Chaplain service releases new DVD. The Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia has released a new DVD describing the agency’s ministry to 32,000 adult prisoners in 31 state prisons and three juvenile correctional centers across Virginia. The DVD includes comments from John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia; Bishop Charlene Kammeerer of Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church; and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The Chaplain Service is supported by almost 20 religious organizations in Virginia, including the BGAV and the Baptist General Convention of Virginia. It may be contacted at 804.358.7650 or at chapservva@aol.com.
Expansion will enhance church’s assistance. Food distribution for the hunger in Amherst County, Va., will soon be more efficient, with the expansion of the food pantry at New Propect Baptist Church in Monroe. The additional 1,600 square feet will allow the church to store more food and provide additional working space for volunteers, according to the Amherst New Era Progress. The pantry, which serves about 900 clients a month, regularly pickes up donations of fresh produce, sometimes as many as 1,200 pounds at a time. Because it currently has nowhere to store it, everything must be distributed immediately. With the addition of a new cooling room, produce can be kept for a few days and more clients will have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Costs for materials were covered in part by a nearby Episcopal church and the work itself is being donated by a local construction company.