Our special guest for this interview is Whitney Louchheim, Esq., Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Open City Advocates, based in Washington, D.C.

Whitney is a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Washington, D.C.

“Open City Advocates provides mentoring and legal representation to children and youth in the juvenile justice system after sentencing. We support our clients as they reintegrate into their families and communities after incarceration as we fight for a fair and compassionate justice system.”

About our guest

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Join us on Thursday, August 15, at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play?  Join us as we explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration.

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified students of Christian Science coming out of prison find housing, transportation, employment, and most importantly a welcoming church community.

Agenda for the call:

1. Introductions & Announcements – Introduce yourself, are you currently working with any returning community members (or planning to)?
2. Regional Angel Team Updates & Returning Community Member check-ins – sharing progress, challenges, and accomplishments.
3. Visiting and Corresponding Volunteer Chaplain check-ins – updates from the field.
4. Topic for Discussion: Interfaith cooperation ideas for Angel Teams
5. Confirm next meeting dates, wrap up meeting.

This is a monthly working meeting for Embraced:Fully Angel Teams across the nation, and also people interested in volunteering to either start or join one, or participate remotely.  Angel Teams help returning community members succeed in not going back to prison or jail.

Interview replays

Watch the replay of our interview with James Early, Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster

Watch the replay of our interview With Dr. Porshia Haymon, Chief Program Officer At Cafe Momentum

Watch the replay of our interview with Daniel Alexander, Julie Dunsire, and John Nye

Watch the replay of our interview with Janet Horton

Watch the replay of our interview with Christian Science volunteer chaplain George Nutwell!

Watch the replay of our interview with Richard Miles, founder of Miles of Freedom.

Quick Links for Sharing:

• Embraced:Fully Application Form: for Returning Community Members once they have a sponsoring chaplain
• “I was supposed to die in prison” – Troy’s story [Video]
• Just released from San Quentin: Michael’s transformation in Christian Science + Chaplain Dan [Video]

Our mission is to help organize, train, educate and enable Angel Teams across the United States to help prepare qualified returning community members for successful reentry.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Join us on Thursday, July 18, at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play?  Join us as we explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration.

Conference Replay Videos coming soon
We are working on preparing replays of the conference sessions and will make them available as soon as we can so that all can benefit from the wisdom, inspiration, and ideas shared.

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified students of Christian Science coming out of prison find housing, transportation, employment, and most importantly a welcoming church community.

Agenda for the call:

1. Introductions & Announcements – Introduce yourself, are you currently working with any returning community members (or planning to)?
2. Regional Angel Team Updates & Returning Community Member check-ins – sharing progress, challenges, and accomplishments.
3. Visiting and Corresponding Volunteer Chaplain check-ins – updates from the field.
4. Topic for Discussion: Interfaith cooperation ideas for Angel Teams
5. Confirm next meeting dates, wrap up meeting.

This is a monthly working meeting for Embraced:Fully Angel Teams across the nation, and also people interested in volunteering to either start or join one, or participate remotely.  Angel Teams help returning community members succeed in not going back to prison or jail.

Interview replays

Watch the replay of our interview with James Early, Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster

Watch the replay of our interview With Dr. Porshia Haymon, Chief Program Officer At Cafe Momentum

Watch the replay of our interview with Daniel Alexander, Julie Dunsire, and John Nye

Watch the replay of our interview with Janet Horton

Watch the replay of our interview with Christian Science volunteer chaplain George Nutwell!

Watch the replay of our interview with Richard Miles, founder of Miles of Freedom.

Quick Links for Sharing:

• Embraced:Fully Application Form: for Returning Community Members once they have a sponsoring chaplain
• “I was supposed to die in prison” – Troy’s story [Video]
• Just released from San Quentin: Michael’s transformation in Christian Science + Chaplain Dan [Video]

Our mission is to help organize, train, educate and enable Angel Teams across the United States to help prepare qualified returning community members for successful reentry.

Our special guest for this interview is James Early, a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. We’ll be exploring how to make use of the Bible in a prison setting to reach the hearts and minds of inmates in their search for transformation.

About our guest

James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He has conducted Christian Science Bible workshops at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT since October 2008. His focus is on sharing Christian Science in the language of the Bible. James gives Bible talks and conducts workshops, online as well as in person, covering a wide range of topics to churches and groups. He is in the part-time practice of Christian Science, has served as First and Second Reader in his branch church in Ridgefield, CT. He produces a podcast, The Bible Speaks to You, which has had listeners in 176 countries. He lives in Bethel, CT with his wife, Polly Castor and enjoys hiking and organic gardening.

Subscribe to The Bible Speaks to You podcast here

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Join us on Thursday, June 20, at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play?  Join us as we explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration.

Conference Replay Videos coming soon
We are working on preparing replays of the conference sessions and will make them available as soon as we can so that all can benefit from the wisdom, inspiration, and ideas shared.

