Corrections Connections: A state prison, a visionary professor, a willing chaplain, and worship inside prison walls
Published: July 05, 2022
Professor Paul Sunderland and members of GU's Pursuit worship band visit the Vandalia Correctional Center
“Why would college students give up a Saturday night to hang out with us?” an inmate surrounded by other inmates asked.
Greenville University Professor Paul Sunderland had just welcomed the men to an evening of worship at the Vandalia Correctional Center in Vandalia, Illinois, the minimum-security state prison where they served time.
“Let’s ask them,” replied Sunderland, turning to members of the praise band.
- One of the student-musicians empathized with inmates; her cousin was incarcerated.
- One believed that Jesus valued visiting prisoners; we should, too.
- One had done this before and wanted to experience “amazing worship” again.
Erika Spring, chaplain at the Center and a 2011 graduate of GU, invited the students to lead worship there—the first time in two years that the prison’s instruments and sound system would see use.
“The experience of a lifetime”
The students—all experienced musicians who led worship often as members of GU’s worship team Pursuit—arrived early. They changed guitar and bass strings, figured out the sound system, and rehearsed. Spring shared prison rules and prayed with the students before inmates began to trickle in.
Some of the first to gather cajoled one of their own to play the piano. Abi, a GU student from Mumbai, India, accompanied him on a cajon, a box drum. Abi’s rhythms brought the music to life. The pianist grinned from ear to ear and played his heart out—“The experience of a lifetime,” he later said.
The students then did what they’ve done in dozens of other venues—invited participation and guided the offering of words and music to the Lord.
- No big sound system.
- No expensive instruments.
- An out-of-tune piano.
With little in common but the grace of Jesus Christ, the students and inmates lifted their voices together. “Nothing but the blood of Jesus” rings with new meaning when sung by a man who has yet to see his grandbaby, or one who has five more years to serve, or another who knows he’s alive today because he’s no longer an addict.
The students ended the evening praying over the men. The worshippers clasped hands, spoke blessings, and shed tears.
Worship: not about me and my stuff
Sunderland, chair of the worship arts program at GU, connected with Chaplain Spring before the pandemic hit. He believed student-led worship might bless both the inmates and students. She agreed, but then two years of COVID restrictions intervened. The delay made this night all the sweeter.
Sunderland has since rekindled his vision for monthly evenings of worship at the prison when students return in the fall. Prison worship presents learning opportunities that he cannot fully achieve in a classroom.
For instance, students must leave behind the instruments and sound equipment they’re used to and do the best they can with the prison’s old, donated equipment. Sunderland then guides them to reflect on the notion that “it’s not about me and my stuff.”
After the experience at the Vandalia Correctional Center, he asked them to describe what serving as musicians is about.
- “As we relied on their equipment . . . it made my words and engagement feel much more important than the sound of the instruments,” said one.
- “[The inmates’] excitement and gratitude were way beyond what I find in other places,” said another.
- “Zealous voices,” said a third. “They just wanted to share in the joy of the Lord. I hope that I can foster a similar environment outside the prison in worship settings that I am a part of.”
Each response seemed to say, “This is why I would give up a Saturday night to hang out with you.”
Interconnected
Greenville University is grateful for alumni like Erika Spring, who value connections that transform lives. Spring also collaborates with Professor Ben Wayman and students in GU’s theology department, who join a group of inmates for weekly bible study.
