Thus far, we still do not have a Protestant Chaplain...
Our previous chaplain and pastor retired right before Christmas of last year. But I believe the Lord revealed to me that He himself is really the Chaplain of the church here at Sullivan Correctional Facility.
In fact, Jesus has always been our Chaplain. However, up until recently, He has simply chosen to work through a man.
In addition, if a new chaplain were to come here, if he is not a born again, Spirit-filled person, we would actually be better off without him (in my opinion). We'd be better off the way things are now. Although, frankly, we do need a chaplain.
While God has me and several of the elder brothers in our congregation overseeing our Bible studies and worship services, as much as mere prison inmates are allowed to, the big disadvantage of not having an official chaplain is that certain areas of the facility cannot be evangelized. These areas are now out of reach from the counsel of a Bible-believing minister.
For instance, only a chaplain is allowed access to the prison's hospital, the protective custody unit, or the special Behavioral Control Unit (BHU) that keeps about sixty men under special supervision, or the Special Housing Unit (SHU), more commonly known as "The Box." SHU houses those inmates who are under a 23-hour per day lockdown for committing serious rule infractions. These areas are now devoid of any form of a Christian witness.
When my former chaplain was here, he would visit these restricted areas on a weekly basis, often taking literature such as Billy Graham's Decision magazine or copies of the Daily Bread from the Radio Bible Class with him. He could bring an inmate a Bible if one is requested. And he could pray with a prisoner or counsel him if asked. This is all gone now. So it is something to be concerned about, as perhaps twenty percent of the population lives in these parts of the facility. I've taken this matter to the Lord in prayer.
D.B.
In fact, Jesus has always been our Chaplain. However, up until recently, He has simply chosen to work through a man.
In addition, if a new chaplain were to come here, if he is not a born again, Spirit-filled person, we would actually be better off without him (in my opinion). We'd be better off the way things are now. Although, frankly, we do need a chaplain.
While God has me and several of the elder brothers in our congregation overseeing our Bible studies and worship services, as much as mere prison inmates are allowed to, the big disadvantage of not having an official chaplain is that certain areas of the facility cannot be evangelized. These areas are now out of reach from the counsel of a Bible-believing minister.
For instance, only a chaplain is allowed access to the prison's hospital, the protective custody unit, or the special Behavioral Control Unit (BHU) that keeps about sixty men under special supervision, or the Special Housing Unit (SHU), more commonly known as "The Box." SHU houses those inmates who are under a 23-hour per day lockdown for committing serious rule infractions. These areas are now devoid of any form of a Christian witness.
When my former chaplain was here, he would visit these restricted areas on a weekly basis, often taking literature such as Billy Graham's Decision magazine or copies of the Daily Bread from the Radio Bible Class with him. He could bring an inmate a Bible if one is requested. And he could pray with a prisoner or counsel him if asked. This is all gone now. So it is something to be concerned about, as perhaps twenty percent of the population lives in these parts of the facility. I've taken this matter to the Lord in prayer.
D.B.
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