In 1920, several pastors around Richmond recognized a need to minister to the inmates in state prisons (There were only two prisons at the time). Seven denominations, including the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Society of Friends, and the Disciples of Christ, joined together to form what at that time was called the Foundation for Religious Works in State Institutions. The budget for the first year was $4,300.
In those years, the Foundation provided support for juvenile facilities, prisons, mental hospitals, as well as state prisons, including chaplains in both black and white segregated institutions. The Foundation became Chaplain Services of Virginia in 1963 and was renamed GraceInside in 2014.
Most of GraceInside’s funding over the years has come from individuals, churches, and denominational donors. Beginning in 2002, GraceInside began to receive some financial support from the Inmate Commissary Fund to supplement our work. Uniquely to this state, prison chaplains in Virginia are not state employees. The Department of Corrections partners with GraceInside as independent contractors.
GraceInside has been served by faithful leaders over the years including Richard Veneable Lancaster (1920-1938), Henry Robison (1938-1945, 1955-1962), Emmet Frazier (1945-1955), Russel Loesch (1962-1963), Richard Graham (1964-1968), George Ricketts (1968-1995), Cecil McFarland (1995-2012), Randy Myers (2012-2024), and our current Executive Director, Nick Meyer, who began in January 2025.
As the number of state prisons expanded over time, so did the work of our chaplains. There are currently around 23,000 inmates in the Virginia prison system. GraceInside employs over 30 (mostly part-time) chaplains across 37 different state prisons and work camps. After 100 years of faithful service, GraceInside continues to minister to those behind bars in the name of Christ.