For Immediate Release
Nashville, Tennessee--- The inmates of the Angola Prison system in Louisiana received more than they bargained for when the Prison and Justice Ministry of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. visited them in April. They received a word preached by Dr. Kelly Smith of the Sunday School Publishing Board and restored hope for the future, despite their situations. Although their repentance came at a high price, they are able to look beyond their circumstances for salvation. 

The act of salvation might seem too little too late to some when it comes to the offenders in the prison system; however, some people believe their repentance will set them free. Dr. Kelly M Smith Jr., executive director of the Sunday School Publishing Board, was a person who believed in the repentance of prison offenders—which is why in April of 2009, he participated in a group sharing in a prison crusade led by the director of the Prison and Justice Ministry of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. The group visited the largest prison in the United States, Angola, a maximum security prison in Louisiana. Most of the African- American male inmates there are convicted murderers with an average sentence of ninety-one years.

There inside the prison, the group participated in worship led by the inmates. It consisted of singing songs and men coming forward to dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ. Dr. Smith delivered a sermon, entitled “Blessed” (Matthew 5:1-12), which was centered on how we need to reexamine what we mean when we claim to be blessed. Some of the men later explained that it was Dr. Smith’s hope that enabled them to still see God’s grace in light of their circumstances.

The Prison and Justice Ministry not only seeks to provide worship and ministry to inmates in jail, but also to the families of inmates as well. The absence of a family member usually creates a perpetual cycle of later generations also going to prison. The ministry seeks to break the cycle and reconstruct lives.
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The Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. is one of the largest and most established  African-American-owned publishing companies in the country, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. SSPB has produced Christian-related materials such as books, textbooks, curriculum, programmatic  merchandise, and supplies to over 36,000 churches and the general public for over one hundred years.

For additional information contact:
Shana Armstrong, Marketing Manager
615-254-6833
sarmstrong@sspbnbc.com