认识保罗·威尔

Jesus' description of His earthly ministry included a call to "proclaim release to the captives" (Luke 4:18). Later on, He identified His followers as those who share His love with prisoners (Matt. 25:36). So, 二十多年了, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College have been the hands and feet of Jesus for men and women living in prison.

Currently, NOBTS offers theological education to the residents of six institutions in four states. Since this work started, hundreds of inmates have earned degrees and certificates. Many of them have been released to share the message of Jesus outside the walls of correctional facilities. Others have been transferred to different prisons and have become missionaries on these new mission fields.

一个研究生, 保罗将, felt God’s call to begin what is believed to be the first fully-constituted Southern Baptist congregation inside a prison. 保罗, who was serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, 第一次看到监狱教堂的异象是在2006年. 在接下来的几年里, he helped lead the congregation through the necessary steps until Grace Baptist Church was officially accepted as a member of Louisiana’s Washington Baptist Association and the Baptist Convention in 2015.

I wrote to the Washington Baptist Association, and they sent out a credentials committee. The next thing was writing up the church constitution and all of our bylaws. 这是一次奇妙的经历. And to this day, Grace is there and has its third duly ordained pastor.

尽管他的生活充满了绝望, 药物成瘾, 还有自杀的念头, 保罗 found Jesus in the days following his arrest for aggravated kidnapping. While in a Philadelphia jail, he met “a little minister by the name of William Rivera.” That encounter led to a spiritual transformation in 保罗’s life. For the first time, he understood Jesus’ identity as Messiah and Savior. As a young man whose biological father had died before he was born, he also embraced a spiritual Father who would change the trajectory of his life forever.

最终, 保罗被引渡到新奥尔良, 他被起诉的绑架是在哪里发生的. During his time in the parish jail, he first experienced God’s call to become a pastor and teacher. He admits the call was difficult to process since he knew he was on his way to Angola. But in faith, he began the process of seeking out resources for theological education. That’s where his life intersected with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College.

我意识到我不懂圣经. I knew I would have to study the rest of my life just to scratch the surface. So, I started looking for places to learn correspondently even while I was in the parish jail. 什么也没有展开. 但当我2月25日到达安哥拉时, 2002, 我完全知道安哥拉有一所神学院. I’ve experienced this unbelievable sequence of “never should have happened” things in my life where Jesus has specialized in triumphing over those things.

保罗 earned multiple degrees and even worked for the seminary during his time in Angola, a prison that was once considered one of the most violent in America. He also helped establish Grace Baptist before he was released in December of 2020. He now serves on the staff of an organization dedicated to introducing and integrating the model of theological education in correctional facilities across the country.

虽然保罗的经历不是“传统的”神学院故事, he recognizes the power of theological education to change lives and transform cultures in every context, 包括在监狱围墙后面. He also understands how the financial support of fellow alumni and friends just like you makes a difference for incarcerated men and women. He has seen what those gifts can do firsthand, and he believes the investments have eternal benefits.

Everything NOBTS has ever done regarding its investment and deciding to plant a seminary in Angola is one of the most extraordinary things ever! 在接下来的50年左右, it will be looked at as one of the most important acts ever to take place in the American corrections system. Anyone willing to invest in what NOBTS has done in that regard, I would encourage them. 没有这种支持, 我们只是在转变我们的公民, 尽管他们可能犯了罪, over to a system of the world that is only going to fortify their fallen moral positions. But if a dollar can change a man by empowering an institution like NOBTS to continually support these efforts, 它是一美元，具有永恒的价值.

Your regular gifts to the Providence Fund allow us to continue and even expand God’s work in places like Angola and other correctional facilities. Every dollar you invest helps NOBTS and Leavell College fulfill its calling to prepare servants to walk with Christ, 宣扬他的真理, 来完成他的使命. When you give through NOBTS you act in proclaiming genuine freedom to captives, 精神上和身体上.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and for your generous support of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College. 我们知道当涉及到你的管理时，你有选择, 我们感谢你们愿意与我们合作.

May God richly bless you as you give, as you pray, and as you serve Him each day.

P.S. 想知道如何加入NOBTS & 水平学院在这一转型工作? Your financial gift of support means men and women like 保罗 can find a new life in Christ. 今天请给普罗维登斯基金捐款! 点击本网页顶部的“捐赠”按钮. 谢谢你的付出!