Category Archives for "News"

October 2025 Update

News

Inescapable

The finality of a doctor telling you that they have done all they can do for your loved one. The blinding awareness that you have failed in a crucial duty. The crushing words of a judge handing down a prison sentence. The cold, hard facts of an irreversible financial loss. A career suddenly terminated. A relationship destroyed.

Life hands us many such bitter, inescapable realities. The sense of helplessness and the inability to change life’s circumstances leads some to attempt escape, whether by diversion and amusement (trying to avoid reality) or worse, by resorting to violence toward oneself or others.

Christians do not need to resort to those things. In the face of the inescapable, God gives us peace and freedom through His presence.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:4-6)

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

God does not promise escape from reality. But he does promise peace and blessing in our times of suffering, and the promise of eternal life, the blessed hope that is the ultimate “breakout” for the Christian.

Peace and blessings to all of you, our partners in the work of sharing God’s word with believers behind bars.

Circulation Update

In the past year, our level of funding has increased to allow us to publish quarterly on a regular basis. This is reflected in the number of magazines shipped this year to date, which is 220,279 as of September 20. This number is up 72,044, nearly 50%, from the same period in 2024.

This growth is due to the generosity of our donors and to those of you who distribute the magazine in prisons. We thank God for you, whether you remember us in prayer, support us financially, or deliver Loaves & Fishes to prison inmates.

Since April, Loaves & Fishes has been featured on PandoApp, a digital app for Christian content on many prison tablets. In that time frame, the magazine has had 36,500 opens and has grown to 5,857 digital subscribers. We are currently featuring the two most recent issues of the magazine on the app for a monthly cost of $400. 

We are monitoring the success of the magazine on the app as well as fine-tuning the technical specifications, and may invest more into this publishing platform in the future. With more prisons going to digital-only communications, we are grateful for this opportunity.

Financial Update

The cost of producing the next issue of the magazine is projected to be $35,000, including editing, design, printing, and shipping costs.

Our current funds on hand, including our building fund and cash reserves, are around $171,500. Again, we thank God and our partners for providing the resources for our work to continue.

Publishing Update

Issue 56 was shipped on schedule in early September. We look forward to shipping issue 57 in December.

As a reminder to distributors, in addition to publishing new issues quarterly, we also maintain a large inventory of recent back issues. If you can use more material before the next shipment, simply contact us with your request and we will be happy to supply you from our inventory.

Please be aware that we offer a no-staples version of the magazine. If this is required by your facility, simply contact us, and we will mark your subscription as no-staples.

Pray

Please pray for the work of Lighthouse Publishing, and pray for the nearly 2 million prison inmates in our country.

Distributor Feedback

The poems and content have been extremely inspirational, and Loaves & Fishes has been highly requested by our population each issue.

—Jeffrey Ehlers, Chaplain

Walton Correctional Institution, Defuniak Springs, FL

Reader Feedback

Thank you so much for the latest Loaves & Fishes magazine. As always, it is well done, and I appreciate every page.

—Adrian G. Torres

Mule Creek State Prison, Ione, CA

Our Message?

News

In 2018, an Australian woman named Tonya Illman was walking along a beach in Western Australia with her family and decided to pick up a bottle that she found in the sand. The bottle that she picked up turned out to be one that had been dropped into the southeastern Indian Ocean by a German ship captain on June 12, 1886!

There was a piece of paper in the bottle that identified it and asked that the finder contact the German consulate. It had been part of a research project into ocean and shipping routes that was conducted by the German Naval Observatory. They had dropped thousands of these bottles into the ocean in hopes that people that found the bottles would contact them and help them to get a picture of how the ocean currents worked in that part of the ocean. To date, only 662 messages have been returned.

People have launched messages in bottles for centuries. They have sent messages to imagined love interests, to ask for help when marooned on deserted islands, or to convey expedition reports. In many of
those cases, the message had a very low probability of being received by the intended recipient.

I thought of the “message in a bottle” as I considered the work of Lighthouse Publishing. Every few months we send out a new issue of Loaves and Fishes, our own “message in a bottle!” We write, edit, print and ship the magazines out, and in most cases, we never see the people that receive the message. Kind of like sending a message in a bottle, right?

But there is a stark difference between a random message in a bottle and the message we send in the magazine. The messages that we send include the Word of Life! It has a message from God himself! Isaiah 55:11 says: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

We have the promise that when we are partners with God in spreading His Word, it will not be in vain. We may never know what the results are, but God sees and knows. Whatever your part of our mission is, whether it is financial support, distribution of the magazine, prayer warrior, or simply being an advocate for the magazine, know that your efforts will bring results! Let this knowledge invigorate your work! Let it continue to guide your efforts.

