The Pender Development Fund
P. O. Box 1058
Burgaw, NC 28425
Links:
Religious Programs at Pender Correctional Institution
"Remember those in prison as if
you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you
yourselves were suffering."
Hebrews 13:3
What Others are Saying
Biblical Recorder
North Carolina Baptist State Paper
February 26, 2008
Chaplains seek funds, volunteers for chapel
By Norman Jameson
BR Editor
Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, says only a heart change keeps inmates from returning to prison after their release. Now two chaplains want to build a chapel to help them facilitate heart change among the 764 inmates at Pender Correctional Institution in Burgaw.
Jim Spiritosanto and Jimmy Joseph currently coordinate their work with up to 12 religious groups, 145 volunteers and numerous programs of special speakers, events, education, rehab and retreats out of cramped and dreary space from one of the many monochrome cement block buildings inside the double fence that separates inmates from the world that put them away.
There is no chapel at the prison. For services, inmates cram into the library, which seats only about 30 or the visitors reception area, into which 100 can squeeze. Equipment, books, chairs, instruments and sound must be carted from storage to whichever site will be utilized. Neither space is conducive to worship.
With a commitment from the Baptist Builders of North Carolina Baptist Men to provide labor, Joseph and Spiritosanto (which means holy spirit in Italian) are looking for construction funds. The state of North Carolina will not build a chapel, so the chaplains are asking Baptist volunteers and donors to build it. The completed chapel will be given to the prison, which will then maintain it. Estimated cost is $525,000.
Michael Bell, the administrator at Pender strongly supports the effort. Himself a certified lay preacher in the United Methodist Church, he said, "I've seen people find the Lord in prison and when they leave, they don't come back."
"Coming back," or recidivism, plagues the criminal justice system. While it varies by criminal type, between 70 and 80 percent of released inmates revert to crime and are rearrested. Prisoners who find faith in Christ, or Christians behind bars who are restored to their faith, are much more likely to find productive lives outside the walls and not return.
"I believe in the life-changing effects of ministry inside the prison," said Bell.
The current chapel space is a 20 by 24 foot area used for drug rehab program and 22 other programs every week. A portable baptistery acts as shelf space between uses. It has no restroom and the chaplains have to turn potential worshippers away.
A new chapel building will enable Spiritosanto and Joseph to unify their religious programs in one place and expand worship and education opportunities. It would accommodate 200 in worship and would enable chaplains and volunteers to have three programs operating simultaneously at other times.
"The entire look and feel here is institutional," said Joseph, who also directs the Matthew 25 House near the prison, a ministry to inmates' families. "We want a place that looks like it's made for worship."
"Having religion is a key for a person's rehabilitation," said Spiritosanto. He said the only religious services available to inmates are those the chaplains offer, and a chapel dedicated to religious service will enhance the offerings and help the chaplains effectively reach more inmates.
A prison is a "wide-open mission field" say the chaplains, because "God has got their attention." With such an opportunity, the chaplains are urging others to help them break the cycle that keeps men coming back to prison by helping them build a chapel.
Contact the chaplains at www.penderchapel.org or The Pender Development Fund, P. O. Box 1058 Burgaw, NC 28425.