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified students of Christian Science coming out of prison find housing, transportation, employment, and most importantly a welcoming church community.

Agenda for the call:

1. Introductions & Announcements – Introduce yourself, are you currently working with any returning community members (or planning to)?
2. Regional Angel Team Updates & Returning Community Member check-ins – sharing progress, challenges, and accomplishments.
3. Visiting and Corresponding Volunteer Chaplain check-ins – updates from the field.
4. Topic for Discussion: Basics of an Angel Team and how do Remote Angel Teams work?
5. Confirm next meeting dates, wrap up meeting.

This is a monthly working meeting for Embraced:Fully Angel Teams across the nation, and also people interested in volunteering to either start or join one, or participate remotely.  Angel Teams help returning community members succeed in not going back to prison or jail.

Interview replays

Watch the replay of our interview With Dr. Porshia Haymon, Chief Program Officer At Cafe Momentum

Watch the replay of our interview with Daniel Alexander, Julie Dunsire, and John Nye

Watch the replay of our interview with Janet Horton

Watch the replay of our interview with Christian Science volunteer chaplain George Nutwell!

Watch the replay of our interview with Richard Miles, founder of Miles of Freedom.

Quick Links for Sharing:

• Embraced:Fully Application Form: for Returning Community Members once they have a sponsoring chaplain
• “I was supposed to die in prison” – Troy’s story [Video]
• Just released from San Quentin: Michael’s transformation in Christian Science + Chaplain Dan [Video]

Our mission is to help organize, train, educate and enable Angel Teams across the United States to help prepare qualified returning community members for successful reentry.

About our guest

Dr. Porshia Haymon, affectionately known as Dr. P by those associated with Cafe Momentum, is the Chief Program Officer at Café Momentum in Dallas. She is a clinical psychologist and has been with the organization for five years. Café Momentum is a nonprofit that provides a paid post-release internship for justice-involved youth. Dr. Haymon’s work focuses on providing mental health services to the youth served, as well as equipping staff with skills to work with this population, while also implementing programing to provide youth with life skills, education, and employment opportunities. Additionally, Dr. Haymon has been employed by The Chicago School of Psychology, Dallas Campus as an adjunct professor. Dr. Haymon enjoyed her role as an adjunct professor because it provided her with an opportunity to assist future psychologists with expanding their minds and goals as it relates to their role in the field of psychology. Prior to beginning her work at Café Momentum, Dr. Haymon was a Mental Health Clinician for Dallas County at Medlock Residential Treatment Facility and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology for Richardson ISD.

Dr. Haymon is originally from Mississippi and completed her degrees at Xavier University of LA and Jackson State University. She is a parent of a 16-year-old daughter and enjoys reading and time with family. Dr. Haymon enjoys her current role with Café Momentum because of opportunities to help change the trajectory of the lives of youth with whom she works, as well as the opportunity to share with the community about the work Café Momentum is doing.

More information about Cafe Momentum: https://cafemomentum.org/

Join us on Thursday, May 16, at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

We’ll be sharing our take-aways from our 2nd annual conference recently concluded in Dallas, Texas, and will also be touching base with our established Angel Teams.

Conference Replay Videos coming soon
We are working on preparing replays of the conference sessions and will make them available as soon as we can so that all can benefit from the wisdom, inspiration, and ideas shared.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified students of Christian Science coming out of prison find housing, transportation, employment, and most importantly a welcoming church community.

Agenda for the call:

1. Introductions & Announcements – Introduce yourself, are you currently working with any returning community members (or planning to)?
2. Regional Angel Team Updates & Returning Community Member check-ins – sharing progress, challenges, and accomplishments.
3. Visiting and Corresponding Volunteer Chaplain check-ins – updates from the field.
4. Topic for Discussion: Key take-aways from the 2024 Embraced & Empowered annual conference
5. Confirm next meeting dates, wrap up meeting.

This is a monthly working meeting for Embraced:Fully Angel Teams across the nation, and also people interested in volunteering to either start or join one, or participate remotely.  Angel Teams help returning community members succeed in not going back to prison or jail.

Interview replays

Watch the replay of our interview with Daniel Alexander, Julie Dunsire, and John Nye

Watch the replay of our interview with Janet Horton

Watch the replay of our interview with Christian Science volunteer chaplain George Nutwell!

Watch the replay of our interview with Richard Miles, founder of Miles of Freedom.

Quick Links for Sharing:

• Embraced:Fully Application Form: for Returning Community Members once they have a sponsoring chaplain
• “I was supposed to die in prison” – Troy’s story [Video]
• Just released from San Quentin: Michael’s transformation in Christian Science + Chaplain Dan [Video]

Our mission is to help organize, train, educate and enable Angel Teams across the United States to help prepare qualified returning community members for successful reentry.

By Jeanine Lambert, C.S.

