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 ROD Graduation Ceremony: February 2008 |
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ROD Graduation Ceremony: February 2008
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| Current Happenings |
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Adult Rehabilitation Ministry Annual Golf Tournament
Happy New Year we look forward to this upcoming year and feel that God has some awesome plans for the ARM/ROD ministries. God has joined these two awesome mininstries together and we are excited about what he will do. 
ROD Classroom Photos
Larry Gener Teaching
Spanish Group serious at study time
Volunteer Calvin teaching
December 22 Christmas Volunteer Oppourtuntity
Behold unto us a child is born!
It is that time again this year. We will be having our annual Christmas Dinner at the Gatehouse 1128 Sabine Street, Dallas, Texas 75203. Dinner will begin at 12:00 noon. We hope to see you all there. If you are led to participate in this celebration of the birth of Christ with us, we love to celebrate with you. God is doing amazing things in this ministry please continue to pray with and for us.
Thanksgiving Day was a great success! Thanks to all volunteers who attended!
We had lots of food fun and fellowship! Volunteers came out for this event and served. The men ate wonderful home cooking  ! The men stayed up all night cooking a Thanksgiving feast and family members and volunteers brought desserts and sides. Thanks again to all the volunteers who attended. Hope to see you next year to share in this annual event. .
November 22 Thanksgiving Day
We are looking for volunteers to assist us in our annual Thanksgiving Dinner. How can you help?
Servers are needed to serve dinner.
Bring a dish!
We will be excepting monetary donations toward the purchase of the dinner.
Dinner will be served at the Gate house at 12:00 p.m. November 22nd 2007.
The Gate house is located at: 1128 Sabine Street
Dallas, Texas 75203
For questions please contact
Obie Bussey
214-943-8102
214278-2308
469-337-5229
armprogram@aol.com
Please make any donation: payable to Rod Ministries
October 17th
Orientation will be held in the Hutchins State Jail (Pictures will be taken the Saturday prior to orientation
We will have about 120 on the waiting list to attend the next class!!!!!!
October 10th
We will have our 2nd Annual Rod Volunteer Dinner. We appreciate all that our volunteers do inside the prison and in the lives of the men currently incarcerated.
Please come and join us for some great fellowship and food. Come and hear how this wonderful ministry has impacted and changed the lives of men. See you there!
October 3rd
Graduation will be held in the Hutchins State Jail
August 25th
We will be having worship in the Hutchins Prison from 2:30 to 4:30. This will be a wonderful time in the Lord. There will be a speaker from the Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church speaking and of course lots of singing. Keep in prayer for this and all endevours.
September 10 -12th Leadership Network Retreat
Rod will be having our Leadership Network Retreat September 10 thru 12th. This is a annual retreat that consist of Prison and Recovery Ministries around the world. The ministries attending basically come together to gain knowledge and learn best practices as it relates to ministries. We had an awesome time last year learning about various types of prison ministries and what they do. We found out that ROD Ministries and the ARM and ROD model are doing a terrific job and we were able to share some of our best practices and gain some great ideas for the future of this ministry.
Please continue to pray for the ministries all over the world. It is nice to know and builds strength to all the ministries to uplift each other.
August 4th
We will be having our annual Outreach Picnic partnering with the ARM Program. Please mark your calendars to attend this wonderful event. We will be serving the homeless population. Vans will starting picking up at the Day Resource Center, Central Library and the Stewpot in the Downtown area. This is a wonderful oppourtunity to share with us as we share christ with food from our tables and food for the soul. (John 6:5-8)
The ARM and ROD Ministries have been going to the downtown area and witnessing to the homeless population for the entire month of July. In this process we have seen many lives change. We now have 5 and counting of men and women who decided to join the ARM program as a result of our witnessing.
If you are interested in Volunteering in this event please contact the Gatehouse (214) 943-8102.
Volunteer Oppourtunities
We can use the help of all kinds of volunteers with just about any gift! The following are some current and ongoing volunteer needs:
Pen Pal – Volunteers willing to write encouraging letters to inmates, send them birthday cards and keep in touch with them.
Mentor – Volunteers willing to spend a few hours per week counseling, listening and spiritually befriending a ROD client.
Volunteer Coordinator/Event Planner – Individual(s) gifted with organization and making contacts. We need someone to arrange our regular events and gatherings including things such as ordering food and making guest lists. We need someone who can contact volunteers and put them to work in the places they are needed.
IT support – Someone trained in network computing who would be able to come in occasionally and check on our systems, teach us user skills, and troubleshoot problems.
Administrative Support – An individual gifted in organization, who can help us with filing systems, data entry, organizing office supplies, and other regular office duties.
If you can help, please contact us. |
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| About Us |
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What We Do
ROD Ministries is a non-profit organization serving the prison population. ROD acts as an aide through the power of the Gospel to repair, restore and redirect broken lives in area prisons. ROD walks alongside an offender to encourage him or her to a journey of hope and restoration. Our discipleship program begins during incarceration with extensive hands-on Bible teaching, accountability and direction, which continues after release. ROD is available for inmates who are committed to change their lives for the better. Our program may be the crucial difference between an inmate returning to old habits upon release and his or her decision to undertake a productive, purposeful life. ROD has partnered with the Adult Rehabilitation Ministry to assist in the aftercare process, but provides many more aftercare services and opportunities. ARM and WARM (Women’s Adult Rehabilitation Ministry) are designed to provide at-risk men and women with the life skills necessary to become self-sufficient and fully contributing members of the community.
For detailed information on the ROD 3-step program, please see Pre Release.
