Crossroads Bible Institute (CBI) provided faith-based reentry education for people in prison in the United States and around the world. It was founded in 1984. As a state-licensed post-secondary school, CBI offered courses on three levels corrected by trained and certified Instructors. The school's Center for Advanced Studies included not only th
accredited college courses
but also housed CBI's

prison reentry Prisoner reentry is the process by which prisoners who have been released return to the community. Many types of programs have been implemented with the goal of reducing recidivism and have been found to be effective for this purpose. Consideration ...

program that placed its students with reentry agencies in the area of their anticipated release to assist them in finding a job, securing housing, continuing their education and, if desired, locating a church. Lessons were also developed for the children of prisoners. Crossroad Bible Institute was envisioned and directed by Tom De Vries. Its first courses were authored by Dr. Ed Roels. Radio pastor, Dr. David Feddes, was instrumental in the early years for recruiting instructors and even attracting students outside North America. From 1999 to 2015, the school was led by Dr. H. David Schuringa as it grew rapidly worldwide with 20 satellite campuses on all six livable continents, with courses in English and Spanish. During the 2014 school year, CBI had 45,876 active students, 5,625 Instructors correcting lessons, and 397 volunteers in the Grand Rapids office. Schuringa founded not only Crossroad's CAS, but also its Inmate Art Gallery,
Crossroad Connection
-its radio and television programs, and its influential social justice arm - a voice for restorative justice - Crossroad Correctional Ministries. Dr. Schuringa worked closely with

Chuck Colson Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

while the post-secondary school served as the long-term discipleship arm of

Prison Fellowship Ministries Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is a Christian international non-governmental organization of national prison fellowship organizations from 112 countries. The organization is based in Washington D.C., United States, and its current preside ...

. As the President of CBI, he and Mrs. Schuringa were VIP attendees a
Mr. Colson's funeral
in the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

. He presented in Washington DC on Capital Hill befor
bi-partisan Congressional and Senate briefings
as well as before the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the sta ...

. In 2015, Dr. Schuringa moved on serving several years as a (founding) Commissioner Appointee of

Governor Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder prev ...

, to improve and reform public defense efforts for the poor in the criminal justice system. By 2019, under its new leadership, licensure for the Institute had been ended and the organization pivoted to a para-church prison ministry and rebranded as Crossroads Prison Ministries. In 2021-22 the ministry service
29,176 inmates world-wide
with Bible studies and mentors.

References

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External links

Crossroads Prison Ministries Official Website
Religious prison-related organizations Christian educational institutions Non-profit organizations based in Michigan