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New Life Foundations is located in Iowa County within southwestern Wisconsin. We minister in county jails serving cities like Dodgeville, WI working with the Iowa County Sheriff. We are committed to making a difference in the world today to the glory of God through ministry to inmates. Ministries like ours and other prison ministries are important because incarcerated individuals do not have the opportunity to attend church or grow in a relationship with God and so we come to them.

We seek to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have lost sight of him through Prayer, Fellowship, Worship, and Bible Studies. Whether you are a friend or family member of someone in jail, a chaplain in need of resources, or you yourself are seeking to rebuild your life, we are here to help you with our jail and reentry ministry.

There are hundreds of inmates being released each year, and most of them end up committing some crime and returning to jail. . . . I began ministering in jail when I saw that many of those who are incarcerated knew they were breaking the law, but did not know any other lifestyle. The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers a new worldview and the power to live it.

– Chaplain Roger Gerber

New Life Foundations is led by Chaplain Roger Gerber.

It is exciting to see God working in these lives:

“I honestly feel that the reason God’s plan sent me back to Jail was to meet Chaplain Gerber and have him in my life.  I Look up to him and Thank God for leading me to him and giving me the gift of everlasting life!”

 

“We all really like it that you tell it like it is & don’t sugar coat it or cover it up. Just over all we want to just give you a big “thank you”! Thank you for the Bibles, too!”

 

“Before I came to God, I did not care about life, besides my fiancé and getting high. I didn’t care who I hurt or who I put down. I didn’t care whether I lived or died. I felt like I couldn’t be happy around people. I didn’t even want to get out of bed unless I had pills & weed. I didn’t care. All I wanted was to be high… I came to God and asked Him to help me to change my life, to be better. I asked Him to take the pain, the depression and my sin away. I asked Him to take my life and do whatever He wants with it. I asked to be forgiven for all the wrong I’ve done. Now, I feel like my heart has changed. I want to help everyone that needs help. I care about how people act and the way they talk. I want everyone to give God a chance to help them. I feel happier since I got off drugs and put the Lord in my life.”

 

On one occasion, I was “clearly” expounding on a difficult passage. Then one of my inmates asked, “But how do you know what the Bible means if it means something different every time you pick it up?” I explained that the Bible only has one “meaning” but at different points in life it has different applications. We “discussed” the issue at length. Then another inmate asked if he could speak. He said: “It is like this: A roll of duct tape is a roll of duct tape. You can use it for all kinds of things, but it is still duct tape.” At that point I didn’t see anything to add to what had already been said. The Lord used many illustrations. At times we can make things a lot simpler with one good illustration.