“Promoting Excellence, Sharing Resources, Unity and Fellowship”
 

Annual YPM Conference - October 09-10, 2009

Yokefellowship Prison Ministry Helping inmates and ex-offenders YOKE themselves to Christ for salvation and changed lives.

This is a wonderful event starting with a Friday 6:30pm Banquet and continuing Saturday morning through the afternoon concluding at 3pm. The food is wonderful at Old Country Cupboard and lodging superb at the Best Western located one mile just north of Lewisburg, Pa. along Rt 15. Special rates also give flexibility for those who prefer to come to either the Banquet only or Saturday only. Please consider the benefit of registering early for the complete event.

Special 2009 YPM Conference speakers include...

Wayne Benjamin who is Deputy You will never get me to believe there is no God - the Great “I AM”, or that Jesus, His Son, wasn’t the “Word that became flesh.” He is the One who died on the cross for your sins and mine. He is the One who is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life.” In fact there aren’t enough adjectives to express my love for Him. I thank God for being born into a Christian family with a mother and father who had Jesus as Savior as well as Christian grandparents. Church and Sunday school were always a part of my life. In fact I even met my wife, Fleda, in a church in Altoona, PA, that I started attending after returning to the city from art school in Chicago. However, it was not until 1971 at age forty-one that I made a serious commitment to have Jesus as not just my Savior, but Lord of my life. I have been employed since 1956 earning a living as a salesman. In February 1992 I retired from R.L. Polk & Co., Publishers of the city directory where I began my career in 1979. Throughout my life I was able to see God had a plan for me. It wasn’t just a coincidence I went to art school in Chicago, met my wife in church, and worked for R.L. Polk with the city directory assignments in various cities. God was working a plan and placing me in different areas to learn, grow, and do His will, but the big surprise was yet to come! So it was in the summer of 1983 that the Lord called me to prison ministry while working the city directory assignment in Sunbury, PA. I had to call on Yokefellow Prison Ministry located on Old Trail Road in Shamokin Dam, across the Susquehanna River, parallel with routes 11&15. I never heard about Yokefellow and I was just doing a routine business call to make another sale. I drove my car in front of this old stone historic building, when inside, approached the secretary, and I asked to see Neuman Gaugler, President of Yokefellow. She said he was in his office and would see if he could see me. When she came out of his office, she beckoned for me to go inside. As I entered I saw this eighty-plus year old man seated behind a majestic oak desk. I introduced myself and said I just needed to see him for a few minutes to proofread his listing for the Sunbury directory. I told him that if there were any changes, I would be only too glad to take care of them for him. He took the card, quickly read it, then said, “Everything is correct and I need your directory for our prison ministry.” In less than a minute I had made a sale. I thanked God silently; then quickly wrote the order, as I praised the Lord for an easy sale that was much appreciated by a commission salesman. After he signed the order, I packed everything back in my case and was ready to leave but I reached out my hand to thank him and added, “God bless you with your ministry.” He looked at me and said, “Are you a Christian?” “Yes,” I said, “Why?” “Where are you from?” He asked me next. “Allentown,” I said. “Allentown? Sit down; I want to talk to you. Why, you are like an answer to prayer,” were the next words he said. “We’ve been praying for years to have someone go into the Lehigh County prison in Allentown for Yokefellow. How would you like that?” With my mouth hanging open, hardly able to answer I said, “Me? I don’t know anything about prison ministry. I never even heard of Yokefellow until today. Tell me about it!” As he began to tell me about Yokefellow, being founded by D. Elton Trueblood, a Quaker minister and author, in 1950, the part that spoke to my heart was that Yokefellow does not just have meetings in county jails, state and federal institutions, but is interested in after care, reentry, and what happens when they come out of prison. I refer to Yokefellow as a “complete” prison ministry. There are churches and prison ministries that go to prisons, but what happens to keep them out of prison and not return again? This is known as recidivism, which is 64%. I was pleased to see Yokefellow addressed this issue of reentry. I was so overwhelmed by what I had just heard and been asked to do. I told Mr. Gaugler I would pray about it and get back to him. It was amazing to me the way God got my attention and placed a ministry opportunity before me while doing my job for R.L. Polk. As I prayed the Lord seemed to say go forth in faith; just as I do when selling on commission. He added that He would open a door for the ministry to begin in Lehigh County prison. When the Lord opens a door, no man can close it! When I told Mr. Gaugler I would take the opportunity of developing a Yokefellow Council I could hardly hold my breath as the Lord showed me how wide He would open the door. Since I didn’t know what to do next, Mr. Gaugler told me to arrange an appointment with the chaplain of Lehigh County prison when I got back to Allentown. To my surprise, the chaplain told me he knew all about Yokefellow and would welcome me anytime to see him. Surprised at this and how easy it was to get to see the chaplain, I was astonished when I met with him and looked at the schedule to decide what times were open to have meetings. There was only one, Wednesday night 7:30 to 9:30! So the first meeting took place, Wednesday, September 21, 1983. I praise the Lord for all that has taken place in this ministry and in all the areas of my life. When God has a plan, and He does for every one of us, mountains can be moved and much can be done as we rest in Him, allowing His will to be done in our life. This is the 26th year of the Lehigh Valley Council of Yokefellow Prison Ministry. We have 123 volunteers: men, women, laymen and pastors. There are fourteen weekly meetings with the men, women, and juveniles, a Directed Life Reentry program, outprison meetings, counseling, mentoring, and letter writing. For more details please check the website at www.yokefellowpa.org. We invite you to celebrate our 26th, anniversary September 19, with two concerts scheduled with special guest Jimmy Fortune. Free tickets can be reserved by checking the flyer below. The Lord has a plan for you so be encouraged. The Apostle Paul said it well in Philippians 4:13-“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength

YPM - a Christian organization, facilitates weekly group sessions with inmates for discussion, study, and prayer to encourage positive living. Now serving for more than 50 years.

Please go to our web site and watch the 15 min. promotional video. It is listed on the left column under RESOURCES. On the right side you can view details on our ANNUAL CONFERENCE

View our 2007 YPM Annual Report (File Size 964KB)

Requires Adobe Acrobat reader.

YPM's Statement of Faith

Basic Do's and Don'ts for YPM Volunteers

Security Do's and Don'ts

Ministry Do's and Don'ts

Rev. Ulli Klemm on "Being an Effective Volunteer in Prison"

2007 Annual Conference in Review

2009 Annual Conference in Review Oct 09, 10, 2009