Hello! My name is Shonda Whitworth. Welcome to the Fortress of Hope Ministries website.
In 2011, my oldest son was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to state prison. Throughout the process, I turned to the only place where I knew to get help and that was the local church.
While the church leadership directed me to individual people who helped our family, overall there was not a support group for families dealing with incarceration. Many of the people who walked with me through the initial stages of our prison family journey did not have someone they love in the penal system. Though they loved me, they did not comprehend the trials we encountered.
In local churches we find recovery groups, divorce care groups, moms groups, and so forth. But most churches do not have anything in place for those who are going through the adjustment and ongoing challenges of the prison family journey.
When I cried to the Lord about it, He impressed on my heart that I can do something. After meeting with our pastors, they agreed there is a need in our communities to reach families who are impacted by incarceration. Thus, Fortress of Hope was born.
Since 2017, we’ve held local support group meetings in Lubbock, Texas. We have a closed Facebook group for those on Facebook. And our website offers blog posts, articles, and resources to help and encourage the families of the incarcerated.
We are about fortifying the lives that have experienced the trauma of having someone they love enter the legal and penal system. We build one another up in the truth of the gospel message and learn how apply these truths to our lives as families of prisoners.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with testimonies of how the Lord used prisoners, murderers, womanizers, liars, cheaters, thieves, and corrupt judicial systems to advance His Kingdom. From this foundation, we have hope in the Lord for our lives and the lives of our incarcerated loved ones!
I encourage you to look around this website. Be sure to sign up for our weekly email newsletter to receive ministry updates and information relevant to you.
You can start here: Welcome to Fortress of Hope.
Blessings in Christ –
Shonda Whitworth, President