Volunteer Spotlight

Jim VanTil

January 6, 2021 by NCPM

Jim has been with New Creations Prison Ministries since 2001. Jim and his wife Sharon have been very active in their church; singing on the praise team, and leading a small group, in addition to mentoring mentally challenged youth and doing Sunday services at a rest home.

For the past 20 years Jim has been a faithful volunteer at NCPM. He has been doing a unique ministry at the Duane Waters Health Center (prison hospital) in Jackson where he has been conducting One-on-One visits, handing out Bibles, Our Daily Bread booklets, and our Correspondence Bible lessons, and “bringing a glass of water, in the name of Jesus.”

Jim’s favorite part of ministry is listening to people tell about what Jesus has done in their lives, and giving them the Bibles and other materials.

Thank you, Jim for your many years of service and support!

Arbie F

December 28, 2018 by NCPM

Arbie F.

Arbie started with New Creations way back in 1990! She has faithfully worked in the office ever since. At 92, she is still going strong! Formerly, she worked in billing for the City of Traverse City and then for the City of Owaso. Now she is enjoying her retirement and her 7 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. She likes working one day each week because she likes doing something for the Lord and working with others. She plans to continue as long as she is able! Thank you Arbie, you are a treasure!

Kurt U

September 5, 2018 by NCPM

This year Kurt turned 90, which, he says, is older than his oldest student! He has been a Bible Study Partner with New Creations since 2011. In addition to regular students, Kurt is one of our 3 mentors for the ROGMA graduate studies. He has 47 students who are currently active, 36 of which are ROGMA students.

Kurt is a retired aerospace engineer who worked with the Pentagon, NATO and Department of Defense. He is very active in ministry at his church including pulpit prayer ministry and a care ministry that provides meals, hospital visits, shut-in ministry, and visitation. Yet he still manages to volunteer with New Creations! He obviously has a heart for caring for others, including those behind bars.

Kurt enjoys exchanging letter with prisoners, but whether or not they write him, he always writes to them. He says that now he is getting letters from 75-80% of his students. Kurt says “I think the work is vital, fun, and valuable, and I like it very much! I do not look up the crimes that my partners have committed, nor do I care what skin color they may have, but I try to meet their needs, which includes inquiring of any questionable converts discretely as to whether they have had a real conversion experience. I try to sense any hang-ups they may have, or doctrinal misunderstandings and we discuss them.”

We are so blessed to have Kurt on our team! Thank you, Kurt, for your love and care for those who are striving to know Christ behind bars. Your work will have a lasting impact for the kingdom of God!

Frances G.

July 12, 2018 by NCPM

Frances has been with New Creations since 2003. She started as a Bible Study Partner and volunteering 1 1/2 days a week in the office. In 2013, we underwent major changes to our processes, mailing, and computer systems. Frances wanted to learn all the new programming (even though she was 87 at the time!), and began volunteering 3 days a week. Her knowledge of many of the processes involved in the ministry have given her a keen insight. She is continually coming up with new ways to reach out to inmates and rescue students who have fallen through the cracks. She is a pillar in our organization. Some of the things that she does here in our office are:

She enters nearly all of the incoming completed lessons from the students into the computer and generates the new lessons.
She enters all the prison visit information and runs the related reports.
She runs and prints various student tracking reports including follow-ups.
She sends out new student enrollment packets.
She assists in the reformatting of the new lessons.
She helps other volunteers with processing and data entry questions.

Now at almost 91, she is an inspiration to all of us in the office. She is truly a “Good and Faithful Servant”.

Paul S.

December 8, 2017 by NCPM

Paul is retired from Grand Rapids Public Schools where he served as a teacher, assistant principal, and counselor. He continues to be a driver’s ed instructor. He is active in his church as a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and Awana leader. He currently serves on the board for Christ for the Philippines, which is a preaching and teaching ministry that has started 13 churches, 6 libraries and airs on radio stations 7 days a week.

Paul has been a Bible Study Partner with New Creations for about 4 years. He enjoys encouraging his students, correcting their lessons, and hearing from them how the Lord has changed their lives.

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