Menu
It has now been a year since the transition of Lighthouse Publishing to a non-profit entity under the oversight of Hope Mennonite Fellowship. We have spent the year introducing our work to new people, and have brought on new staff, some paid and some volunteers. We have a new IRS tax-exempt status and new USPS accounts.
At the same time, our operations and our goals are unchanged. Loaves & Fishes continues to go out for free to any prison inmate or any person or organization who can distribute them in prisons. We aim to fill each issue with instruction, testimonies, and activities to strengthen and encourage Christians in prison.
As we continue our mission of providing free Christian discipleship magazines for prisoners, we hope to continue to improve and grow as God gives us insight and opportunity. If you are a distributor, please know that your feedback on the back of the packing slips are helpful to us. Even though we can’t personally respond to each of these, they are saved and shared among our staff. Thanks for taking the time to keep in touch with us.
We are preparing to ship our third and final issue of Loaves & Fishes for the year. Due to generous donations from our supporters, we have been blessed to be able to maintain our current publishing goal of a new issue every four months.
Our long-term goal is to publish quarterly. This increase would likely require at least $50,000 annually of additional funding. Pray with us that God would continue to provide for and grow our work.
By the time you receive this, issue 50 of Loaves & Fishes should have shipped. You will notice some changes. For this milestone issue, we have refreshed our cover design. If you don’t receive a personal subscription to the magazine, you can view our back issues on our website, or feel free to request a hard copy.
Another change we are making is the elimination of the Business Reply Card which some distributors requested in the past. This form, previously stapled to the inside of some magazines, made it easy for a prison inmate to order or renew a subscription.
This form has now been integrated into the magazine itself, and will be included in all versions of the magazine. An inmate can simply remove the page from the magazine, fill it out, and return to us in an envelope.
The purpose for this change is to save production and shipping costs. It also simplifies our packing process, reducing the number of magazine versions from three to two (with staples, and without). We welcome your feedback about this change.
In issue 50, we are featuring an ad for the book Get Free and Stay Free by David Lewis, published by Yokefellowship Prison Ministry of Penn, PA. This book contains interviews with inmates whose reentry has been successful by the grace of God. It is only available for purchase on Amazon.com. However, Chaplains and DOC staff can request free copies at ypmsean@gmail.com.
The theme of our next issue is the concept of Separation. Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God in a new way, and His followers repeatedly spoke of themselves as strangers, pilgrims, and citizens of heaven.
Our goal is for Christians to understand themselves as part of the special people that God has called to live a life of holiness, in contrast to the world around us. As Christians, it is important for us to “Come out from among them and be separate.” The lines between light and darkness should be clear—even in prison, and maybe especially so.
Thanks to each of you so much for helping to build the kingdom of God through your support of our work. We could not continue without you. May God richly bless you in the coming year.
—Michael Fisher, Manager of Operations
