Aug 29

August 2026 News

What’s New in Loaves & Fishes

In this issue of our newsletter, we are excited to inform you about some changes to the magazine that have been in development for some time. You may have noticed some of these changes already in issue 59.

Our editors, Shawn Schmidt and Andrew Crider, and our graphic designer, Teresa Sommers, collaborated on a cover-to-cover redesign of Loaves & Fishes. We believe the result will help the magazine to stand out in the prison setting, with an attention-getting jailhouse orange color theme, and an updated, modern look.

But the changes only begin with brighter colors and updated design elements throughout. Inside the front cover, we feature a brand-new study guide for the magazine. This guide will feature key points about the theme, scripture readings, and study questions.

Loaves & Fishes came to exist due to conversations our founder, Darold Gingerich, had with prison inmates specifically requesting reading material for growing in the Christian faith. Evangelistic material is more common, but discipleship content less so. Thus, we have always believed Loaves & Fishes occupies a unique space — that of encouraging prison inmates who want to grow in their walk with Jesus.

This focus will continue. We believe in helping inmates encourage others by submitting their personal testimonies and original poetry. Our puzzles and exercises are geared toward familiarizing them with the Bible. We hope to teach them real-life principles that will help them walk with God in practical ways, both behind bars and on the outside, such as using money wisely.

We also want believers behind bars to understand how they fit into God’s story and plan for His people — the Church. To that end, we are excited to bring to the magazine what we expect to be a long-running series. We were delighted to receive permission to reprint the text Church History: Resurrection to Reformation by Keith Crider.

This series will begin in issue 60, which is scheduled to ship in early September. We believe this will add value to Loaves & Fishes as a tool for Christian prison inmates to expand their minds beyond themselves and their immediate circumstances. Serious students of the Bible will be delighted to learn how the story of the Church continued after the book of Acts ends.

This brings us to one of the most significant changes we have made in many years at Lighthouse Publishing. Loaves & Fishes magazine is literally expanding! Beginning with the next issue, we are adding 10 pages to the magazine for a total of 60 pages. With all of the above changes and more, the mailing of our 60th magazine will be a much-anticipated milestone, only made possible by generous donors and by those who kindly distribute our magazine in places far beyond our reach.

Publishing Update

Issue 60 has been sent to press, and is expected in our warehouse in early August. The ship date is scheduled for the first week of September. This will be our third issue of the year, to be followed in December by our fourth and final issue for 2026.

Financial Update

To reflect a little, the year 2025 represented an unprecedented year of growth for Lighthouse Publishing, as donation revenues nearly doubled. This allowed us to reach our long-time goal of publishing quarterly, and work on marketing the magazine to more prisons.

This much-appreciated growth gave us sufficient funds for operating expenses as well as maintaining reserves for future use. We were also able to offer better compensation for our magazine and office staff. The expansion of the magazine is expected to add $3,500-4,000 printing and shipping cost to each issue. We also continue to build our library on PandoApp, a digital app on many prison tablets. These investments are made possible by your kindness.

In 2026, our donation revenues have returned to levels we have seen in the years prior to 2025. Based on year-to-date donations, we expect to begin to use up some of our reserves later in the year. We at Lighthouse wish to thank all those of you who have trusted us with these resources, and our goal continually is to use them transparently in a way that will most benefit our readers and build the kingdom of God. You are deeply appreciated.

Reader Feedback

This is to inform you of my address change so I can continue to receive without interruption. I am truly grateful and have seriously been blessed in my walk with Christ Jesus. Thank you! Pray for me as I’ll continue to pray for you.

—Darrel Brown

Ware State Prison, Waycross, GA

Distributor Feedback

[Loaves & Fishes] are the most requested booklet.

—Chaplain John Griffin

Coconino County Detention Facility, Flagstaff, AZ

Jul 08

June 2026 Loaves & Fishes Report

News

“GPS to Get Me There”

Imagine you’re on a complex, unfamiliar route, and in the middle of the trip, your phone loses data connection. At that point, you realize your helplessness and dependence on GPS technology. This happened to my nephew recently. Since he had no other way to get the maps he needed, he used what sense of direction he had to reroute his trip by my house to get connected to WiFi.