We don’t have to watch the bottle float aimlessly away on the waves, hoping against hope that it gets to its intended recipient. We know that God’s Word will prosper; it will not fail in reaching a hungry heart somewhere, and God’s Word always brings results.
—Wendell Martin, Board Member

Staffing Update

There are some staffing changes coming to Lighthouse Publishing. Carinna Martin has committed
to a full-time school teaching position this fall, so will be having a very reduced role at Lighthouse. Suzi Hartzler and her husband have recently moved to Virginia, so she will no longer be working in the office. We wish both of them the best in their new endeavors, and we will miss their input and expertise in our organization.

We are happy to announce the hiring of Krista Bates to fill this vacancy. Krista is a member at Allegheny Valley Mennonite Church, and she will be handling the bulk of the data entry and filling orders that come in the interim between our bulk shipments. Please pray for the staff as we navigate these changes.

Distributor Feedback

(People who distribute in prisons)

This embraces the vision of my ministry. The name of the magazine recognizes a miracle and interprets it as a symbol of Divine provision.

—Chaplain Alfredo Antonio Ayana, California

Love the way the issues are not dated. They are timeless, and once an inmate enjoys one, they ask for several previous issues.

—Chaplain Donna Hausler, Florida

Marketing Update

We are continuing to send out marketing packets to prison chaplains at facilities that are not currently receiving Loaves and Fishes. This packet includes samples of recent magazines and a letter introducing our ministry to the prison chaplains and inviting them to subscribe. This has helped to drive an uptick in our bulk subscribers. The staff still has quite a ways to go until all the prisons in all 50 states have been reached, so continue to pray that new chaplains would find out about the magazine and subscribe for the inmates in their facilities.

Publishing Update

Issue 56Issue 56 is completely designed and is shortly being sent to the printer. We should receive it by the end of August which will allow us to ship out our bulk mailing at the beginning of September. It is a blessing to be able to ship the magazine at 3-month intervals. It has long been a goal of the ministry to be able to do that. The issue is fully funded, for which we are very grateful. Any donations we receive will be put towards future issues.

June 2025 Update

News

What’s Coming Up?

Greetings everyone, Since we recently finished a series on major Bible doctrines, our editorial staff has been working on a five-year plan for magazine content. Here are some of the topics that we hope to cover in upcoming issues of the magazine, not necessarily in order. Please pray for our staff as we compile content for each of these vital topics.

In the past several years, the circulation of Loaves & Fishes has become more challenging in some prison scenarios. Distribution was disrupted by the Covid pandemic in 2020. But the greatest impact continues to be felt from facilities who are switching to all-digital communication.

Lighthouse Publishing has several key goals for Loaves & Fishes magazine. These include maintaining or increasing our print circulation, publishing quarterly, and expanding our digital reach in prisons. Increasing circulation can be accomplished not only by increasing the number of subscriptions, but also by sending more magazines to existing subscribers. Because of recent funding, we can now publish on a quarterly schedule, ensuring more consistent delivery of the magazine to our readers. Thank you to all of you who use Loaves & Fishes in your work with prison inmates. We are delighted to provide you with this free resource.

Please let us know at any time if you could use additional copies from our inventory of back issues. Also, please feel free to spread the word about Loaves & Fishes to anyone you know that is involved in prison ministry or chaplaincy. We have the resources available and would love to support more bulk distributors.

• Substance Abuse
• Sexuality
• Mental Health
• Successful Reentry
• Discipleship in Prison
• Unselfishness and Empathy
• Loneliness 8. Relationships
• Contentment
• The Bible
• Anger and Bitterness
• Hope
• Faithfulness
• Prayer
• The Kingdom of God
• Past & Identity
• The Cross and New Life
• Real Freedom
• Walking in the Light
• God’s Family the Church

Circulation Update

In the past several years, the circulation of Loaves & Fishes has become more challenging in some prison scenarios. Distribution was disrupted by the Covid pandemic in 2020. But the greatest impact continues to be felt from facilities who are switching to all-digital communication.

Lighthouse Publishing has several key goals for Loaves & Fishes magazine. These include maintaining or increasing our print circulation, publishing quarterly, and expanding our digital reach in prisons. Increasing circulation can be accomplished not only by increasing the number of subscriptions, but also by sending more magazines to existing subscribers. Because of recent funding, we can now publish on a quarterly schedule, ensuring more consistent delivery of the magazine to our readers. Thank you to all of you who use Loaves & Fishes in your work with prison inmates. We are delighted to provide you with this free resource.

Please let us know at any time if you could use additional copies from our inventory of back issues. Also, please feel free to spread the word about Loaves & Fishes to anyone you know that is involved in prison ministry or chaplaincy. We have the resources available and would love to support more bulk distributors.

Reader Feedback

I just want to thank you for the help providing reading material for my journey to Christianity. I’m in the beginning process, and anything to help me understand God is a big help and is very much appreciated. Thank you.

—Robert Burruel, FCI Herlong, Herlong, CA

Distributor Feedback(People who distribute in prisons)

The women inmates in my jail enjoy the spiritual materials in Loaves & Fishes. They like the Bible studies and are encouraged by the testimonies.

—Michael Andrews, Chaplain Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Phoenix, AZ

Please pray for the work of Lighthouse Publishing, and pray for the nearly 2 million prison inmates in our country.

Financial Update

The cost of producing the next issue of the magazine is projected to be $35,000, including editing, design, printing, and shipping costs.

Our current funds on hand are around $117,000, not including our building fund, which means the next three magazine issues are fully funded at this time.

For this, we can only thank those of you who have cared enough to support our work financially. Without your kindness, and the work of those who are distributing the magazine, our work would be impossible.

Publishing Update

Issue 55: Apostasy and the End Times

Issue 55 has arrived in our warehouse, and is scheduled to be shipped the week of June 2. By the time this newsletter reaches you, it should be arriving to our readers and distributors. For the rest of the year, the Lord willing, issues 56 and 57 will ship the first week of September and December respectively.

April 2025 Report

News

PandoApp

In the past year, many of our bulk distributors have discontinued receiving the magazine due to facilities changing over to digital-only communications. As a result, we have been working to find an avenue for digital distribution of Loaves & Fishes.

Johnny Hill, one of our readers from Maury Correctional Institution in Maury, North Carolina, let us know about a Christian content app that was newly available on his tablet. Thanks to this lead, one of our long-time goals has now been realized.

We have signed a one-year agreement with God Behind Bars, a ministry that has created a digital content app for prison tablets. This app, called PandoApp, has a public version available on major app stores, and a prison version, available on certain tablet platforms.

The app publishes video content provided by churches and other Christian ministries for free distribution, and the prison version of the app also includes ebooks. All content is free to prison inmates and is sponsored by churches and ministries that wish to offer their content.

The cost for publishing ebooks on PandoApp is $200 per title per month and scales up to $1,000 per month for unlimited titles. We are now offering two recent issues of the magazine on the app, and based on usage analytics, we may expand to include more of our back issues.

PandoApp is currently on as many as 400,000 tablets in prisons. It goes without saying that this could represent significant growth in the reach of Loaves & Fishes magazine.

Marketing

Our staff have been working state by state to introduce the magazine to new prisons, sending out sample packages to facility chaplains and staff. At this time, 28 of 50 states have been covered in this campaign.

Some of you who receive this newsletter are new distributors. Welcome to our ministry! You make it possible for us to bless prison inmates with our free publication.

Pray

We request your prayers and support as we navigate changes in how prison inmates access content, and seek to use wisely the resources that have been entrusted to us.

REACH 2025 Recap

In March, Lighthouse Publishing was blessed to be represented at REACH 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along with over sixty other ministries. We enjoyed meeting with supporters and partners and introducing many convention attendees to Loaves & Fishes magazine.

Financial Update

The cost of producing the next issue of the magazine is projected to be $35,000, including editing, design, printing, and shipping costs.

Recently, our ministry has been blessed to receive significant funding through a charitable foundation. Our current funds on hand are around $120,000, which means the next three magazine issues are fully funded at this time.

We are deeply grateful for these gifts and are delighted to be able to project our publishing schedule on a quarterly basis for the near future. This has long been our goal, and due to the kindness of our donors, it is now realized.

Distributor Feedback

Thank you for sharing Loaves and Fishes with our inmate population. They constantly are asking for them and when will the new ones be in. They thoroughly enjoy each edition. Thank you and may God continue to bless you and your ministry. Thanks again for giving to brighten and give hope to broken lives.

—David S., Chaplain
Christian County Jail
Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Reader Feedback

This month’s issue reached out to my heart. The article on discipleship made me stop and think about how I was living this prison life. You see, I’ve been in for 20 years now. Thank you and God bless you all.

—John Winn
NorthWest State Correctional Facility
Swanton, Vermont

Publishing Update

Issue 55: Apostasy and the End Times

In March, we shipped Issue 54 of the magazine. We are making progress toward our goal of having multiple issues print-ready ahead of schedule, and Issue 55 is currently in graphic design. The target ship date is early June.

The theme of Loaves & Fishes Issue 55 is Apostasy and the End Times. It is crucially important for followers of Jesus to be aware of the dangers that face even the most mature Christians. History speaks, and we take a look at the book of Judges for painful examples of God’s people who fell from faith in Him.