The purpose of this ministry, from its inception as New Life Foundation in 1970 and continuing in its present form as We Care Program, has been to answer the call of God to communicate His love to criminal offenders.  The initial focus exclusively on incarcerated men in the state of Alabama has grown to include both men and women and has expanded into other states as well.

Among the myriad Christian organizations working in the criminal justice field, We Care Program sees its distinctive contribution as a special emphasis on the value of long-term, intensive relationships in evangelistic and discipleship methodologies.  While seeking to provide offenders with opportunities for dynamic chapel programs, our purpose is to move them beyond the classic “religious experience” to an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ that involves practical change in every area of their mind as well as their heart.

The board of directors has adopted a formal purpose statement as follows: “We Care Program is a non-profit, interdenominational organization consisting of Christian men and women who share a burden for and commitment to helping offenders and their families.  Our purpose is to serve God, our society, and our churches through programs which will present and interpret the truths of the Gospel to prison inmates and other offenders in order that the whole person will find new life and that the pattern of failure and crime will be replaced with patterns of success and productivity.  Through these programs we will also partner with other agencies and local churches to provide opportunities for a broad range of Christians to experience personal growth and supervised experience in outreach and leadership.

“We will accomplish this mission primarily by recruiting, funding, training, placing, and administering volunteer workers in prisons to provide friendship evangelism, teaching, peer counseling, and encouragement.”

Specifically, we are pursuing our purpose by placing chaplains and assistant chaplains in prison to provide emotional and spiritual counsel and direction.

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Some 35 years ago or so, Martin Weber of Atmore, Alabama, went to prison—not as a convict, but as a preacher called to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ “even unto the least of these.”  Where others saw only human weeds, brambles, thorns and tares, Martin, by the power of the Holy Spirit, saw soul-fields ripe for harvest. And harvest he did, for almost 20 years as a chaplain with the Alabama Department of Corrections.

In Atmore at Fountain Correctional Facility, and later at Holman, Martin found prisons filled with men who, no matter what horrible crimes they may have committed, were created in the image of God, and by the marvelous grace of that same God, could yet become all that they were created to be.  But Martin soon realized that the harvest was much too vast for a single laborer. Eventually he was able to convince Department of Corrections officials to allow volunteer ministers to come in to help.

New Life Foundation was established in 1970 with an emphasis on free-world volunteers teaching Bible classes to inmates in the Atmore prisons.  In 1983 the name was changed to We Care Program when the prison ministry and a sister crime prevention program were combined into one organization.  Since then the crime prevention aspect has been phased out, and today the core of our mission remains the original focus of in-prison ministry.  The ministry has grown beyond Atmore to include missionary chaplains and associates in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, as well as in South Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio.

We see our distinctive mission as a special emphasis on long-term, intensive relationships in both evangelism and discipleship.  Our purpose is to lead offenders beyond the classic “religious experience” to an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ that involves practical change in their minds as well as their hearts.  Our heartbeat is developing one-on-one relationships through which the grace of God can flow.  Accordingly, our prison chaplaincy workers visit inmates in segregation cells, dormitories and halls, offering friendship, Christian books and Bible studies.  From the relationships developed come opportunities for daily interactive influence through peer counseling, prayer and encouragement.

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i.                     Board of Directors – Oversees and insures integrity of planning and direction of We Care Program.  Manages the business and property of the corporation.  Approximately one-third of the board are elected annually by the members to hold office for three years.

ii.                   Administration – Working out of our headquarters building in Atmore, Alabama, are our administrative staff, including President, Vice President and Business Manager, Administrative Assistant, and Bookkeeper.  They provide support for the diverse ministry needs of We Care Program through faithful stewardship of people, finances, and property.

iii.                  Chaplaincy Staff – Taking the message of the Gospel to men and women in prison, meeting spiritual and emotional needs, and equipping for release when possible.

iv.                 Economy Shop Staff – The labor force of the We Care Economy Shops, which are community thrift stores set up to provide funding for the ministry by processing, sorting, and selling donated clothing and miscellaneous items at bargain prices.

v.                   Members – Support the ministry of We Care Program through prayer, finances, time and/or input.  Qualification and terms:

A.    Membership shall be limited to persons (18 years of age and older) who

                               (1) during the four immediately preceding calendar quarters (a) have demonstrated a regular pattern of giving (at least 10 times) to the General Fund of the corporation or have contributed $1,000.00 or more to the corporation or (b) have expressed an unusual amount of interest in the on-going ministry of We Care Program, OR

                               (2) during the three immediately preceding calendar years have contributed two weeks or more of volunteer service for or with the corporation, AND

                               (3) are approved by the majority of the directors of the corporation voting in person or by mail ballot, AND

                               (4) execute a Membership Agreement which commits them to

                                    (a) support and promote the goals of We Care as an evangelical Christian organization engaged in ministry to prisoners and their families, ex-prisoners, and other troubled persons in our society,

                                    (b) take interest in and remain informed of the basic activities and plans of We Care through reading newsletters and other mailings received from the program,

                                    (c) pray for the ministry of We Care, its ministers and administrators, and

                                    (d) cast their ballot in person or by proxy to elect directors of the corporation who are qualified and who support the goals of We Care.

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STATEMENT OF FAITH:

We believe in one God, uncaused, almighty, eternally existent in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; and who is actively present, personally manifested, and jealously operative in the life of every believer.  He is the conveyor of God’s love, forgiveness, and His will.

We believe the Bible is God’s self-revelation to man, inspired, infallible, the final authority for truth and life.

We believe there is no hope for man’s eternal salvation apart from the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrated through faith in Jesus as Savior and submission to Jesus as Lord.

We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith and not of works; that salvation is a gift, undeserved and unearned; and that saving faith is substantiated by spiritual fruit and works of righteousness.

We believe that heaven and hell are eternal realities; that an actual place of unrelenting torment exists for unrepentant sinners and that an actual place of uninterrupted bliss exists for the children of God.

We believe that God loves everyone; that His kingdom knows no national, racial, ethnic, cultural nor denominational boundaries; and that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We believe God has graced His church with spiritual gifts for the bonding, strengthening and ministering of the body of Christ.

We believe that the great commission, “Go ye into all the world” is incumbent upon all Christians; that each of us has a sacred responsibility to share the good news of salvation with everyone, especially those who have not heard or responded.

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Martin & Anna Weber

Martin and Anna Weber and family around time of start of prison ministry. Children: Back row from left Velma, Leon, Ruth Ann, Jim, Mary Jane—Middle:  Joyce (standing), Phil (seated)