All Aboard: New Chaplains Attend Training and Orientation in April 2022
On April 5, 2022, we were able to hold our first “New Chaplain Training/Orientation Day” (live and in person!) since prior to the pandemic. Needless to say, we had quite a backlog of new Chaplains that had been waiting to go through this important training. This training was led by our very own Bernie Morris, our Religious Advisor/DOC Liaison. Bernie covered the essential DOC policies and procedures relating to faith-based/religious program and chaplaincy, went over the DOC’s “Virtual Library”, and
Group from GraceInside Attends CMCA Annual Summit in New Orleans
A group of eight GraceInside Chaplains and Staff Members were blessed and privileged to attend the 10th Annual Summit of the CMCA (Correctional Ministries & Chaplains Association) in New Orleans, LA, on May 27-28, 2022. The event was held at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (and was the first “live” summit CMCA has had since prior to the pandemic). The Summit and CMCA itself is out of the Correctional Ministries Institute at The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College
Spring 2022 Spiritual Care Training
On April 24-27, 2022, Baptist Chaplaincy Relations (BCR – a partnership between Texas Baptists and Virginia Baptists) offered a special training for various types of Chaplains (including a Correctional Chaplaincy Training Track). The following GraceInside Chaplains and Staff were able to participate: Dawson Bailey Janice Broadie Ashton Brock Clifton Cauthorne Oscar Grant Patrick Jones Toni Mayes William Moore Jerusha Moses Claudette Rodney Randy Myers (GraceInside Staff) Lois Carter (GraceInside Staff) The event started off with a Worship/Welcome Service on
Jerusha Moses: A Light in the Darkness
Our very own Chaplain Jerusha Moses has had a journey of hardship, but God had a purpose for her life. A little introduction on Jerusha Moses: Jerusha is from India. Her grandparents worked as prison administrators and institutional wardens. Her parents served as medical missionaries and pastors. As young teens, both Jerusha and her little brother contracted typhoid and jaundice, and Jerusha almost died. Jerusha believed that the Almighty had healed them both because they were Christians. But she had
Not a Movie or a TV Show: Chaplaincy at Virginia’s Largest State Women’s Prison
Let’s face it. Movies and TV shows about women in prison have become a popular genre and actually a cultural phenomenon in America. Much of this “entertainment” centers around salacious and unseemly (and highly sexualized) content. The female inmates portrayed tend to be stereotypes and caricatures, usually NOT the women one would encounter in an actual jail or prison (since – after all – every human being is utterly unique). The storylines focus on “relationships” between inmates, between inmates and
It’s the Little Things That Mean a Lot: Retired Prison Chaplain Returns for New & Challenging Ministry
Did you know that Virginia’s state correctional facility come in ALL SIZES??? Well, it’s true. There are HUGE facilities that are “packed to the gills” with incarcerated men or women. There is the “super-sized” (three-prisons-in-one complex) Greensville Correctional Center that houses nearly 3,000 inmates at a time! Large prisons like Augusta Correctional Center and Nottoway Correctional Center both hover around nearly 1,400 inmates at any given time! There are medium-sized facilities like Baskerville Correctional Center and the Virginia Correctional Center
Former Inmate Celebrates 35 Years as a Religious Volunteer and Prison Chaplain
by Hasan Zarif, GraceInside chaplain My journey as a Chaplain began when I gave my life to Jesus Christ many years ago while I was incarcerated. I remember that my Prison Chaplain gave me a book and told me to read it, think about it and pray about it. The name of the book was One Bad Dude. It was written by a man named Ted Jefferson. Jefferson had led a life of crime, committed a number of felonies, and
From Prison Food to Cajun Fried Chicken & Biscuits: Former Female Inmate Becomes Restaurant Franchise Director
The following letter was recently received by Chaplain Claudette Rodney (currently serving as GraceInside’s Chaplain at Beaumont Correctional Center in Powhatan, VA and as our Central Region Supervising Chaplain). At one time Dr. Rodney served as Chaplain for Brunswick Women’s Work Center and for Deerfield Women’s Work Center. It was during that timeframe that she met and ministered to the (now former) female inmate. This woman wrote to Chaplain Rodney to update her on her life and her progress. We