Marshall: Correspondence Ministry Administrator, John Theoharis: Associate Coordinator, Randy Jackson, Regional Director NW Georgia, Tim McCracken, Regional Director, San Joaquin Valley, Paul Miller, Regional Director, N Texas, Tony Rogers, Regional Director, SC, Barry Smith, Regional Director, FL and MINTS Seminary Coordinator, Steven Howell, Mentor Ministry Administrator
• Please pray for student longevity in the correspondence ministry. We want to work with students as long as possible.
• Please pray for more mentors at each of our mentor sites. Pray that God will raise up laborers for this ministry.
• Please continue to pray that God will provide the necessary finances for the ministry He has called us to do.
• Please pray for safe travel mercies for our family as we go on vacation this month.

• 9-23: Lockport, NY, Addison, NY, Elkhart Lake, WI: Family Vacation!
• 26-28: Greenville, SC: Mentor training.

Upcoming Events

I thought it might be good for you to be aware of various events that we are scheduling so that you can both pray for us, and attend if you find yourself in the area. Here are the events on the calendar thus far:

• July 10-24: KY, NY, IN, WI: Family Vacation!

Videos & Interviews

MNA-Metanoia Prison Ministries has been blessed with some videos that were produced by Genesis One Productions, with the help of Christ Covenant Church. Andy Caldwell directed, shot and edited the videos, and I think he did a fantastic job. You can watch the videos here: Metanoia Video and Metanoia Video 2. Please let me know what you think. Also, please visit Ligonier.org and watch another video here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/metanoia-prison-ministries/

If you would like to listen to an interview by Dan Frye of A Rebel's Cause Radio, you can watch or listen here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=31312142251
If you are interested in listening to the podcast interview with William Hill of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Confessing our Hope podcast, it can be heard here: http://www.gpts.edu/podcast/Broadcast7_(Casson).mp3

In 2017 I was interviewed by Eric Nevins, who hosts the podcast, "Halfway There". You can listen to his interview here: http://ericnevins.com/podcast/halfwaythere/037/

Mark Casson is a husband, father, businessman, author and PCA Ruling Elder who also happens to have spent over 15 years serving a life sentence in California's prison system. He is the Director of Metanoia Prison Ministries and the Director of Prison Ministry for Mission to North America. Mark is a sought-after speaker who has taken the gospel of grace to high schools, college campuses, prisons and churches. He has a passion for mercy ministry to prisoners that is infectious.
His beautiful wife, Raylene has been a school teacher for more than 20 years and has taught in Bolivia, Canada, and the U.S. in both Christian and public schools. Raylene currently works as a first grade teacher in the Hamilton County School District in Chattanooga, TN.
They have two precious daughters. Eliana is 10 years old and has played in CA, NY, FL, MT, UT, OR, ID, NV, AZ, NM, TX, OK., TN, SC, HI, WI, GA, SD, WY, AL and MN. She loves her little sister, Joelle, who is 7. Their daddy calls them his beloved rapscallions.

Keeping up with Jonah Aug-Sep 2019 (identity withheld for personal safety)

“Thanks be to the Lord, who daily carries our burdens for us. God is our salvation”. (Psalm 68:19)

Dear Prayer Partners,

Grace and peace of the Lord be with you always!

First of all we are so excited to let you know that after extreme hot weather for so long, finally yesterday the much-awaited monsoon rains of the season brought joy to the hearts of millions of people in our city. Of course the after effects of the rain took away the joy. The power outages, flooded streets not only with rain water but sewers overflowing and traffic jams are some of the reasons that makes life difficult. Due to heat people were dying and now due to rain people have lost their lives as well. The tragedy of the city is very simple. First we desperately yearn for rains, and when it falls, we pray for it to go away as without rain there are problems and after rain there are more problems. Anyway, we are glad to have relief from heat. We have really enjoyed the cooler weather that came with the rains.

• Please join us in prayer for those who are suffering because of mismanagement and lack of basic facilities and concern for human life here.
• After effects of rain are heart-breaking. There is no electricity from past 18 hours for some area. Please pray for leaders to make life easier for people.
• At least 16 people died in our city alone who died in our city alone mostly from electrocution. Pray for their families for comfort and peace.
• How do we provide any comfort for those who are hurting? Please pray for wisdom for us too.

Second, for more than two years we have been praying to start a new Bible Study group in a different city but doors were not opened. We are thankful to God and for your faithful prayers, we now have a Bible Study group in a different city. Every Tuesday evening there is a Bible Study group. It started with less than 20 people and we now have over 55 people come to this weekly gathering. The best part of this group is that one of our young leader is teaching. We plan to visit this group in September and hold a day long training Seminar not only for this group but other people who might like to come and join us.

• Please pray for this new B.S. group for open minds, open spirits and open hearts to receive eternal wisdom, guidance and His wonderful love.
• Please pray for the Leader of the group to faithfully and prayerfully prepare B.S. to teach well.
• Pray for His righteousness to transcend all our efforts.
• Pray that through this group, others will see the need of meeting together to strengthen their love for the Lord and then reach out to others in the community.

For unknown reasons, eight “Workers Families” in the North of the country are asked by the authorities to leave the country. It is not encouraging news as we think more workers might be facing the same challenges in days to come.

• Please join us in prayer for Lord’s directions for these families as they think though for their future engagement in ministry.
• Pray for new doors to be opened for them.
• Pray for courage and encouragement for all of these families.
• Pray for replacement of leadership from local resources.

We were planning to have a meeting in the middle of July with our Publisher to discuss the reprinting of the third book. There are some complications in this regards. Now we hope to have a meeting with the Publisher in the first week of September. We seek His wisdom to discuss matters with Committee members and our Publisher.

• Please pray for unity of minds, thoughts and deeper understanding to provide good books to the public here that they might see the Gospel of grace.

• Pray for good relationship and good understanding among the Committee members.

• Pray for reprint of the third book to take place soon.

Our weekly gatherings in different parts of the city where people are fed with spiritual food is very rewarding. Our ongoing Bibles and S.D. Cards distribution is one of the main out-reach tool that we make available to those who are willing to receive these free gifts is a blessing.

Here are few prayer concerns for the country in general:

• Please pray for those who are reading or watch videos or studying other Christian literature that the Father will open their hearts and mind to know the truth of the Gospel.

• It is a great challenge in this dry land to openly accept the truth of the Gospel. Pray for the spiritually oppressed in remote areas to encounter the Gospel.

• Bible distribution to folk is taking place and our prayers are that more will be encouraged to read, study and take the step in faith to follow the Lord.

• Please pray for Christian women who regularly face harassment that the Lord will provide courage and boldness to them and their families.

• Pray that the government would create safe spaces in which they can work, and that God would protect them and bless them with much needed resources.

• From the past few years forced marriage and conversion is a real problem both for Christian and Hindu girls. The girls are abducted by Muslim men and forced to marry against their will. Once this happens they automatically become Muslim. Please pray for their protection and that they can escape these unlawful marriages.

• Please pray for those who are still in prison facing hardship with no hope of freedom

We both are thankful for good health, and opportunities to share the Gospel with people here. We thank you for taking time to stand with us through you prayerful support. It is always encouraging to hear from you too. We are always mindful of this advice, and we keep in mind, rejoice always, pray constantly, and in all circumstances give thanks. The Oswald Chambers said, “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.”

Once again, thank you for taking time to read and join us in prayers.

His blessings and our love and prayers.

Jonah "of Nineveh"