We often don’t realize the value of positioning and directions until we don’t have it, or till we meet someone who is thoroughly lost. This is also true in a larger, spiritual sense. Sometimes, we encounter those who have no sense of north in life, no guide, no standard, no concept of a good trajectory. In an effort to help them, where do we even begin?

The next several issues of Loaves & Fishes will be focused on the Bible itself. In these issues, our goal is essentially the same as helping a person who is lost to find their way. A true location must be pinpointed. As we know, the state of all humans is that of being lost. Then, we must find a solution, and a guide to the correct way toward the desired destination.

The solution to our lostness is Jesus. The guide God has given us is the writings of the Bible. With the aid of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, we can find our position, locate our destination, and follow the best route.

The core messages of the Bible are quite simple. However, to someone who is unfamiliar with it, and even sometimes to those who are, the Bible itself can be challenging and complex. Our goal in the next issues of the magazine is to offer our best advice to those desiring to use the Bible as a guide in life.

—Mike Fisher, Manager of Operations

Publishing Update

By the time this newsletter reaches you, issue 59 will have been received, processed, and shipped. We are genuinely excited to get this issue out in print and on digital. This issue focuses on God’s purpose and design for human sexuality. We hope to point out the beauty of intimacy as God intended it.

As mentioned, our next two issues will be on the topic of the Bible. We will discuss how the Bible came to exist and how to read and study the scriptures.

The content for issue 60 is complete and in the editing process, and is scheduled to ship in September. Issue 61, our fourth issue for this year, is in development and should ship in December.

Financial Update

We are able to plan and project our ministry projects for the future only because of how our donors have trusted us with financial resources. For that, we are truly grateful.

At this writing, the printing of issue 59 has been paid at $22,000. Around $8,000 in postage and $4,000 in editing and production costs are also expected. Our current funds on hand are approximately $160,000.

We are thankful for the blessing of God on our work, and again, we sincerely appreciate the inspired vision of those who support our work in whatever way you are able.

All of this of course would be impossible without the willingness of our nearly 400 bulk distributors to get the magazine into the hands of our readers each and every day. God bless each of you.

Reader Feedback

Thank you so much for your ministry. I printed out a few stories to send to my nephew who is incarcerated. He plans to sign up for your publication once he gets sent to his permanent facility.

—Christa Swope

Distributor Feedback

I want to thank you for your organization and your publication. After the great feedback from the inmates here at DCJ, I thought it was the right thing to do to pass on to you the praise. Thank you for loving those that you have not seen! I certainly look forward to planting and watering into these peoples lives with your support. In his hands,

—Chaplain Dave Beard
Dekalb County Jail, Auburn, IN

May 04

April 2026 News

News

As Old as Time

It came into the world with the introduction of sin, and it wasn’t long before it had claimed its first innocent victim. Conflict forever marred the face of history when Cain killed his brother Abel. Think of all the children and grandchildren of that good and righteous man who never existed because of Cain’s jealous rage.

Conflict. War and strife. From the beginning, thesethings have cost humanity incalculable sorrow and suffering. Today, for all the progress and development of humanity, we have not unmired ourselves from that basic struggle of our race.

Which was the bloodiest century of human history? The twentieth; yes, that century we just completed a few years ago. And the world of the twenty-first appears fraught with violence in many ways. Conflict on a global scale may only be awaiting a triggering event.

What else is as old as time? God’s plan of redemption for the world. In this season of springtime, flowers are breaking out, and the green earth is ready for cultivation and productivity once again. From the dust and ashes of past troubles, peace breaks forth and new life emerges.

Jesus came to end conflict and bring righteousness. His message is good news for the poor, imprisoned, blind, and oppressed. Today is the day of liberation and new life for all who are chained by sin!

