RICHMOND — The picture window in the new office of the Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia overlooks the courtyard at the Virginia Baptist Resource Center, giving Randy Myers and his staff a view of a fountain and tranquil greenery. That’s a stark contrast from an office in an aging building with a view of a deteriorating parking deck, said Myers, the Chaplain Service’s president.
It’s one of several new beginnings for the organization founded by seven Protestant denominations in 1920 as the Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia to provide chaplains to Virginia adult prisons and juvenile facilities, he said.
The Chaplain Service's Randy Myers and Joyce Minor oversee the work of 30 chaplains in Virginia prisons. (Religious Herald photo)
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“The reason that the Chaplain Service was formed is because the constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibits it from hiring or compensating chaplains for state prisons,” said Myers, noting that Virginia is the only state in the nation that does not subsidize prison chaplains. Recognizing the need for Protestant chaplains in state facilities, the Chaplain Service was formed and for 82 years provided chaplains at no cost to Virginia.
“In the early days of this ministry there were only a handful of chaplains. The prison system and juvenile facilities were very small,” said Myers. Today there are more than 30,000 adult offenders in state correctional centers and 2,000 in juvenile facilities and the Chaplain Service has 30 chaplains in 30 of Virginia’s 40 prisons to reach that population.
A challenging year
“2012 was a year of great challenge for this ministry,” said Myers. In April its president of 17 years, Cecil McFarland, died. A United Methodist pastor who had served churches in Virginia and Tennessee, McFarland became the executive director, later president, of the Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia in 1995.
Myers was elected president on May 1, 2012. A Baptist minister, he had worked for the Virginia Department of Corrections for 16 years before joining the Chaplain Service in 2006. As vice president he served primarily as the Chaplain Service’s religious advisor to the DOC. He is a member of Powhatan (Va.) Community Church.
At the same time Joyce Minor was elected vice president. She brought with her 14 years of experience as Virginia’s representative with Prison Fellowship Ministries, where she headed up its faith-based re-entry programs for men and women. She continues to serve in a similar role for the Chaplain Service.
Early in 2012 the Chaplain Service learned its tax-exempt status had been revoked by the Internal Revenue Service. This resulted in a year of calls and correspondence struggling to resolve the situation, said Myers. In January 2013 a letter of apology from the IRS was received acknowledging its error and verifying the Chaplain Service’s tax-exempt status had never lapsed. Yet its temporary loss resulted in a loss of over $100,000 in donations from foundations.
Simultaneously, denominational giving dropped significantly — resulting in $120,000 less revenue than the same period five years ago, said Myers.
Contract issues
The final challenge involved the renewal of its contract with the Department of Corrections. While not allowed to receive taxpayer dollars, the DOC provides funds for chaplaincy and religious programming through its inmate commissary fund. Myers explains that the DOC previously had authority over the number of chaplain hours per week that the Service provided for each prison. Given that a significant portion of its financial support from other sources had dropped, the Chaplain Service proposed offering the same services as the previous contract — with the provision of having the right to cut hours or positions if it became necessary. At mid-year the proposal was rejected, and as an emergency measure, the DOC extended the contract under the previous terms until last Jan. 1.
During the final months of 2012, Myers said the Chaplain Service was experiencing a monthly deficit of $20,000. It was difficult to meet payroll and some checks were deferred while waiting for donations to arrive from churches and denominations. In late December the DOC accepted the new proposal, issuing a five-year contract.
“During Christmas vacation I had the unpleasant task of calling every chaplain and informing them that their hours and their hourly wages would be cut as of Jan. 1,” said Myers. Full-time chaplains at all facilities were reduced to part-time. Some full-time chaplains with salaries of $40,000 per year are now receiving less than $20,000 — with no benefits, said Myers.
“Our chaplains are so amazing, because they have such a call of God upon their lives that not one of them bailed on us,” said Myers. “Many of them continue to work their previous 40 to 60 hours — donating the time that they are not paid for to make sure every detail of their ministry is covered.”
New beginnings
Myers said his immediate goals for the Chaplain Service are to restore chaplains to full-time ministry and add additional chaplains as necessary to adequately service Virginia’s prisons; to raise their compensation to closer the national average; and to provide health coverage for chaplains.
To offset the decline in support from foundations and denominational entities, Myers proposed a designated giving plan for churches and denominational judicatories to support prison ministry in facilities located near them. At its April 1 meeting, board members approved this plan as an emergency tool to bridge the financial gap.
Myers would also like to see a ministry council established at each state prison and correctional center, composed of existing lay and ministerial volunteers, to enhance chaplains’ ability to do their ministry more effectively.
“Chaplains have a difficult role because they have a dual role,” said Myers. “They are the Protestant pastor for the prison they serve in, doing what any other pastor would do.” This includes leading worship services, preaching, teaching Bible and counseling one-on-one and in crisis situations such as when an offender has a death in the family. They are also the religious coordinator at the prison working with volunteers from various denominations to ensure time and space for their ministries.
The presence of Christ
“The spiritual aspect is a big part of rehabilitation and preparation for an offender’s release with a restored life — not as a prime candidate for further criminal activity,” said Myers. “Chaplains provide a presence of Christ in prisons, and by treating everyone fairly and equally, they are a witness for Christ.”
“You can give offenders substance abuse recovery programs, education and vocational skills, anger management classes and more,” said Myers, “but if you leave God out of the picture, you are missing the core of the person — their heart. That’s why chaplains need to be there.”
For more information on how churches can support the Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia, contact its office at 804.358.7650 or email [email protected].
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.