GraceInside (2018)
GraceInside
Richmond, Va.
The ministry of GraceInside is transforming lives, families and communities. GraceInside’s mission is to provide and coordinate ministry, including advocacy, justice and humane treatment for adults and juveniles in Virginia’s state prisons. The Commonwealth of Virginia is the only state in the country that does not provide funding for chaplains in correctional institutions.
In 2018, Impact1890 awarded GraceInside $12,000 to fund an increase in programs and ministry provided through the chaplaincy office to the elderly and infirm men incarcerated at Deerfield Correctional Center. The chaplain’s time, funded by this grant, is targeted to individual care to those men in the infirmary, men who are dying and incarcerated men who have experienced the death of a loved one.
Andrew has been in prison for 22 years under a life without parole sentence. Several years ago, he suffered six strokes within six weeks. After being confined to his bed for over a year and unable to access rehabilitative services, because such services are not provided by Virginia prisons, he began to notice movement in a single finger and after many setbacks, he has been able to restore enough muscle strength to walk with a walker. He has now qualified for geriatric release. He sees God’s movement and healing offering him hope as a believer, transforming his heart so that he could transform his body.
To learn more about GraceInside visit: www.graceinside.org.