1.  If this work is calling you – Know that your whole life has been preparation for this calling.   (SH 107:3 “God had been graciously preparing me during many years for the reception of this…revelation…”)
2. Spend time praying specifically for the prison system.   (Isa. 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?)
3. Handle Animal Magnetism thoroughly (Hymn 517:2 Who can separate us from the love of God? Truth is here to shield us with its staff & rod; What is there to harm us when this help is sure? We are more than conquerors; we rest secure.)
4. Prepare a lesson plan – usually things that speak to you from the Bible Lesson. (Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; Prepare ye the way of the Lord…)
5. Listen for where God wants you to go – Listen to the inmates, in particular, meet them where they are in thought.  (Isa. 35:8 And an highway shall be there and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness.)
6. Be willing to completely upend your planned lesson, if necessary.  (SH 583:20 Mind is…the animating divine Principle of all that is real and good…)  It is animating you!
7. Ask them what they got from your time together – this often surprised and delighted me!  Ask them if they’d like you to pray for them.  (Matt. 7:7 Ask and it shall be given, knock and it shall be opened unto you).
8. Pray to know that “the Word of God, Dvine Science “(SH p.503) is meeting their needs right where they are. The Christ is present in the prisons – you are just a witness. (Hymn 412 The Christ is here(there), all dreams of error breaking…)

And if you can’t remember all these steps then just remember Mrs. Eddy’s quote from Message ‘01 1:19   “Sincerity is greater than genius or talent.”

You are invited to join us for a special pre-conference sneak-peak as we interview several of our featured conference speakers.  We’ll be live and on-site in Dallas.  Don’t miss it!

This is your last chance to register to attend the conference! We still have both Zoom and in-person spots available.

Enter promo code LASTCHANCE during checkout for 30% off your registration.

Click here to register now

NOTE: If you are a resident of Texas, the DFW Zone of the Texas Institutional Committee is offering complimentary tickets to the conference.  Please contact Bob Woodard (bwoodard@gmail.com) to take advantage of this special offer.

Our guests for this pre-conference interview include:

• Richard Miles is the founder of Miles of Freedom. At the age of 19, Richard Miles was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 60 years for a crime that he did not commit. On February 15, 2012, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed his conviction and declared him to be truly innocent. His case was the first non-DNA, non-recantation exoneration, ever tried in Texas. Richard made the decision to use a portion of the money he received from the state to provide comprehensive reentry services for people and families affected by incarceration. His non-profit organization, Miles of Freedom, located in Dallas is now 11 years old.  Richard and his team assist individuals returning home from prison by helping them obtain identification, enroll in college and secure housing. The group also provides computer and career training, financial literacy programs and job placement. Richard has received national recognition for his work featured on CNN and other major news organizations and publications.
• Dwight Tostenson is Chief Executive Officer at The Redemption Project. In this role, Dwight oversees the strategic direction of the organization with a particular emphasis on the Virtues for Success curriculum. Dwight has been approved by the Bureau of Prisons to serve as a mentor for incarcerated individuals and routinely visits the prisons in which The Redemption Project operates. Dwight has a strong passion for social justice and for providing second chances to former felons. He also brings over 20 years of executive management experience to the organization.
• Sister Mary Sean Hodges founded the Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP) in Los Angeles, over 20 years ago. The Correspondence Courses offered by PREP are designed to give inmates tools to change an inmate’s attitudes, thought patterns, and subsequently their lives, making them better human beings and productive members of the community upon release. PREP has served over 40,000 men since its inception and is perhaps the most successful inmate correspondence program in the U.S. Today there are 10,000 inmates participating in PREP courses in all California prisons and in 11 other states. PREP also operates 7 transitional houses in Los Angeles for those who were formerly incarcerated.
• Anna Lisa Kronman is a Christian Science Practitioner, formerly a Christian Science Nurse. She currently serves as the President of The Principle Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Kansas City. Anna Lisa also serves on the Advisory Committee for Embraced:Fully.
• Bob Woodard is a highly respected business consultant whose work has helped to create numerous non-profit success stories. Bob is on the Embraced:Fully Advisory Board, but his heart and true love is in serving as Volunteer Prison Chaplain in the state of Texas. He also serves as an Embraced Fully Angel Team Leader, Mentor, and Member. He is currently the Chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Zone of his state’s Christian Science State Institutional Committee. He is a loving husband, father, grandfather, skier, and tennis player. Bob resides in Dallas, TX.

All are welcome to attend!

If you attended our conference, or have questions, please bring them! We’re going to be exploring the exciting next steps we have in mind as we move forward together.

Our special guests for this interview will be Anna Lisa Kronman, CS from California, Bob Woodard from Texas, and Barb Weiser from Oregon.

Topic for the interview: Follow up and next steps after our first annual Conference

Please bring your questions, ideas and comments!

Also be sure to visit the Post-Conference Downloads and Links page if you haven’t already.

All are welcome to attend!