The Gates of Hell

And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
Matthew 16:18 

As it now appears to be the case, my congregation may be without a chaplain for the foreseeable future...

With the current budget situation here in New York State, plus many unplanned layoffs already scheduled to begin in early January 2011, I've been told there are no plans to hire a new chaplain. At best we may eventually get a regional chaplain. By this I mean a clergyman who will have to help meet the spiritual needs of the inmates at several different prisons as opposed to having to oversee only one facility.

Having a regional chaplain, which may be one way the state government is trying to save money, will mean that the chaplain will only come here two or three days per week instead of being at the prison full-time. Obviously this means he'll be spread thin. I could liken it to one pastor having to minister to several different congregations, and juggling himself between them. My flock has always had our own chaplain. But these days may be over. Prison administrations are being forced to make do with less.

Nevertheless God is in control. I know that Christ has His church here. And I have the faith to know and believe that the 'gates of hell' shall not prevail against us. With the Lord Jesus as our Leader, Satan doesn't stand a chance.

D.B.