A nonprofit legal organization is purchasing a property belonging to an evangelical prison ministry.
Prison Fellowship is selling its 11.3 acres of property in Lansdowne, Virginia to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
Michael Farris, President and CEO of ADF, revealed to The Christian Post (CP) that they have already signed a letter of intent the other week and is currently working on to close the deal.
"We've been renting in the area for a couple of years now, and our growth is so explosive that we were looking at getting a long-term place to grow, where we're not going from one rental to another," Farris stated.
"This opportunity became available. With the legacy of the building, it is especially wonderful, but just the building itself was perfect for our needs. And so, we're really excited to pursue it," he added.
Christianity Today said that ADF has been praying for years to have another office for their expansion, making Prison Fellowship's announcement of selling the property a timely opportunity for them.
Prison Fellowship, through its President and CEO James J. Ackerman, expressed the organization's delight for the ADF's decision to acquire the property.
"When ADF came along, the heart of the board, if you will, leapt. They thought, 'This would be so awesome if God's work could continue on the land dedicated to the Lord's work by Chuck Colson himself,'" Ackerman said.
Farris told CP that the two organizations had already worked on several projects together, with ADF assisting the prison ministry on legal advice.
Ackerman said that the sale of the property was not due to financial problems, since Prison Fellowship has been financially stable even during the pandemic and they did not have to lay off any employee but were busy and has no debt on its record. Their revenue has been growing for the last three years, seeing continuous growth this year.
A statement said that Prison Fellowship decided to sell the property due to the ministry's working arrangement, wherein it has become increasingly virtual and on location at prisons.
After the sale to ADF, Prison Fellowship plans to remain on the property for the next two years, renting the second floor of the building.
Prison Fellowship was founded by Charles Colson in 1976. It is the world's largest Christian nonprofit organization that seeks to bring hope and restoration to inmates, their families and communities affected by crime and incarceration.
ADF, on the other hand, is an American conservative Christian nonprofit organization founded in 1993, advocating for religious and speech freedom, the sanctity of human life and marriage and family.
Following the arrangement of purchase, Farris then honored Colson in his statement.
"As a drafter of the Manhattan Declaration, he defended the very principles that we defend today. With the purchase of this new property, we carry on his legacy and begin a new and exciting chapter in ADF's 28 years of ministry as the world's largest legal advocacy organization committed to protecting religious freedom, sanctity of life, freedom of speech, and parental rights," he said.
