Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2013 Issue | Page 22

Discovering God in the Darkest Places
A two-part series on prison ministry in the Diocese
Ashley Cameron
The Rev. Dr. Alonzo Pruitt is chaplain at the Richmond City
Jail, where proclaiming the Gospel is a top priority. “While it is
important that we support ministries and programs that make
it less likely that people will engage in behaviors that result in
their being arrested, it is no less important that we minister to
the many who are locked up,” explained Pruitt. “We must be
mindful that sharing with them the love of God is not an option
but a biblical mandate. Moreover, our witness to diminish the
number who come back after being released.”

The Richmond City Jail opens the doors of the jail to
the community and people of all religions and programs.
This openness has allowed the Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, bishop
suffragan, and some members of the diocesan staff to come
serve Eucharist and bring donations once a month to the
female inmates. “There is urgency to the problems here,
and people are hungry for the Word,” said Pruitt. “And it is
powerful to the women to have Bishop Goff, because they
never thought of God as a woman before. It has a tremendous
impact; the women behave better and have more hope.” And
without someone ministering to these who are suffering, they
lose hope. The majority need to be reminded they are loved
and God has a plan for them.

“Sometimes ministers say that we are going to visit
prisoners or others in order to take Christ to them,” said Goff.
“The truth is, though, that we don’t take Christ to dark places,
because Christ is already there. We simply discover, reveal and
share Christ anew in those places. I hope that I have shared
the love and light of Christ with the women – I know they have
shared it with me,” Goff added.

“For the residents, there is empowerment in being able
to pick up a Bible and know they are loved,” said Sally Gunn, a
member of All Saint’s, Richmond, who has been facilitating a
Bible study at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women for

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Virginia Episcopalian / Spring 2013

13 years. The Bible study is run by five volunteers and allows
about 20 female inmates to come together, interact and feel
respected. “It has changed my entire life and given me an
opportunity to reflect on my own spirituality,” Dunn explained.
“And I am able to communicate that to these women who have
come to a place in their lives where hope is all they have.”

The Rev. Catherine Hicks is priest-in-charge of St.
Peter’s, Port Royal, and started a prison ministry with the
congregation in March 2012. “I really appreciate the chance
to participate in the Bible Study,” said Hicks. “Prisoners have
a lot of valuable things to say about Scripture when you
allow an open dialogue.” About four volunteers bring a Bible
study once a month to an average of 15 men of Peumansand
Creek Regional Jail. “They are happy to have the opportunity
to discuss God’s words and apply it to their current lives
in prison, and to think about how to use God’s help in
restructuring their lives once they are released from jail,”
said Hicks. And St. Peter’s has found a way to get everyone
involved. The congregation donated used Bibles and provided
money to purchase new ones for participants in the Bible
Study. At Christmas, they packaged 300 bags of hard candy to
spread cheer throughout the jail.

Prison ministry is one that allows volunteers to bring a
message of hope and redemption. And for Goff, “It keeps me
rooted in the love of Christ and of my sisters in Christ. It keeps
me looking for and seeing the light, the hope, the goodness,
the possibility of redemption that shines in every darkness.”
Part II of this series on prison ministry will appear in the Summer Issue of the
magazine and will feature members of Church of the Messiah, Chancellorsville;
St. James’, Louisa; St. Matthew’s, Sterling; St. Patrick’s, Falls Church; and the Falls
Church, Falls Church.