Cross and Bars brings hope to kids through Jesus Christ
You don't have to read very far in scripture to discover God's love for all kids, and His call to believers to minister to them; and overlaying that, His oft-repeated calls to all believers to minister to the fatherless, the poor, and the afflicted - to not forget them, but to be sure to go after that one beloved sheep who has gone astray, and to rejoice when that sheep has been found. Juvenile detention centers are God-sent, tailor-made places for this type of ministry, as they are concentrated populations of largely fatherless, impoverished, afflicted and in-crisis youth, who need Christ and a loving Christian adult to come alongside them and be that person whom God sent to help them .
When you help Cross and Bars, you are helping these kids.
Cross and Bars' chaplains and volunteers make regular weekly worship services and Bible studies available to all residents. Our chaplains provide intensive Biblical counseling directed toward helping the juveniles to recognize and Biblically resolve or cope with problems, thought patterns and paradigms that have been deeply ingrained and are intractable without Christ. And whenever possible, we like to provide post-release services and mentoring.
Your help truly is effective for Christ, and for the kids we minister to! We need your resources - your prayers, your time and your financial or in-kind resources to provide teaching and preaching, and to purchase relevant Christian literature, counseling materials and ministry supplies. And by working together, we will continue to see the lives of many youth in our City transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ. And any time a kid's life is transformed by Christ, it strengthens and provides a light to his or her family, his school and his community, and creates a godly parent for future families in our city, state and nation. God's will is done, and His kingdom is enlarged and strengthened.
How to help
Understanding God's call to all believers to help these kids, and after prayer, if you would like to talk with a chaplain about how you, your church, business or civic organization can help, please visit our Get Involved and Contact Us pages, or to make a financial donation, please visit our Donate page.
Thank you, on behalf of the kids we serve!
Until He comes,
Craig Eastman
Founder and Chaplain
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER:
On behalf of our team we want to thank you for your interest Cross + Bars!
This ministry was established in 2013 to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Virginia regional jails and juvenile detention centers. Since that time, we have successfully planted jai ministries in two regional jail facilities in southern Virginia, and now focus our ministry on youth incarcerated in the City of Richmond Juvenile Detention Center. Our ongoing focus is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to kids "behind the walls" in the facilities we serve, working together with local believers, churches, civic groups and like-minded businessmen and women to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to otherwise devalued and mostly fatherless and impoverished youth, many of whom have also been abandoned, abused or neglected, and who are in crisis, but for whom God sent His only begotten Son to die for!
Rev. Craig Eastman, Founder
Michael Jenkins (volunteer), Kevin Snead (volunteer) and Chaplain Craig Eastman, founder.