What is Integrated Ministry (IM)?
Integrated Ministry or IM, is the framework that we adopt at PFS,
to minister to our beneficiaries in a holistic manner.
Our Ministry Pillars
Traditionally, PFS has 3 distinct ministry pillars -
i. Incare
ii. Aftercare and
iii. Family Care
In the past, these three ministries functioned independently from each other, as each ministry had their own niche and volunteers. Along the way, however, the team at PFS realized that greater effectiveness in our work can be achieved when resources are pooled together, allowing support to be more robust and wholistic.
Through our Integrated Ministry approach, we can ensure that there is better follow through for each case.
Incare
Our staff personally meet with convicted individuals to provide counseling and guidance, helping them reframe their expectations of prison life. We support offenders in overcoming bitterness and regret, encouraging them to seek forgiveness from God.
Our responsibilities include overseeing in-prison chapel services, conducting bible studies, and providing one-to-one counseling. We aim to help prisoners spend their time productively and meaningfully, facilitating their transformation while incarcerated.
Aftercare
Upon release from prison, our staff and volunteers initiate immediate after-care. We meet ex-offenders at the prison gate, providing ongoing support through fellowship, support groups, and retreats.
We also offer counseling, skill development, job placement assistance, and financial aid, accompanying them on their journey towards successful reintegration.
Family Care
We collaborate with churches, volunteers, and organizations to support inmate families, breaking the cycle of crime across generations.
Our programs focus on strengthening families, promoting reconciliation between inmates/ex-offenders and their loved ones, and facilitating successful reintegration into society.
”Over the years in ministry, we realised that journeying with prisoners may begin inside the four walls of prison, but what makes all the difference is when we choose to journey with them during and after their release. This means getting to know them and their families.
We hope that with our Integrated Ministry (IM) strategy, our volunteers and staff will be able to support the ex-offenders and their families through the different chapters in life, encouraging them to live more meaningfully.”
— Chua Kok Wan, Executive Director, Prison Fellowship Singapore.
A Glimpse into our Work
Church Partnerships
The local Church continues to be the most mission critical partner in the ex-offender’s re-integration journey. Ultimately, we hope to assimilate an ex-offender and his family into a church community. We aim to mobilise churches to adopt IM, with a stronger emphasis on Aftercare and Family Care, focusing on the faith journey, not just faith building in Incare. PFS aims to:
assign every ex-offender to an embracing church;
fulfill 100% of PGM requests by inmates with volunteer participation;
implement IM Case Management System for both the ex-offender and family;
provide a Drop-In-Centre (DIC) for volunteers and beneficiaries to meet.
Collaborative Case Management
We want to focus on the beneficiaries’ unique needs, including that of their families, as they are an integral part of the ex-offender’s reintegration journey. Hence, IM will:
encourage more interaction between inmates and their families.
enhance case management coordination for In-Care, After-Care, Family Care;
conduct a reintegration interview for inmate and his/her family 2-3 months before his/her release;
implement parallel programmes for inmates and families to enhance reconciliation;
involve families and volunteers in Prison Gate Ministry (PGM).