Posting #162 – Onesimus Ministries for the Holiday Season

By:  RSOL of Virginia
Date:  11/02/2009

Virginia Supporters,

Back in March, we traveled to Chesapeake to meet Reverend Bill Twine and some of the residents of Onesimus Ministries. It was an honor to meet Rev. Twine and the residents. After that meeting we added Onesimus Ministries to the Contact Us section of our web-site as an option for donations.

Onesimus Ministries, http://onesimus-ministries.org/welcome.HTML ministers to incarcerated individuals in the Tidewater area and they have three homes to provide residences for offenders who have been released from prison. Rev. Twine is one of only a few halfway houses that will accept sex offenders.

Currently 5 of their 30 residents are unemployed and 8 others are unable to pay their weekly program fees. Rev. Twine has continued to house these 13 residents who can not find work or pay their fees hoping they will get back on their feet soon.

In November and December Onesimus Ministries needs $10,000 to continue or they will have to sell one of their properties which would result in 3 current residents being turned away.

Some of you may be planning on giving holiday donations to groups like Angel Tree, the Virginia Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, CARITAS or the Salvation Army in the next few weeks. John and I would like to ask those of you who are in a position to give a holiday donation to redirect this year’s gift to Onesimus Ministries so that they can continue to assist their current residents and newly released offenders who won't be accepted at other homes due to the sex offense. For many of the residents it’s not just a second chance, it’s their only chance.

Many of you belong to groups, women’s clubs and churches that look for a charity to assist during the holidays, suggest Onesimus Ministries as the charity for them to help this year.

If any of you have family members that would be donating to a charity this holiday season, please forward this e-mail request on to them.

If any of you own a business or know someone who owns a business in the Tidewater area and could give one of the residents a job, please contact Reverend Twine.

Thank you for your support of RSOL of Virginia.

Onesimus Ministries is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation so your donation would be tax deductible.

Mailing Address:
Onesimus Ministries of Norfolk Inc.
P.O. Box 12241
Norfolk Va. 23541
(757)-421-2553
E-mail: wbtwine@onesimus-ministries.org