CONFERENCE
Embraced & Empowered
2nd Annual Prison and Reentry Ministries Conference
Witnessing Character Transformation and Healing
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” – NIV
Friday May 3 (5:30 – 8:30 pm) and Saturday May 4 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm) (Central time)
Location (in person or live-stream via Zoom):
Thanks-Giving Square in Downtown Dallas
1627 Pacific Ave,
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 969-1977
To Register, Purchase Tickets or Sponsor:
Visit https://embracedfully.org/conference/
Who Should attend?
Christian Science chaplains, volunteers, and workers
Those interested or curious about becoming a visiting or corresponding chaplain or volunteer
State Institutional Committee members who want to increase participation in their regions
Church members interested in supporting students of Christian Science whether they are in prison or about to be released (Angel Teams)
Returning Community Members interested in giving back and mentoring opportunities
Schedule
2024 Sessions
Friday May 3 | 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm Dinner included
Session 1: Embraced:Fully “State of Reentry” Progress Report
Session 2: Mother Church support for Institutional work
Session 3: State Committee Reports
Session 4: Returning Community Members Share Their Stories
Saturday May 4 | 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Light breakfast, lunch and BBQ dinner included
Session 1: Metaphysical Talk “Witnessing transformation together”
Session 2: Creative Approaches to Volunteer Chaplaincy – Sharing our Experiences, Healings, and Effective Strategies
Session 3: Understanding Your Role in the Pre-Parole and Pre-Release Experience
Session 4: “Finding my true freedom” Post-Release Success
Session 5: Effective Church Support and Mentoring for Returning Community Members
Session 6: Small Group Discussions and Sharing
2024 Speakers and Musicians
Brian Abbott is the Institutional Committee Liaison at The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, MA – The Mother Church.
Bob Woodard is a highly respected business consultant whose work has helped to create numerous non-profit success stories. Bob is on the Embraced:Fully Advisory Board, but his heart and true love is in serving as Volunteer Prison Chaplain in the state of Texas. He also serves as an Embraced Fully Angel Team Leader, Mentor, and Member. He is currently the Chair of the Dallas Fort Worth Zone of his state’s Christian Science State Institutional Committee. He is a loving husband, father, grandfather, skier, and tennis player. Bob resides in Dallas, TX.
Anna Lisa Kronman is a Christian Science Practitioner, formerly a Christian Science Nurse. She currently serves as the President of The Principle Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Kansas City. Anna Lisa also serves on the Advisory Committee for Embraced:Fully.
Gabriel Serafini is a co-Founder of Embraced:Fully, and owner of Share the Practice. He has worked with churches since 2003 to share their message online. He is the former webmaster for Light in Prison, and helps run monthly Angel Team meetings as well as a monthly Interview Series for Embraced:Fully.
David Fowler is a Founder and Executive Director of Embraced:Fully, a nationwide reentry organization serving former inmates in 21 states. Formerly a drug addict and drug dealer, David’s amazing healing and transformation after an overdose has been widely written about in Christian publications, a life-changing event that propelled him to become a therapeutic counselor and ultimately the Director of a community-based treatment center serving severely disturbed juvenile offenders placed by the Department of Youth Services in Boston. David was formerly the State Chaplain for his denomination in Connecticut, serving in prisons there. For ten years he was the Editor of the Light in Prison website featuring, among other things, chaplains and former inmates telling their stories on video. He holds a Doctorate in Ministry from The Berkeley School of Theology.
Sister Mary Sean Hodges founded the Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP) in Los Angeles, over 20 years ago. The Correspondence Courses offered by PREP are designed to give inmates tools to change an inmate’s attitudes, thought patterns, and subsequently their lives, making them better human beings and productive members of the community upon release. PREP has served over 40,000 men since its inception and is perhaps the most successful inmate correspondence program in the U.S. Today there are 10,000 inmates participating in PREP courses in all California prisons and in 11 other states. PREP also operates 7 transitional houses in Los Angeles for those who were formerly incarcerated.
Tony Kim is Executive Director of the Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP). During the 32 years of his incarceration Tony focused on courses offered through PREP not knowing the deep impact and the connection these courses would have on his life. A week following his release in 2017, he began volunteering at PREP as a way to give back. This led to his being hired as a course coordinator, art show coordinator, and eventually to the position of Executive Director.
Richard Miles is the founder of Miles of Freedom. At the age of 19, Richard Miles was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 60 years for a crime that he did not commit. On February 15, 2012, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed his conviction and declared him to be truly innocent. His case was the first non-DNA, non-recantation exoneration, ever tried in Texas. Richard made the decision to use a portion of the money he received from the state to provide comprehensive reentry services for people and families affected by incarceration. His non-profit organization, Miles of Freedom, located in Dallas is now 11 years old. Richard and his team assist individuals returning home from prison by helping them obtain identification, enroll in college and secure housing. The group also provides computer and career training, financial literacy programs and job placement. Richard has received national recognition for his work featured on CNN and other major news organizations and publications.
Dwight Tostenson is Chief Executive Officer at The Redemption Project. In this role, Dwight oversees the strategic direction of the organization with a particular emphasis on the Virtues for Success curriculum. Dwight has been approved by the Bureau of Prisons to serve as a mentor for incarcerated individuals and routinely visits the prisons in which The Redemption Project operates. Dwight has a strong passion for social justice and for providing second chances to former felons. He also brings over 20 years of executive management experience to the organization.
Musicians
Matthew Hammond and Davya Flaharty (LoveOnlyGrows.org)
What to Bring
Please bring your laptop or tablet, pen and paper for taking notes. You will be participating in interactive sessions.
Accommodations
Many conference participants are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas. This beautiful hotel is directly across the street from the conference venue. Use your Hilton Honors account (free to create) to get the best current pricing.
Registration Fee
Conference registration includes dinner on Friday night, light breakfast, lunch, and fellowship BBQ dinner on Saturday.
In-person conference seating is limited. Please register as soon as possible to secure your spot!
Zoom participant price: $65
Regular in-person registration: $175
All registrations will have an added $4.99 processing fee.
A limited number of needs-based scholarships are expected to be available.
Embraced:Fully is Donor Supported
Embraced:Fully depends 100% on donors for funding. As a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, we receive advice, administrative support, and the ability to collect tax-deductible donations due to their 501(c)(3) status. We do not receive any direct funding from The Principle Foundation.