About our guest

Links:

•  Catalyst for Peace

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Join us on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

In this meeting we explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration, as well as how we can support their journey and path to freedom. We discuss topics including: What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play in this meaningful work?

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified individuals 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: Staying in touch with program participants, celebrating progress
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.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Video replays

Our mission: In partnership and collaboration with others, we support inmates in their moral and spiritual journey for successful reentry with the assistance of Angel Team members who help find community, faith-based connections, housing, employment, transportation, friendship and mentorship.

About our guest

Eddie Ellis joined the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth team in early 2018. He works with ICAN members across the country, connecting them to each other and with local resources. He also works with other directly impacted communities, including the family members of juvenile lifers.

Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole.

Eddie came home in 2006 and since that time he has worked on a variety of issues, including reentry, solitary confinement, and on behalf of people with disabilities who are in the system and coming home. He has served on the board of directors of a national legal organization, and helped with client center training for lawyers, probation officers and social workers. He is an advocate for those in the system, a mentor, and a motivational speaker. His lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person provides invaluable insight and depth into his work that allows him to connect with and engage the community he serves.

Links:

• Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth
• Purchase “Change is Possible: I Never Gave Up” on Amazon

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

More than 1,000,000 prison inmates now have access to the Christian Science Bible Lesson on their tablets.

When they reenter society, some of these seekers will be looking for a welcoming church community.

Are we ready?

Whether your church currently has an Institutional Committee or not, this is an opportunity to learn more about the new seekers who might be visiting your church soon.

This workshop explores:

• Current Christian Science activities and publications in prisons and jails
• Personal stories of moral character transformation and finding church homes
• How to prayerfully address concerns
• Correcting common misperceptions
• Resources, training and guides for volunteers
• How to participate in the National Angel Team Network to help support individuals in their path to freedom

Invited speakers:

Bob “Woody” Woodard, Marilyn McDonald, Marshall Reddick, Byron Alexander, Kenyard White, Brian Abbott, Elizabeth Arnett

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

About our guest

Jenny England is the Content Partnerships Manager for Edovo, the largest digital learning platform for incarcerated people in the United States. Prior to Edovo, she worked in creative direction and program development for a variety of non-profit organizations, both internationally and domestically. She currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her best friend and their opinionated dogs. When she’s not working, she’s most likely to be found on a pickleball court.

Links:

• Edovo

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Join us on Thursday, June 18, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

In this meeting we typically explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration, as well as how we can support their journey and path to freedom. We discuss topics including: What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play in this meaningful work?

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified individuals 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: Issues we might encounter when setting up a new Angel Team
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.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Video replays

Our mission: In partnership and collaboration with others, we support inmates in their moral and spiritual journey for successful reentry with the assistance of Angel Team members who help find community, faith-based connections, housing, employment, transportation, friendship and mentorship.

About our guest

Rita is a lifelong resident of Reno, Nevada and is married with 5 grown offspring and 11 grandchildren. Her education includes a BA in Philosophy and a Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) in Christian Social Ethics from the Franciscan School of Theology, part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

Rita currently holds a part time position with the Catholic Diocese of Reno, Nevada and serves as the Coordinator of the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada (AVP Nevada).

She has has worked over 20 years in the AVP program.

AVP is an international volunteer program that enables participants to deal with potentially violent situations in new and creative ways.

“What we do” – We don’t lecture or preach. Our experiential workshops use the shared experiences of participants, interactive exercises, games and role plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration, and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence.

Links:

• Alternatives to Violence Project – USA – https://avpusa.org/
• Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada – https://avpnv.org/

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped make our 3rd annual Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries conference a success!

Our Angel Team workshop meeting this month will be focused on sharing take-aways from the conference, next steps, and ideas we can share with others.

We expect to have replays of the individual sessions available in June.

“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, May 15, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

In this meeting we typically explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration, as well as how we can support their journey and path to freedom. We discuss topics including: What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play in this meaningful work?

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified individuals 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: 2025 Embraced & Empowered Conference recap and next steps
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.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Video replays

Our mission: In partnership and collaboration with others, we support inmates in their moral and spiritual journey for successful reentry with the assistance of Angel Team members who help find community, faith-based connections, housing, employment, transportation, friendship and mentorship.

Watch replay videos from our 2024 Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries Conference held at Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas, TX.

Thank you to the generous donors and sponsors who enabled this conference to happen.

2024 Session Replays

THANK YOU to our 2024 Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries Conference Sponsors

– Platinum Sponsors –

Sunnyside Foundation
Third Church of Dallas, Texas
The DFW Zone of the Texas Institutional Committee
Anonymous

– Gold Sponsors –

Amanda Weitman
The Principle Foundation
The Institutional Committee of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area – Sponsored by First Church of Christ, Scientist, Washington DC
Share the Practice – Websites for Christian Scientists
Cox Media Productions

– Bronze Sponsors –

Anonymous

– Individual Ticket Scholarship Sponsors –

Jan True
Deb Wickersham
Lynn Wilson

– Returning Community Member Travel Sponsors –

Deb Wickersham

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

“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, April 17, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Pacific) for our monthly Embraced:Fully Angel Team Workshop Zoom meeting.  Guests are always welcome!

In this meeting we explore how we can support returning citizens as they return home from incarceration, as well as how we can support their journey and path to freedom. We discuss topics including: What is an Angel Team? Who can be part of one? How do we start them up, and what role can our churches play in this meaningful work?

Embraced:Fully Angel Teams help qualified individuals 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: Exploring the journey of moral transformation + May 2-3 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
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.

Register today (no cost) to attend the 2025 Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries conference on Zoom and in Washington D.C.

Watch the video from our 2024 conference in Dallas, TX and register to attend our 2025 conference

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Monthly Donation

One Time Donation

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

View additional donation options here

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Video replays

Our mission: In partnership and collaboration with others, we support inmates in their moral and spiritual journey for successful reentry with the assistance of Angel Team members who help find community, faith-based connections, housing, employment, transportation, friendship and mentorship.

Header photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash