2018 Summary

…if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Dear Partners in Ministry,

Thank you for your support and prayers. The following letter is from a man who is a regular participant in my Bible class and has rapidly completed all of the 60 of the Emmaus courses I provide.  For the first three months of his incarceration he was in another institution to which I have no access:  Dear Mr. Plasterer, I wanted to write and thank you for your invaluable ministry to my fellow prisoners and myself personally. For the first three months of my pre-trial detention…  I was virtually alone with no access to books, phone calls and religious services.  I spent 24 hours a day staring at four walls and a locked door.  While being moved from one cell to another I found a Bible left by another inmate.  The inmate had placed encouraging passages around the cell such as Faith Hope and Love.  The Word of God saved my life.  While I was saved as a boy I was not practicing Christianity as an adult.  This time in Prison has been the worst and best experience of my life.  God has wisely used this time to teach and prepare me for His divine will to be done.  The Bible study and study guides you have provided to me have opened my eyes to Biblical truths I had been blind to my entire life.  I understand that you volunteer your time to the Chaplain’s office and receive no pay.  I just wanted you to know that you have touched many lives…mine included.   The other attachment in this email is a card signed by some men from my class.

2018 was a year of fruitfulness and transition.  I led 83 adult group Bible studies in the detention center with a combined attendance of 747.  With incarcerated juveniles I presented the Gospel through object lessons 68 times to a combined audience of 567 individuals.  Approximately 60 Bibles were distributed per week along with thousands of Our Daily Bread booklets and pieces of literature.  The number of Emmaus Correspondence courses distributed was 1862; of those, 1035 were returned and graded.   The total 2018 income for Greater Baltimore Jail & Prison Ministry was $6426. Total 2018 expenditures for GBJPM were $7314.72.   We thank God for all those who contributed and also for all the organizations that donated free or deeply discounted Gospel literature.

John Plasterer             

Below is a list of a few of the ministries who provided resources to GBJPM in 2018 and the materials they either donated or provided at deep discounts:

• The Gideons – High quality Bibles
• ROCK Resources – One God One Message book, King of Glory book, and Your Story pamphlet;
• Totally Free Ministries- Logos 21 Gospel of John booklets;
• Challenge Literature Fellowship – Challenge newspapers;
• Biblical Discipleship Ministries – Evolution of a Creationist books;
• Mark Cahill Ministries – One Heartbeat Away and other books;
• Moments With the Book – Gospel calendars and a wide variety of tracts, literature and booklets;
• Our Daily Bread Ministries – Our Daily Bread Booklets;
• Keep Believing Ministries – An Anchor for the Soul books.
• In addition, hundreds of plastic bookmark magnifiers were purchased and distributed to inmates with poor vision.

John Plasterer

The radio program has been suspended but the recordings on this site were produced and aired as weekly two-minute radio broadcasts on WRBS 1230 AM.  They reflect the teaching that inmates of the Baltimore City Detention Center hear each week from Chaplain Plasterer.  Chaplain Plasterer receives no salary or money from state or local government for this work but is supported entirely by the gifts of God’s people.