As you walk into a worship service at SBCC, it’s easy to forget you are in prison. You are immediately surprised by the warm, friendly congregation and how much the worship service feels like your own church service. We have a worship team/band and uplifting sermons. We celebrate the Lord’s table, pray, and train inmates to be church leaders. Over 30 men were recently baptized!
Sometimes I’m asked, “why do prison ministry, and Pastor a church?” Hebrews 13:3 is my answer: “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
Whenever I go into the correctional center, I’m reminded that those who are incarcerated need heavy doses of hope and encouragement. We are Hope Dealers!
Volunteer involvement is the key to our success: Celebrate Recovery, Inside out Dad’s, God Behind Bars, Four Sunday Worship Services, are all led by volunteers from various churches in our community.
The generosity of our donors helps to not only provide support for our chaplains, but also Bibles, Celebrate Recovery books, Greeting Cards, music and sound equipment. Members of Hickory Ridge Community Church, Chesapeake, VA recently sponsored a food truck to provide free food, and prayer support to the staff of SBCC. We sincerely believe we lifted the spirits of the staff at SBCC.
Today, while doing my rounds, I passed out over 1,200 Christmas Cards, prayed with several inmates, gave away several large print bibles, and devotional books. I delivered a menorah, so our Jewish inmates will be able to observe Hanukkah, made copies of prayer schedules for the Islamic population, and prayed for a staff member who is having some personal family issues. Before leaving, my chaplain assistants joined me in planning our Christmas Service and I gave them a brief report, about an inmate who last week was at SBCC worshiping, and this week he was at my church worshiping.
How does all this happen? The prayers and support of people and churches in our community.
Chaplain Calvin Corbitt
St Brides Correctional Center