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Upper Susquehanna Valley Yokefellow Prison Ministry

PRESS RELEASE - FEBRUARY 23, 2005

21 people completed the 5 week training class to graduate as Yokefellow Prison Ministry volunteers.

The Upper Susquehanna Valley Yokefellow Prison Ministry council is pleased to announce that 21 people completed the new volunteer training sessions given during the past 2 months. A graduation and commissioning service was held Tuesday, February 22, 2005.

Lycoming County Judge William Kieser spoke at the commissioning service and congratulated the following people who completed the training sessions.

The service was conducted by Evadna Cline, Executive Director. Several Upper Susquehanna Valley Yokefellow Prison Ministry council members were present including President Larry Haines, Vice President Jack Schrader, Treasurer Ray Fisher and Secretary Kathy Kolb. Several additional board members and volunteers were also present to welcome the new volunteers.

Many of the new volunteers have expressed interest in serving as facilitators in aftercare groups that are being formed to help former prisoners to stay on the path of following Jesus and being good citizens.

Yokefellow groups are Christian persons talking with people about topics such as life values and spiritual meanings. In Yokefellow Prison Ministry meetings development and learning takes place through the form of small group discussion.

Yokefellow Prison Ministry trains and sends Christian volunteers into area State and County prisons on a weekly basis. Prisons currently served include

• Lycoming County Prison

• Lycoming County Prerelease

• Clinton County Prison

• Tioga County Prison

• Muncy State Correctional Institution

• Coal Township State Correctional Institution

There is a Monday evening (7pm) group meeting at the Yokefellow Center, 1200 Almond St., Williamsport which works with men who are at the pre-release center in the work-release program and men who have been released from prison. In addition, Yokefellow volunteers do one-on-one counseling with men who are at the pre-release center under the work-crew program if they request such services.

Several new programs are being started in our area in which these newly trained volunteers will work with incarcerated men and women, or with persons who have special needs such as needs of literacy, finding a job, finding employment, and finding housing. One of the new programs will operate out of the Sojourner Truth Ministry, 501 High St., Williamsport. An aftercare group will soon be started in Lock Haven working with former inmates of the Clinton County Prison.

More information can be gained by calling the Yokefellow Center at (570) 326-6868.

Lycoming County Judge William Kieser shakes hand of new Yokefellow volunteer District Justice James Sortman while 2 other new volunteers look on.