Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Fall 2013 Issue | Page 20

The Work of the Chaplain
In 1920, the people of the Diocese of Virginia
heard the call from God to care for our
brothers and sisters who were incarcerated
in Virginia’s state prisons. In response to
that call, the Diocese of Virginia became a
founding member of Chaplain Services of the
Churches of Virginia, now Chaplain Service
Prison Ministry of Virginia, Inc.

Since 1920, the Diocese of Virginia
has been in faithful and constant support
of this ministry, which has taken the love

and freedom in Christ behind prison walls.
Over the past 83 years, our financial support
and our presence as a partner in this
ministry have changed the lives of countless
incarcerated Virginians and persons from all
over the United States.

In 2004, Bishop Peter Lee appointed
me to serve on the Board of Chaplain Service.
Over the years, as a member of the board,
a trustee, and as chairman of the board, I
have visited prisons and inmates, and have

heard powerful stories of how lives have been
changed. There is no doubt about God’s call
to serve when we look into the eyes of those
held captive, even by bars. I am pleased to
commend this article to you as we celebrate
this powerful and holy witness to the love of
God in a time of need.
–The Rev. Bill Burk, Vicar of Church of the
Creator, Mechanicsville

The following is an excerpt from an article by Barbara Francis, originally
printed in the Religious Herald. Reprinted with permission.
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 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
18

Virginia Episcopalian / Fall 2013

of Virginia’s 40 prisons to reach that
population.

“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.

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.

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.

“During Christmas vacation I had
the unpleasant task of calling every

Photo: Religious Herald

Randy Myers and Joyce Minor of Chaplain
Service Prison Ministry of Virginia.

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.

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 closer to the
national average; and to provide health
coverage for chaplains.

To offset the decline in support from
Chaplain continued on page 19