Our History
ROD Ministries was birthed out of a group of faithful volunteers with a desire to see inmates effectively use the time-out God provided them. The volunteers believe that a growing relationship with Christ Jesus affects how the inmates make choices... separating their futures from yesterday's failures. Over time, one lecture class became three integrated classes requiring homework and affording intimate connections through small discussion groups. ROD now has a format for coming to know our clients and to more effectively plan with them a re-entry and aftercare strategy. The love expressed through our staff and faithful volunteers brings the hope of the Gospel alive. ROD now has a close partnership with ARM/WARM, the aftercare ministry of Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church designed to complete the cycle of recovery and restoration for our mission.
Dedicated on August 27, 2006, the award-winning Gate House administrative and community outreach facility is the fruit of the years of hard work and sacrifice of the Golden Gate congregation, volunteers and staff. The Gate House houses both the ARM/WARM and ROD programs. The new facility enables the programs to serve additional at-risk men, women and families. We also envision establishing a residential program for the Women Adult Rehabilitation Ministry program, and enhance the Church’s Food Share Ministry.
Board of Directors
Stanley K. Barth
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Obie Bussey
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Richard E. LeBlanc
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Carl “Butch” McCaslin
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Billy Pat Robinson
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Staff
Obie Bussey
Executive Director | 
Richard Zapata
Director of Pre Release | 
Jerry Porter
Director of Aftercare | 
Keia Bussey
Director of Administration |
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| Testimonials |
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Most ex-offenders who have successfully completed ROD have gone on to aftercare programs, such as ARM, where they learn skills to maintain a better quality of life. Here are a few of their stories:
“Romans 12:2 says ‘be ye not conformed to the world.’ That is exactly how I was living in a cursed generation, living in bondage. I’ve been involved with alcohol and drugs, and in and out of jail all my life. I am sure many can relate to my story. A life of hurt and emptiness turned me to drugs and getting caught up in the lifestyle of doing whatever it took to get more drugs. I got arrested September 21, 2004, and received a 1-year sentence in the state jail. That was a turning point. I turned to Jesus and grabbed ahold of him with all I had. I knew in my heart that I had to make a decision. I knew in my heart that Jesus was life changing. During the period of my incarceration ROD classes were available to me, where I gained direction in seeking and growing to know God. It was more than what I had pictured. The volunteers love you and show you that the love of God that transformed their lives is there to help transform our lives to what is good and acceptable to God’s perfect will. ROD Ministries has helped not only in a direction of love and fullness of God's joy, but they were able to put me in a transitional place that met my needs, a place where God drew me closer to Him. Finally, I have joy. I have a secure feeling and foundation which is Jesus. God has opened some doors in my life and He will do the same for you.”—Shawn Jones
After being sentenced to Hutchins State Jail, I started to seriously look at my life and the direction it was headed. Change began to be something that I was no longer afraid of. I prayed earnestly for God to direct my life. I overheard some cellmates of mine talking about transitional housing so I asked about it, and they led me down to the chapel. I started going to service there, where I got involved with a group called Warriors for Christ. I attended meetings weekly, and was introduced to ROD. They spoke with me about change and how to actually bring it about. They went as far as to tell me about how to live life in a Christ-like manner, by being the man that God wants me to be every single day. After I was released from Hutchins, ROD lead me to ARM. They taught me commitment, character, discipline, and doing the next right thing. Obedience to God has caused so many doors to open in my life. I now have been clean and sober for almost three years...thanks to GOD. I am currently employed full time, and I am attending Eastfield College where I am studying to be a licensed counselor. I have now found out that if you are committed to change… change will take place.—Stacey Smith |
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| Aftercare |
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Of the 600,000 individuals released from prison every year, 67 percent will return to a life of crime and imprisonment within three years. More than 80 percent of inmates incarcerated have committed a drug-related crime. Opportunities for successful re-entry into society are few. Keys to success are housing, addiction counseling, employment skills, reintegration into the family, and social and conflict resolution skills. Many churches and other groups minister to inmates in prison; however, organized discipleship and aftercare programs are rare. This is where ROD’s aftercare program and partnership with Adult Rehabilitation Ministry comes in.
Aftercare Services
Following release, ROD provides clients with:
- Residential placement if needed
- Transportation such as bus passes
- Job referrals and resume writing
- Clothing, shoes, toiletries and food
- Routine medical exams and procedures via mobile medical unit
- Weekly Christian support groups for clients and their families
- A central directory of available resources and referrals to local providers
- Assistance obtaining driver’s licenses, birth certificates and Social Security cards
- Consultation, encouragement and prayer
- “Bridges of Hope” initiative to maintain contact with and support for clients who choose not to enter a residential program.
Adult Rehabilitation Ministry and Women’s Adult Rehabilitation Ministry
ROD has partnered with the ARM residential program and WARM program because of the measurable success its clients have experienced through these programs. ARM/WARM are for individuals struggling with chemical dependency.
ARM consists of a three-phase residential care program:
Primary Care is a six-month, Christ-centered 12-step recovery curriculum which incorporates intensive Bible study, character development, job readiness and computer training.
Aftercare is an optional six-month program offered to the graduates of Primary Care. This program provides an opportunity for gradual transition into the community and assists with job search, money management and social skills enrichment.
Relapse Intervention is a flexible-term residential program for Primary Care graduates who have relapsed into chemical abuse. New objectives must be established as well as methods of accountability to prevent recurrence.
While WARM is still an outpatient program with a residential option currently in the works, the men who participate in the program, along with their families, become actively involved in Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church. They participate in the Food Share Ministry, Brotherhood, prayer service, Bible studies, Sunday school, evangelism and church choir.
Please visit the ARM website at www.goldengatembc.org for details on these ministries. |
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R.O.D. Ministries - Restoration Outreach of Dallas
1128 Sabine Street • Dallas, Texas 75203 • Phone: 214-946-7224 • Fax: 214-946-1388 • E-mail: rodministries@sbcglobal.net
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