—Mike Fisher, Manager of Operations

Publishing Update

Loaves & Fishes Issue 58 shipped on schedule in early March. Issue 59 will be in graphic design soon, and is scheduled to ship in early June. The topic is human sexuality, and like other aspects of God’s beautifulcreation, it has been devastated by sin. We look forward to showing our readers how physical intimacy can still be the blessing that God designed it to be.

In the past year, our circulation has ranged between 61,000-64,000. We are grateful to all those who receive and distribute Loaves & Fishes. Additionally, we are grateful for the opportunity to distribute the magazine digitally via PandoApp, available on many prison tablets. In our first year, we have had close to 50,000 opens with the two most recent issues being featured at any given time.

We have decided to increase our investment on PandoApp, beginning with expanding to the four most recent issues, and over time increasing to hosting our entire library of back issues on the app at an eventual monthly cost of $1,000. If your institution at some point discontinues acceptance of paper materials, this may be an option for inmates, depending on the tablet platform used in your facility.

Financial Update

The cost of producing the next issue of the magazineis projected to be $35,000, including editing, design, printing, and shipping costs. Due to the kindness of our donors, it is fully funded. Our current funds on hand are around $170,000.

Reader Feedback

I just wanted to take a moment to thankyou for these pamphlets! I absolutely love them.

I just got baptized here at the jail. I’m taking inall of Jesus I can! I can’t wait to learn more about my Savior. Thanks again for doing this for us incarcerated folks.

—Emily Stevenson

Bedford County Correctional Facility, Bedford, PA

Thank you for the Bible study. It means so much to me. I’m not sure how you got my information, but I am so happy. I just want to grow my relationship with my Lord. Thank you for your time.

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

—Walter LaBier

California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and StatePrison, Corcoran, CA

Distributor Feedback (People who distribute in prisons)

The inmates look forward to reading your booklets. I personally enjoy the poetry from the inmates. Thank you for this tool to encourage others.

—Chaplain Brenda Callahan

Monroe County Detention Center, Key West, FL

Mar 11

February 2026 Report

News

It’s a New Year

It is never too late for a fresh start. The best time to make a change was yesterday—but that opportunity has passed with the old year. As Scripture reminds us: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18–19).

Lighthouse Publishing began the new year with our annual Advisory Board meeting. Our staff, executive board members, and advisory board members joined us both in person and virtually. While we did reflect briefly on the past, the main purpose was to seek God’s guidance and chart the path forward together.

With fresh inspiration and insight, we remain committed to our ministry of providing Christian discipleship reading material for prison inmates through Loaves & Fishes magazine. Thank you so much for being a vital part of this important work.

—Mike Fisher, Manager of Operations

Publishing Update

Loaves & Fishes Issue 58 is on track to ship in early March as planned. By the time you receive this newsletter, printing should be complete and the magazines should be on their way to our warehouse. This issue’s theme is Heaven. The content is designed to help readers reflect seriously on the reality of eternal life after our brief time here on earth ends.

Issue 59 will follow with the topic of God’s Purpose and Design for Human Sexuality. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare and share these important messages.

Financial Update

The cost of producing the next issue of the magazine is projected to be $35,000, including editing, design, printing, and shipping costs. Due to the kindness of our donors, it is fully funded. Our current funds on hand are around $195,000.

Distributor Feedback

DJRC residents snatch up your materials as soon as we make them available. Your material is reaching inmates of all ages. The lockdown unit requests them, and while they are on 23/1 confinement they really focus on the message within the magazine.

—Chaplain Yolanda Walker, Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center, Nashville, TN

Reader Feedback

I recently came across a copy of Loaves & Fishes on gentleness, and reading it gave me a totally different perspective to view the world from. I’m blessed to still have my mother with me. She sent me a Bible and encourages me to stay in it. I’m hoping Loaves & Fishes will help guide that journey. Thank you, and God bless you for your time and the efforts you give to bring others close to Him.

—Dion Andrews
Big Muddy River Correctional, Ina, IL

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