CONTACT: Pastor Danny Urquico | 8994894 | 09178932710
Vicente Gonzales, Jail Coordinator | 09164986558
Who values love and forgiveness more highly: the one who has made a small mistake, or the one who has committed a grave crime?
Jesus spent his time on earth with society’s most despised, because it was they who needed him most.* A look into today’s jails and halfway houses will tell you, that need is still felt today. So through us who follow Jesus, his work continues.
Biyahe (trip/travel) is local slang for an inmate’s trip – usually one-way – to the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa upon conviction. It also refers to buying drugs.
God, however, has planned another kind of trip, one that leads to true freedom and mercy. This is what the volunteers of the Binigyang laYa ni Hesus** (BIYAHE) Jail Ministry want to show.
The ministry group was founded when Pastor Danny Urquico, himself a former inmate, wanted his CCF Marikina youth group to see the cost of reckless decisions.
Every week, BIYAHE takes the good news about Jesus to the hundreds of inmates at the Marikina City Jail. This way, an inmate may experience freedom from the penalty of sin long before they get physical liberty from their cells. The ministry leads Bible studies and small group meetings, provides counseling to inmates and their families, and helps them make a living with training and subcontracting.
God continues to make himself known in biyaheros’ (travelers’)lives even upon their release. To date, twelve biyaheros have found jobs with CCF members. Nine of them serve God through various ministry efforts at CCF, and of these nine, three lead D-Groups [link to D-Groups].
The trip with BIYAHE has just begun. The ministry hopes to expand to reach Rizal Provincial Jail in Antipolo and/or the Pasig Municipal Jail by the end of the year.
*Mark 2:13-17
** Freed by Jesus
The BIYAHE Jail Ministry shares the Good News with those behind bars so that they may turn over a new leaf in union with Christ and be released from the shackles of sin. It also provides legal assistance and skills training to prisoners, as well as spiritual guidance for their family members.
You can help out by joining BIYAHE on its weekly visits to the jail or by providing food and other supplies.
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